Find Legal Topics > Law Firm Laws > West Virginia Law Firm

West Virginia Law Firm



While finding a West Virginia law firm you can trust might seem daunting, the truth is that with a little preparation and careful consideration on your part, you will be able to choose a lawyer that complies with standards of professional and ethical excellence, as required of professionals.  Most of your decision will hinge on your experience in the initial consultation with the West Virginia law firm, so be prepared to describe your needs, find out what you will pay and if the lawyer you are meeting with is attentive to your needs.  While this may seem a tall order for a half-hour meeting, you will be able to have a working idea of if an attorney will be useful and will work on your legal matter, to your satisfaction.

Priorities for your consultation with the West Virginia law firm

You need to have three goals when considering a West Virginia law firm for your needs.  All of these goals relate to the suitability of the West Virginia law firm in relation to your ability to afford the lawyer and if you feel that your legal issue can be resolved through the use of the West Virginia law firm.  

Determine your needs

You need to ensure you actually need the West Virginia law firm for your legal issue before consulting with any firms.  This can be accomplished through calling legal information services, provided by state bar associations or attending free legal clinics.  Some may find that simple legal advice, even from a non-attorney search can give them clarity and help determine if their needs would be fulfilled by a West Virginia law firm.  This clarity is important to saving you time, have the best notion of your needs and may even convince you that meeting with West Virginia law firms is not necessary.  If you have any doubts about the legal advice you have received, which is already not meant as a substitute to actual attorney advice, then you should proceed to look for consultations with West Virginia law firms.

Can you afford a West Virginia law firm?

Almost all persons that have a need for a West Virginia law firm can afford one, although some will need the aid of other organizations or the law firm itself to make legal services affordable.  Legal aid societies reduce the costs of legal action to free or nominal, depending on their ability to pay for legal services and their legal need.  For example, legal help will be available for family court issues, landlord disagreements, worker’s compensation and juvenile delinquency.  Legal help will generally not be available for divorce (unless there is abuse involved), bankruptcy and most forms of litigation.  For these legal matters, you will need to work with the West Virginia law firm on a payment plan that either defers billing or has a reduced rate, subject to availability and meeting certain conditions.

Can you legal issue be resolved?

As long as you know the nature of your legal matter, you should be able to judge if the lawyer advice you receive is consistent with your needs.  You should be able to determine how your needs might change and if you will benefit from an alternate billing arrangement.  As you will have worked with the West Virginia law firm to determine a billing arrangement, you will have to decide on important options, such as accepting to maintain a retainer account for billing or a communication policy.

A lawyer’s suitability for you needs will depend heavily on their professionalism and ability to communicate with clients.  Professionalism will independent of age, experience, training and professional esteem, although these factors may weigh on your decision.  Professionalism is a set of skills and behaviors that govern the West Virginia law firm’s interaction with clients, other legal professionals and the court.  You will want your lawyer to listen to you needs respectfully and formulate a legal plan that works with both your financial and legal needs.  You will want the West Virginia law firm to have a favorable communication policy, especially provisions that establish a procedure to get information and ask questions about your case and determine who you will speak to for further information.

What is the West Virginia State Bar?

The WVSB is a the mandatory bar association for members of West Virginia law firm and this organization improves the quality of the practice of law in the state, by enforcing standards for the education and licensing of prospective lawyers and the continuing professionalism of West Virginia law firms.  There are a number of services to help lawyers with their professionalism and level of service, including a Young Lawyer’s Section, mandatory Continuing Legal Education training and a client protection fund to protect against fraud by colleagues that would undermine the public’s faith in West Virginia law firms.

Verifying your lawyer

You may verify your lawyer by examining their State Bar ID Card.  All lawyers must be members of the West Virginia Bar, so lawyers that cannot present evidence of membership should be suspect.  Report all instances of the unauthorized practice of law to the WV Bar.  Never accept unauthorized services from an unlicensed lawyer, as these services are unregulated and not guaranteed to work in your interests, either in terms of accuracy or thoroughness.  You may also use the WV Bar’s Member Search function to look up a lawyer and verify their membership.

Finding a West Virginia law firm

You may use this website, phonebooks, public directories, internet searches and even advertising to find a lawyer, but use none of these to determine if the lawyer you find is right for your needs.  You may use the Lawyer Referral Service provided by the state bar, at no cost.  Attorneys that are part of this service will charge you no more than $25 for the initial consultation to discuss the legal matter.  This fee is generally not assessed for certain matters, such as litigation.  Take as many consultations with different lawyers, as necessary, until you find the legal representative that is right for your needs.

Related Topics