The best way to obtain a referral for a qualified Personal Lawyer is by Word of Mouth (WOM). Personal referrals from friends, family members and colleagues are the best sources to receive recommendations for lawyers, as well as for professionals in other fields. Think about this for a moment, "Would you refer anyone you care about to any type of professional who does not live up to your specifications or expectations?" Since the answer is probably no, then apply the same theory when referrals are being made to you. People who care about you typically will not refer a lawyer or other type of professional to you who is not qualified.

Let's assume that you cannot obtain a personal referral from one of the groups stated above. Then, the second best way to seek a referral for Personal Lawyer is to notify your friends, family members or colleagues that you will consider Third Party referrals.

In essence, Third Party referrals are those professionals who are recommended to you from a friend of a friend (family member and/or colleague.) In this scenario, you will need to take the initiative to thoroughly check out the person's background and track record. In the event the outcome is not favorable, the level of accountability of the friend who made the referral is minimal.

Once you have exhausted getting personal referrals through primary and secondary means, it may be time to consider advertisements. This can be accomplished through perusing National and Local Newspaper ads, the Yellow Pages, TV Commercials, the Internet, Billboards or other advertisement resources.

Once you have found a prospective candidate who you feel is a highly qualified Personal Lawyer, additional research or "homework" is required. This process includes researching the person's credentials. The State Bar Association can assist you in this area. You may also make a personal call to the person's Law Firm to obtain additional information about his/her credentials.

When conducting your research, please don't be afraid to ask detailed, hard questions, such as:
" How long have you practiced law in this specific field?"
" Have you ever handled cases of this nature?
" If so, what successes did you experience?"
If the party is reluctant to answer your questions, then this may be a signal that you need to look for additional candidates.

However, if the attorney answers your questions to your satisfaction, then it is time to move forward to the next step, that is: Scheduling a personal one-on-one meeting. This kind of session gives you the opportunity to assess your comfort level with the individual's professionalism, the office environment, as well as having a good inner "gut" feeling about her/him as a person. Once these attributes of the prospective candidate are aligned with your expectations and specifications, then it may be safe to say that you have indeed found a highly qualified "Personal Lawyer" to handle your case.