Yawning Man Posted September 1, 2012 What makes a good lawyer and how do you find them at short notice? I'm not in any kind of legal trouble or anything, but I know fuck all about representation and finding a lawyer that specialises in a certain area of law and what not. It's not something I think i'll ever need but it would be good to know this sort of info for the unseeable future. Cheers YM Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stillman Posted September 1, 2012 By how expensive his suit is. Don't fuck with a man in a 3000 dollar suit. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
santiago Posted September 1, 2012 i have only had two lawyers in my life, one dressed well and one dressed not well....the one dressed well was pathetic and the not dressed well one was the most incredible amazing man or lawyer i could imagine. a mini generalisation i know based on limited experience but personally i dont rate the whole dress to impress persona....yes it has its merits but i think its more a chameleon type pretender personality trying to be someone........as to actually being someone. all i can say is the badly dressed lawyer who changed my life was a bulldog...he digged and he dug, he barked and he shouted, he chased and he sniffed, he went hard and he protected...he followed me to the ATM to get his money thats how hungry he was, he was older and experienced and had grey hair and a beard, the well dressed lawyer simply got his assistant to write letters every now and again explaining the basic fundamentals of court........the good lawyer got on the phone and made an effort to walk with me for 15 minuted before court, when i was approached by people in the court waiting room he sheided me like a bodyguard and said ''walk away iv got this'' whilst i respect the well dressed mentality i think its a pretender mentality....the old saying never judge a book by its cover comes to mind, judges are a lot smarter than a $5000 suit. i think get a lawyer who has been in the biz for 30 plus years, he probably has been fishing with the judge and probably been drunk with him her too. you cant have enough experience in that game...the more the better, so many putzes to choose from you gotta get lucky..........my advise go for the worst dressed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted September 1, 2012 my lawyer is bohemian, so with him the rule would not be about how expensive his suit is, but how expensive his next drink is. Actually, it's more about how interesting his next drink is as I don't think money really plays too much fo a role in his decision making. Lawyers that are successful often get too laid back and let their underlings do too much of the work which means they are not really involved in the case much themselves. A law firm that has 2 principals 3 or 4 juniors and a couple of paralegals or secretaries seems to be best. Having 2 principals means that there is always one available for emergencies [you will always need a lawyer when he is on holidays or in court, LOL]. Having a couple of juniors means the principals have enough money and standing to afford to keep them busy, but not so much that they have lost overview of the firm and touch with the clients. Pick a firm close to the courts as it saves you lots of money. It also means they are better known in court. This is something I learnt a long time ago.... my first criminal lawyer in sydney was pretty young and fresh, so he struggled to get attention by the judge and everyone in the room. When his mentor rocked up suddenly all the other lawyers shut up, got out of the way and he had the judge's full attention. Keeping an eye on these things really makes a difference. As the case progressed the mentor actually warned me not to get upset if I see him having lunch with the prosecutor, cos that's just how things go in the court house. Afterwards I realised that over lunch the fate of the case had pretty much been decided - and it was very positive for our side. It seems a good social rapport between the two sides at the highest level means much less crap being dragged out in court and hence a much swifter decision. So watch your solicitor in court. Does he make his points well? does he get a good chance to do so, ie does he have the respect of his peers? There is a lot of time involved waiting for court, so getting a firm close to the court will save you lots of money. For my dad's divorce he chose a lawyer close to him, but far from court and this cost him about 2000-3000 per short appearance [eg adjournments], while a firm close by would charge maybe 200-300 for the same. And by close I mean really close - maximum 2 city blocks. Ultimately you need to look at the outcomes though. if you can't test these yourself via smaller issues then look at his previous work. I picked a solicitor firm at random a few years ago as I needed one in brisbane, but when given a choice of partners I googled the names. Turns out one of them was the one that defended Mohammed Haneef against Philip Ruddock's hysterial campaign. My kinda guy ;) On my last case we went for a pubcrawl in melbourne till 2 am chatting about his work for the boat people. Who cares about the suit as long as he presents well in court ..... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigred Posted September 1, 2012 in Queensland its a boys club the top defence lawyers were former police or dpp so i would go to court one day and have a look at how they perform. when i got in trouble i got a very expensive lawyer he was great but was well suited to the task of defending me. I always liked him because he thought like me he understood i was not guilty if i had of got a legal aid lawyer i would still be in jail and it all depends on what you are charged with you dont want to rock up to court on a speeding fine and have the best legal defence judges hate that. If its a supreme court matter i would go watch a few court days and get a good look at who is defending who some lawyers get a lot dropped because the dpp doesn't want the big hassle of having a trial over a trivial matter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
applesnail Posted September 2, 2012 (edited) at the end of the day its the judges bounds regarding the sentencing act in comparison to the severity of the crime commited! Edited September 2, 2012 by Torsten Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
space cadet swami Posted September 2, 2012 I don't get the joke... How do you tell a good lawyer what..? The question is, "Is there such a thing as a good lawyer..?" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bigred Posted September 2, 2012 there was this guy he was a a engineer there was nothing he could not do he was a genius on the day he graduated, he was walking home and got hit by a car and died by mistake he was sent to hell so when he got there he built massive air cons and put in golf coarses Satan was so happy, he rang god and said thanks but good said there was a mistake and he was ment for heaven Satan said stiff shit god got very angry and said ill sue you the devil laughed and said where are you going to find a lawyer there all here 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
santiago Posted September 3, 2012 you mentioned big red if i had of got a legal aid lawyer i would still be in jail its just a contract system by whole isnt it...ie legal aid puts out an amount call it a carrot © and one of the many who see it called lawyers in the invite vall that (100 email recipient lawyers)...an empty checkbook is opened and the hungry lawyer takes it on, to me in the real world that makes it a more real process and i believe the biggest takes the bait, now the question is....is that fish any smarter than the other hungry fish in the tank. Does paying 10 grand legal fees just serve to justify the inherant bad value we all seek in monetary substantiation of ones ego....talking about random shit here, but it basically boils down to human nature believing that paying for something justifies correct values, which is true but also not true. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dizzyanarchist Posted September 3, 2012 the ones that get u out of jail are good 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dizzyanarchist Posted September 3, 2012 also some of those legal aid dogs take their payment from legal aid and lodge the claim for bail/suspended sentence whatever and not give a flying fuck about the person their representing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dizzyanarchist Posted September 3, 2012 also some of those legal aid dogs take their payment from legal aid and lodge the claim for bail/suspended sentence whatever and not give a flying fuck about the person their representing my advice is ask around for a good private lawyer that is payed by legal aid claims if ur in prison ask around for one if out try to find out through mates that have copped it from the legal system im sure ud find one dont have to pay big money for someone that might only just care about the money family lawyers are good because they have a breif idea on the background that brought u up Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Xenodimensional Posted September 4, 2012 What makes a good lawyer and how do you find them at short notice? A headstone saying they were a lawyer? Check your local cemetary... Sorry couldn't resist. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dizzyanarchist Posted September 4, 2012 nah u want the unmarked graves they might a served a mafia boss or something but u gotta dig it up for tell tail belongings of a lawyer like note pad business cards and no money cuz they got robbed and stabbed after they fucked up a case 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dizzyanarchist Posted September 4, 2012 nah u want the unmarked graves they might a served a mafia boss or something but u gotta dig it up for tell tail belongings of a lawyer like note pad business cards and no money cuz they got robbed and stabbed after they fucked up a case matter a fact look for stab marks to 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
etherealdrifter Posted September 4, 2012 just a couple of things i've been privy to: a good lawya needs to have an established rep. how you find one of these guy's .....is through word of mouth. many can talk the talk but can they walk the walk.....how are you fucking meant to know this unless they've proved themselves in a similar case to your present circumstances?? A good lawyer will weigh up the odds and give it to you straight....not string you along and charge you your dole money for a written letter. I've had the same guy since i was 19. Yes, he'd be getting old now but who knows - he may even be dead - i haven't sought his counsel for a while now Sometimes all ya got is legal aid, so imo, it's not always about the suit they wear or the drink they drink, it comes down to the severity of the alleged counts against you. For example, i've seen people fork out huge amounts of coin for a lawyer, when the charges against them could have effectly been dealt with by a drunk, wobbly donkey. Ask them heaps of questions pertaining to your alleged charges and ask them if they've dealt with this sort of case before. I know that last sentence sounds like a gimme but believe me, many peeps just assume too much when it comes to a suit and then suffer the consequences. As for suits, well, my man always looked disheveled as fuck(which i took as he works hard for his dosh and cares about the outcome). He'd turn up to court, hair all askew, jingling the spare change in his pocket. he'd reassure me and make me laugh - alot more beneficial than some quack wanting to murk up my judgement with ssri's. Also, if they constantly meet with the prosecutor , i think that's a good sign for you. All the best and i hope none of you ever need To How to tell a Good Lawyer.........ever.....although you probably will need one - even if it's just a divorce lawyer. i need a beer........i'm shaking abit from dredging up the past in my mind. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dizzyanarchist Posted September 4, 2012 just a couple of things i've been privy to: a good lawya needs to have an established rep. how you find one of these guy's .....is through word of mouth. many can talk the talk but can they walk the walk.....how are you fucking meant to know this unless they've proved themselves in a similar case to your present circumstances?? A good lawyer will weigh up the odds and give it to you straight....not string you along and charge you your dole money for a written letter. I've had the same guy since i was 19. Yes, he'd be getting old now but who knows - he may even be dead - i haven't sought his counsel for a while now Sometimes all ya got is legal aid, so imo, it's not always about the suit they wear or the drink they drink, it comes down to the severity of the alleged counts against you. For example, i've seen people fork out huge amounts of coin for a lawyer, when the charges against them could have effectly been dealt with by a drunk, wobbly donkey. Ask them heaps of questions pertaining to your alleged charges and ask them if they've dealt with this sort of case before. I know that last sentence sounds like a gimme but believe me, many peeps just assume too much when it comes to a suit and then suffer the consequences. As for suits, well, my man always looked disheveled as fuck(which i took as he works hard for his dosh and cares about the outcome). He'd turn up to court, hair all askew, jingling the spare change in his pocket. he'd reassure me and make me laugh - alot more beneficial than some quack wanting to murk up my judgement with ssri's. Also, if they constantly meet with the prosecutor , i think that's a good sign for you. All the best and i hope none of you ever need To How to tell a Good Lawyer.........ever.....although you probably will need one - even if it's just a divorce lawyer. yeh thats right i look into cases they fought and won look into the severity's in the cases try to compare chances u know its all bout building the case to work in ur favor a u dont want a dumbass to coincide with ur case Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
