Indianapolis Law Firms

What Makes a Good Indianapolis Law Firm?

They call Indiana the “Crossroads of America” for a reason, and it’s not only because Indiana happens to be right smack in the middle of the country. It just so happens to be one of the most important ‘crossroads’ of life when it comes legal matters –

Which Lawyer Should I Hire?

More importantly, what Indianapolis law firm is a good one? It’s a tough choice, especially when you don’t know what makes a good Indianapolis law firm. There’s a place to start regarding that, though….

There Are Two Kinds of Indianapolis Law Firms

1. “Large” Law Firms

2. And “Small” Law Offices

Just to make sure that there’s no confusion, using the term ‘offices’ can tend to mean a smaller-scale establishment. Usually when you hear the word ‘firm,’ it often attributes to a larger corporation of lawyers.

Know this, though, about these two types: larger doesn’t always mean “better.”

What you can expect is that each type of Indianapolis law firm does have advantages. Better yet, we can call them ‘strengths.’

We’ll start with the larger type Indianapolis law firms….

The Benefits of Larger Law Firms in Indianapolis

1. The “Team” Advantage

2. Better Technological Resources

3. Better Trial Lawyers

4. Better Track Record

Some of these are real no-brainers, but we’ll get right down to the nitty gritty of all of it. First off, the “team” advantage is obvious in that most larger Indianapolis law firms will assign any case, no matter how small, to more than one attorney. And to make it even better, each attorney has his or her own legal assistant. Each sub-department also has their own team of paralegals.

So in other words, you can bet there’s hardly a chance that a team of lawyers for a huge Indianapolis law firm will lose a case (unless there are major screw-ups).

Furthermore, because there’s a lot of money in these big Indianapolis law firms, technological resources are way up there – with everything from company libraries that have just about anything regarding the law, printers, computers, laptops. You name it.

So no lawyer will struggle to keep up on filing documents, paperwork, correspondence, or any other stressful task a lawyer must deal with.

This, of course, makes for a great trial lawyer. And quite frankly that’s what many clients need for whatever their cases may be – it’s an attorney who’s skilled in the courtroom.

With all the help a lawyer gets in a large Indianapolis law firm, it’s pretty obvious that the only effort and energy the lawyer needs to spend is – yes, you guessed it – in the courtroom.

That makes for obviously better track records. Less overworked lawyers. More satisfied clients.

But Are Smaller Law Firms Necessarily Mediocre?

Not necessarily! On the contrary, even the smaller “law offices” have their strengths, and depending on the case they may be the way to go versus a larger firm. Why? Here’s what you can consider with the smaller offices….

1. Better Rates and Fees

2. Personal Attention

3. More Hardworking

4. More Specialized Experience

5. Better Understanding of State Laws

These are guidelines. Just remember that. It doesn’t necessarily mean that any small office with these strengths will trump all the big firms of Indianapolis. But it certainly does help when choosing a lawyer and figuring out whether a case deserves the attention of a lawyer working in a smaller setting.

For instance: the better rates and fees.

Know that it may mean that the lawyer has certain expenses. In a smaller office, those expenses most definitely will be not as much as the larger firms out there. This can account for the more competitive rates.

In addition, not having that many legal assistants or paralegals on staff would account for the cheaper rates and fees, as those charges won’t account for the payroll or maintenance of the building. So naturally it would make sense that a lawyer won’t charge as much in a smaller office.

It may also mean that a lawyer working in a smaller office might have less experience. But that’s what the ‘free consultation’ is for! To check on the experience, see if the bite of the lawyer is as good as his or her bark.

Because it’s a smaller office, it also happens to be the case that retention of clients is a major priority. For a small office, losing a client is about the most tragic thing that can happen. In a larger firm, it can be equated to that of a mosquito bite.

Because of that, any lawyer working in a smaller office will seem to work that much harder on a case. In addition, from that perspective, being completely involved in every facet of the case (unlike that of a lawyer working for a larger firm) can give a lawyer a much better understanding and a much better chance of winning.

That, of course, depends on the temperament, the skill, the savvy, and the all-around personality of the attorney.

Without a doubt, though, smaller offices have a major advantage over the larger firms in that when they specialize in a certain legal niche, they completely outrank everyone. Typically smaller firms are more local than anything else – this means they’ll have very detailed experience in both the state laws and the type of cases pertaining to such state laws that choosing such lawyers in these small offices will be an obvious decision.

Again, though – these are specific guidelines.

The Bottom Line Is It’s the Client’s Decision

It ultimately depends on the case. But the important thing is to know what you’re dealing with, and if you have a shortlist of lawyers in the Indianapolis area, you better have a wide variety –

1. Small Offices

2. Large Firms

Remember that. Because any case is unique. You may find that any regular divorce case might fare well with a larger firm, especially if it is in regard to certain grounds for divorce. Furthermore, a probate lawyer working out of an office in his or her own home will do the job nicely for a small hourly rate.

The question is what the client would be looking for. And now, thanks to this, any client would know.