Experienced
Besides being professional and articulate, be sure to pick a lawyer with experience in the field for which you need the help. Some states have specialty certification programs; others do not. But unless your problem is routine paper-processing, an attorney who lacks experience in the field will have a poor feel for the nuances and subtleties of a problem, and may cause avoidable complications while trying to resolve things to your satisfaction.
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A brilliant securities lawyer is likely to founder if called upon to defend a murder case; by contrast, the best courtroom defense lawyer is likely to be lost if called upon to handle a tax matter in front of the tax department.
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You should also find out about the lawyer’s professional credentials, especially if your prospective attorney does not bring it up himself during conversation. Lawyers are bound by attorney-client privilege not to reveal anything about the legal affairs of another client. That does not prevent them from telling you about other cases they have worked on, or about their professional background.
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Remember, though, that the law school they attended is usually less important than the kind of work they have done since. After all, very fine lawyers come from every law school in the country, and Yale and Harvard have produced their share of fools. Attending Harvard assures you that they got good grades in college, and are very bright.
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It says nothing about their professional ethics, and is no guarantee that they have an ounce of common sense.
