What is an Attorney Law Firm?
An attorney law firm is a business organization formed by one or more legal specialists (lawyers, paralegals etc.) to engage in the practice of law. The primary services rendered by an attorney law firm are to advise clients (business entities or individuals) about their legal future, responsibilities and rights. More specifically, an attorney law firm will present these entities in criminal or civil cases, business transactions and other legal matters in which assistance and legal advice are sought.
An attorney law firm may be organized in several ways. The structure of an attorney law firm is dependent on its jurisdiction and the type of law it practices. Common arrangements for an attorney law firm include:
• General Partnership: Under this formation, all lawyers in the attorney law firm equally share liability and ownership
• Sole Proprietorship: Under this formation, a lawyer acts as the attorney law firm and is thus responsible for the formation’s profit, loss and liability.
• Professional Corporations: This type of attorney law firm formation issues stock to individual lawyers in a similar fashion to a business corporation
• Limited Liability Company: This type of attorney law firm formation refers to the individual lawyers as “members.” These individuals are not directly liable to third party creditors of the attorney law firm.
• Professional Association: This type of attorney law firm operates similarly to a limited liability company or a professional corporation
• Limited Liability Partnership: Under this formation, attorney-owners are partners with other legal professionals, but no partner is liable to any creditor of the attorney law firm nor is any partner liable for negligence of any other legal professional. A limited liability partnership is taxed as a partnership while enjoying liability protections of a corporation.
Will I Need to Contact an Attorney Law Firm?
It is suggested, if you are facing legal troubles of any kind, to contact an attorney law firm. You should contact an attorney law firm if you have questions or concerns over any legal matter that affects your life. If you feel you have been swindled from a business transaction, if you slipped and fell in a commercially-owned parking lot, or if you got a serious car accident where you were not at fault, you will need to contact an attorney law firm.
An attorney law firm is a very broad term. Every jurisdiction in the United States, invariably contains numerous attorney law firms; each attorney law firm specializes in a distinct area of law. So, for example, if you have been charged with a DUI and need representation you must contact a car accident or DUI attorney law firm. If you are charged with a felony, you should contact a criminal attorney law firm. If you are looking to collect money from slipping and falling in front of a store, you should contact a civil or personal injury attorney law firm. And so on and so on.
You will not need to contact an attorney law firm if you are not facing a legal dilemma. However, if you are confused about a certain legal matter and would like to speak to a lawyer you must contact an attorney law firm. Depending on your situation, some legal professionals will not charge a fee for providing advice or engaging in a consultation. In most cases, civil law attorneys, including personal injury lawyers, slip and fall lawyers will not charge for preliminary meetings or consultations. These types of lawyers do not charge for preliminary meetings because they operate under contingency fees—they only take cases that they think they can win because they only receive money if a settlement is secured.
Finding an Attorney Law Firm in your Area:
If you are in a legal quandary and need to find an attorney law firm in your area, simply follow these easy steps:
To find a suitable attorney law firm in your area, you should first conduct a geo-specific Internet search via Google. Simply click on the “maps” tab and type-in “law firms” and Google will spit-out all of the attorney law firms in your area. Remember, these firms are broad in nature and will not necessarily meet your specific needs. To narrow your search you should type-in the area of specialty your legal matter requires. For example, if you are involved in a car accident and a legal suit follows, you must contact a car accident attorney law firm in your area.
Internet searches—through GOOGLE or other search engines—allow you to compile a list of attorney law firms in your area. Once you have gathered a list of prospective attorney law firms in your location, you must cross-reference each firm by contacting your state’s BAR association, the respective firm’s website and all available reviews from popular sites such as yelp. All of this information will help you evaluate a prospective attorney law firm’s skills and credentials. If your case is complex or crucial to your well-being, you will need to take these reviews very seriously. It is very important to hire a reputable attorney law firm. This information will illuminate the lawyer’s of an attorney law firm educational background, experience and overall skill set.
After the above steps are undertaken, you will have a better understanding for the types of attorney law firms in your region. In addition to the above information, you should also seek advice from family and friends who have faced similar legal predicaments in the past.
How Much Will My Attorney Law Firm Charge?
As stated before, fees associated with an attorney law firm is dependent on your legal matter. In general, a criminal attorney law firm will operate under one of the following payment arrangements: hourly, retainer or flat fee. An hourly fee is self-explanatory: the lawyer in the attorney law firm will charge hourly for services rendered. A flat fee, which is also self-explanatory, requires you to pay a lump sum before services are rendered. Additionally, a retainer serves as an escrow account. You will put up a flat fee before services are rendered. These funds are placed in escrow and subtracted for services rendered. Lastly, a lawyer as part of an attorney law firm may charge a contingency fee. As stated above, these fees are most common for civil attorney law firms. Under a contingency platform, a lawyer will only charge for services rendered if a settlement is secured.