The Lawyer’s role in society is to provide people with legal counsel and to help resolve situations that arise in their business and personal lives. As we move through life, it is normal to require the services of a lawyer from time to time. For individuals, situations that most often require the services of a lawyer include drafting a will, selling or purchasing a home, obtaining a divorce or handling a dispute regarding children, or automobile related matters. Lawyers best serve their clients by being vigorous but objective advocates and advisors. Lawyers receive special training to be able to see “all sides” of any situation because only by being able to see things from all sides can a fair and lasting resolution be achieved.

How to find a Lawyer

Finding a good lawyer is like finding a good doctor; the best way is to ask people whose judgment you trust for the name of a good lawyer. You should ask people who are in business and regularly interact with lawyers – people like your accountant, doctor, or financial advisor.

Also a good option is to find an approved lawyer referral service such as 1000Attorneys.com which has a network of pre-screened attorneys in the Los Angeles area. All lawyers are monitored and insured and must submit reports on all cases to the lawyer referral service to make sure all cases are handled properly and effectively.

Unauthorized Practice of Law Any time you are asking someone to give you advice about legal issues or to assist you in preparing legal documents you should ensure that the person is qualified to assist you. It sometimes happens that non-lawyers will tell you that they can handle your matter or lead you to believe that they are lawyers. It is the practice of law when a person or company says or does something on behalf of another person that involves taking a general legal principle, applying the principle to the facts of a case and making a decision about the legal issue or issues concerning the case. It is the unauthorized practice of law for a person to use legal discretion on behalf of another person, or draft legal documents or practice law for another person, when they are not legally authorized to do so. Hiring a non-lawyer may actually put you in a worse position. You end up having to pay a lawyer not only to handle the original matter, but also to fi x additional problems caused by the non-lawyer. To avoid losing your money to someone who is not authorized or qualifi ed to provide legal services, ask for the lawyer’s bar number.