Seniors: finding the right elder law attorney
If you or an elderly loved one finds themselves being in a position where they need to talk to someone in the legal industry, you may wish to speak to an elder law attorney. This is someone who provides legal services to elderly and disabled individuals and can provide insightful information and guidance. Whether you need support getting disability benefits for a veteran (see this VA disability pay chart), with legal documents or guidance changing your home for later life, the right elder law attorney will be able to assist. But how can you find an elder law attorney?
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Ask for recommendations
When you’re looking for legal assistance, it’s always useful to ask for recommendations from friends or family members. If someone has a lawyer they were happy with and would work with again, it’s always a good sign. So, ask around your social circle and see if anyone has used an elder law attorney. It always helps if their needs were like yours, so it’s useful to find out what the attorney did for them. If they weren’t pleased with the service, this is useful feedback too. You’ll know not to use that elder law attorney, and to look elsewhere.
Meet in person
When looking for a right elder law attorney, it’s always important to meet with a few people in person. This will allow you to get a sense of what the law firm is like and whether it’s a tidy environment where employees act professionally. Plus, you can only get a good sense of a person by speaking to them face to face. You’ll be able to voice any concerns that you might have and determine if the attorney is a good communicator. This is key in the world of law, so you’ll need to trust your gut.
Ask questions
When meeting lawyers face to face, it’s important to be assertive and ask plenty of questions. This will help to determine whether this is the right person to represent you. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they respond to questions. If they answer honestly and openly, and explain everything in a clear and direct manner, then you can be confident that they will continue to do so if they take on your case. If they use a lot of legal jargon or brush over your questions, they may not be the lawyer for you.
Experience
Another good way to find the elder law attorney for you is to find out what other cases they have had. If an attorney has plenty of experience with cases like yours, they are probably the right person to represent you. They will be an expert in the process and will be able to give you an idea of the potential outcome. If an attorney doesn’t have experience in cases like yours, they are probably not best positioned to represent you. Experienced attorneys are more confident and established. So, do your research and try to find similar cases online. Find out who their attorney was and contact them directly.