Spokane Law Firms

Guide to Spokane Law Firms

Looking through the phone book or doing a web search to find Spokane law firms can make the search for a Spokane law firm seem very overwhelming. With so many choices, it can be hard to know which law firm would be best—especially if you're a new legal client and haven't needed to use a lawyer before. This guide will explain the types of Spokane law firms that are available for clients like you and help you choose a Spokane law firm based on your own preferences and desires.

Understanding Your Legal Issues

Before you begin to look at types of Spokane law firms, it's important to have a good grasp on your own legal problems so you can keep your search focused. Start by getting some paper and a pen, and try to write down in just a sentence or two what your legal issue is. Try to keep extraneous details out and confine the description to the legal aspects of the problem only, rather than personal or emotional details.

After writing down your problem, describe briefly your ideal resolution to the problem. If you were hurt in an accident, your problem sentence might be “I want to sue the driver who hit my car,” while the ideal resolution might be “I get enough money to pay back my medical bills and have some left over.”

Your Spokane Law Firm Needs

After you've given some thought to your legal issue and how you want it, ideally, to be resolved, it's time to think about what you want from Spokane law firms. Each Spokane law firm has its own unique legal culture and personality, and being able to focus on firms that meet your expectations will help you to be more satisfied with your legal experience.

There is no “one size fits all” Spokane law firm. Which Spokane law firms you prefer will depend largely on your own personality and what you believe will help you to achieve the results you described in your ideal resolution.

Types of Firms: Big Law Firms

For some types of clients, large Spokane law firms are the best option by far. With many lawyers (sometimes over 100) and even more support staff, a large Spokane law firm can offer a lot of experience in a “one stop shop” for clients. While a larger firm isn't for everybody, it can be exactly what some clients need. Here are some signs that large Spokane law firms may be what you're looking for:

ñ You need ongoing legal advice and expertise about a wide range of legal issues. Large Spokane law firms, with their higher number of lawyers, can often connect you with a lawyer specializing in nearly any legal issue that you could encounter.

ñ You are a corporate client, rather than an individual one. A large Spokane law firm is more likely to have a long existing roster of corporate clients, and will generally be experienced with issues encountered by corporations.

ñ You want the Spokane law firm you choose to be a very businesslike environment, and you expect a high degree of decorum in all your interactions with your lawyer.

Types of Law Firms: Small Firms

While large Spokane law firms can be the best option for high-profile or corporate clients, their high billing rates (up to $400-500 an hour) can make them impossible options for most regular people. If your budget is tight, a small Spokane law firm may be able to resolve your situation without breaking the bank.

Small Spokane law firms offer not only lower hourly billing rates than larger ones, but also alternative fee structures that are useful for clients who need representation with run-of-the-mill legal concerns. Issues like divorce, bankruptcy, and many criminal charges can be handled by a small Spokane law firm for a low flat fee. Payment plans may also be possible, to reduce your bill into manageable monthly installments. Comparison shopping may be very useful for finding Spokane law firms if your budget is low.

You may also want a small Spokane law firm for other reasons. These Spokane law firms are more likely to give you a lot of direct contact with your lawyer, rather than his or her legal secretary, and may offer a warmer, friendlier environment that puts new legal clients at ease.

Types of Law Firms: Legal Fields and Specialties

While size is an important factor in choosing a Spokane law firm to represent you, you also need to consider the type of case you are bringing and what you hope to get out of your lawyer/client relationship. Clients who want to continue using the same lawyer for future legal issues may want to choose a general practice Spokane law firm that can assist them regardless of their future legal needs.

General practice firms, which would often have loyal clients for years or decades, were the norm not too long ago, but the legal market has demanded specialization in recent years. Many people now are not looking for a lawyer to represent them for a long time, but just in a single legal matter. If this better describes your situation, you may want to look for a specialty Spokane law firm.

Spokane law firms that specialize won't take cases in just any legal field. They may limit their practice to cases dealing with just one very specific area of the law (like DUI defense or adoption law) or they may have a broader specialty category (like criminal defense generally, or divorce and family law).

Once you have determined what your ideal Spokane law firm would look like, you can begin to search. Phone books and online searches may both be useful at this stage. Keep your paper with your problem and resolution out, so that you can stay focused throughout your search.