According to the experts at www.hudsonmckenzie.com, the fact that there are so many employment lawyers working up and down the UK right now is something of a blessing and a curse at the same time. On one side of the fence you have the argument that competition breeds both better quality of service and lower prices, but on the other there’s the rather darker side of dodgy dealers slipping the net.
Of course, in any industry where there’s such competition, there’s always going to be the odd provider here and there that has no business being in business. But when it’s a subject as important and complex as employment law that’s under consideration, it pretty much goes without saying that taking chances on second-rate providers really isn’t an acceptable way to go.
So, in the interests of anyone in the process of looking for an immigration lawyer or considering doing so, here’s a quick look at the key traits and checks to bear in mind before making a final decision:
1 – Online Information
First of all, there will always be those lawyers who run their websites a little like online business cards while others take things so much further. When a business of any kind represents itself online, the website they operate should be run as something of a cross-section insight into who they are, what they do and how well they do it. In the case of a lawyer therefore, the more information offered on their website, the better. By contrast, opt for a lawyer that lists nothing more than their name and telephone number and you’re taking a chance on a complete unknown.
2 – Obligation Free Consultations
If an employment lawyer of any kind wants to charge you just for having a chat with them in the first place, this should immediately set alarm bells ringing. The reason being that any professional lawyer worth dealing with in any discipline should be more than willing – insistent even – to offer free consultations to find out what’s happening before making a plan of action. There’s always a chance they either will not take your case or will tell you you’re onto a losing prospect, so why should you have to pay in advance for services you may in fact never make use of?
3 – Solid Rapport
If you and your lawyer don’t get along, there’s no way you’re going to work well together…period. It’s common for people to assume that they don’t really have to have any kind of connection with their lawyer just as long as they know what they’re doing, but this isn’t in fact the case at all. The reason being that if you don’t have a good connection with your lawyer, chances are you’ll find it harder to trust them and may be less inclined to take their advice. So, if it appears that for whatever the reason the connection just isn’t there, it’s probably not in your best interests to go ahead.
4 – Area of Specialism
Employment law isn’t a single black and white subject – it’s quite enormously complicated and multi-faceted. As such, it’s not enough to just find a lawyer that works in the field of employment law and take for granted that they’ll be the person for the job – you should also factor in the area of employment law in which they’re most experienced and capable. Some are better at sorting industrial disputes than others, some are hugely capable when it comes to unfair dismissal and then there are those that handle discrimination – choosing a lawyer that specialises in your specific area will help your case no end.
5 – Locality
Of course it’s not always possible, but when and where there’s the option to do so you might want to consider hiring an employment lawyer who is based in your locality. The reason being that not only will this make it so much easier to organise and attend person to person meetings, but chances are you might also find you don’t have to pay as much – a lawyer’s travel costs soon add up!
6 – Feedback
And finally, one of the most important checks of all is that of feedback – what do the lawyer’s past and present clients have to say about what they do and how they do it? It is generally considered to be a terrible idea to make your choice without first considering the feedback available to you, so be sure to do so – even if it means directly asking for references.