How to Hire a Lawyer (feat. ChatGPT)
My advice for hiring a lawyer
and mechanic, and doctor, and accountant
I’ve been a lawyer for 25 years. I’ve been hired by many clients, and I’ve also had to use the services of other lawyers from time to time.
I recently got new AI-powered Bing with ChatGPT, and the first thing I thought to look for was how my firm was looking on the search engine. The second thing I thought, after seeing a sea of lawyer names and firm names, was: as a client trying to find a lawyer, how can I tell which of these lawyers is any good?
So, I asked Bing, and the AI gave me this response (screenshot of conversation placed off to the side for desktop and tablet users, and below for mobile users):
This sounds good, but in reality, it’s really insufficient. It’s not the worst advice, but after paying attention for 25 years, here’s my advice on how to evaluate your potential lawyer, meaning finding someone who knows what he or she is doing and will do a decent job for you.
When you interview your prospective lawyer, ask this question: “Now that you’ve heard my situation, what is your plan of action, and what do you think will happen?”
An experienced lawyer takes no time to figure out a strategy on how to resolve your issue. Literally. If they do ask for time, they’re actually buying time for themselves to figure out a strategy. This hiring tactic works because, ideally, the lawyer you’re considering has seen your issue before. Most client problems are not new. So that means when you’re considering an experienced lawyer, that lawyer has seen your issue before and has a decent idea on how to “fix” it, as well as what the potential outcomes may be. They should share this with you. If they do, then you have a decent lawyer. If they don’t, then you should probably find one who will.
As an aside, this also works with mechanics, doctors, accountants, etc.; basically, every situation where you (the purchaser) have no way to judge if the service provider is good or not and the problem you need help with isn’t unique. Just describe your situation, and they should give you a proposed course of action.
Naturally, the course may change, but an experienced lawyer should describe the various potential outcomes and be able to generally predict how things will turn out in advance within the first meeting. As your case proceeds, the possible outcomes should narrow and the odds solidify – sort of like predicting who will win a soccer game or baseball game gets more accurate as the game progresses.
A really good example of this for mechanics is the radio show Cartalk. The hosts have retired, but their archives are still online at www.cartalk.com. Two mechanics diagnose car problems over the phone. You’d think it’s not possible, but they proved it possible week after week for years.
Like a good mechanic can diagnose a car problem over the phone, so can a good lawyer (and presumably doctor and accountant). And similarly, a bad one can stall and ask you to leave your car at their shop while they open it up and make a mess of things.
About the Author
Kenneth Yoon is the founder of Yoon Law, APC. With over 20 years of experience as an attorney, Mr. Yoon fights to protect the rights of employees at both the state and federal court. If you have any questions about your legal situation, contact us for a free consultation call.