- Help! How can I find an attorney fast?
- Well, it is time. I need to draw up a will. How can I find an attorney to help me?
- I've been "served" by my nasty neighbor! What should I do?
Today we will look at using online directories to find an attorney. You may want to live your entire life without needing an attorney and I wish you luck if that is the case. The average person, however, needs a lawyer from time-to-time and searching for one in a hurry can create stress. You want to pick someone you feel comfortable with and you want the best attorney for you and your family.
Sometimes you need an attorney to look over a real estate transaction, to write your will or to help an immediate family member who needs an attorney. A sudden car accident with injuries is never a planned event and can happen at any time. For this, you need an attorney quickly and one you can trust. Having an attorney that you have worked with over time is similar to having a good family doctor. You call, make the appointment, and explain what you need done. The attorney knows your legal history and your preferences and can advise you on what is best for you.
How to find lawyers
1. Akron Bar Association Online Directory – If you are looking for a lawyer from Akron, the Akron Bar Association has an online directory to attorneys. You can search by the attorney's name or you can search by practice area. If you need help with writing a will, select "Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning." The resulting list of names links to contact information. Medina and Portage Bar Associations do not have a similar online directory.
2. Bar Lawyer Referral Services. Many bar associations provide a referral service to connect people with lawyers. This is provided by the bar as a non-profit public service.
Akron Bar Association (Summit County) – Referral Service
Medina County Bar Association - Referral Service
3. Ohio Supreme Court Attorney Directory - This is a directory of all the registered attorneys in Ohio. Search by the attorney's name or by geographic location. You can search by zip code, county, city, township or village and retrieve a list of nearby attorneys. The attorney's listing includes contact information, when the lawyer was admitted to the practice of law in Ohio, where they went to law school and if there has been any discipline action in their past. It does not list their practice area. The directory search works best with Internet Explorer. I got strange results using FireFox and Chrome.
4. Ohio State Bar Association- has a short article with links and provides a Find a Lawyer database.
5. Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory - This is a national directory of lawyers. It is a reputable source and has an attorney rating system. You can search by the attorney's name, a law firm, by location or practice area. The online directory has over 1 million lawyer profiles but it does not have every attorney listed so do not be surprised if an attorney you are checking is not listed. For the attorneys listed, the directory provides contact information, their practice area, when they were admitted to the Bar and where they went to law school. Lawyers are peer reviewed using letter grades for the lawyer's legal ability (A,B,C) and professional ethics (V=very high). Not all lawyers have a rating and "the absence of a rating should not be construed as unfavorable." Law firms are client reviewed.
Source: This explains the rating system.
For a list of questions to ask the attorney when you meet with him/her for the first time, see:
- The Akron Bar Association publication - Questions to consider when hiring a lawyer.
- The American Bar Association – When you need a lawyer.
I use delicious (the social bookmarking site) to collect and save all links listed in my Akron Law Café postings. To date there are 82 links collected since my first postings in February. The bookmark list works best if sorted alphabetically by title.
