Areas Of Practice
At Grazi & Gianino, our lawyers focus their practice in four primary legal arenas, and we provide Mediation and Arbitration services for those areas of practice. Our expertise lies in Business Law, Domestic/Family Law, Personal Injury Law, and Real Estate Law. Our Stuart, FL law firm serves all of Martin County, St. Lucie County, Indian River County, Okeechobee County, Palm Beach County, and surrounding areas. We are respected for our knowledge and experience in providing legal advice and representation for business, family, real estate, and personal injury matters, plus legal actions including litigation. From the most simple action, to the most complicated trial, our lawyers are prepared and able to protect your rights!
Selecting An Attorney:
There’s much more to selecting a lawyer than picking a name out of the phone book or “Googling” for one in your area. It’s important that you take your time and use great care in your selection of an attorney. You will find that each attorney is normally very well qualified to serve your needs according to the legal area they concentrate their individual practice in. Every lawyer is highly trained by the law schools they attended, and by continuing educational requirements placed upon them by bar associations. And every lawyer must pass special bar examinations that insure they are knowledgeable of the laws under which they practice. There are many rules and regulations in place that govern all aspects of how any attorney practices law. If a lawyer indicates his area of expertise to be Corporation Law, for example, then that lawyer must maintain continuing legal education for a set number of hours each year in that area of law. In some instances, special tests are required to prove proficiency in a particular area of law.
There are referral services that will refer an individual to a lawyer who has developed a certain area of expertise in a specific field, such as Business Law, Family Law, etc. Certain services will rank lawyers or rate lawyers. However, caution should be used in viewing any ratings assigned to a lawyer or law firm within any publication since such ratings may be politically and/or financially motivated. These sources of lawyer rankings may be helpful, but these ratings should be a secondary consideration in the process of selecting your attorney.
Experience is a major consideration that cannot be overlooked. But, because all lawyers should generally be considered competent, the main consideration in selecting a lawyer should be whether the client feels comfortable with the lawyer they select. The client must feel very comfortable with the lawyer and must feel confident that their lawyer of choice is the one who can capably handle their needs.
There are a number of questions that one might ask to help them select the right attorney. These might include:
- Has the lawyer handled matters like this one before?
- Approximately how many matters like this has the lawyer handled previously?
- Does the lawyer focus in the area of law in which the client is interested (e.g. Corporations, Contracts, Domestic, Criminal, etc.)?
- Will the client be charged for the first consultation?
- How much does the lawyer charge per hour?
- How many hours does the lawyer believe it would take to complete the task?
- What is a contingent fee, and what percentages does the lawyer charge?
- Are there any government licensing fees or filing fees for this type of work?
- Does the lawyer provide the client with a written contract or a letter confirming employment? If so, can the client see an example?
- Does the lawyer have any references?
- When did the lawyer graduate from law school?
- Has the lawyer ever been admonished or cited by an ethics committee? If so, for what reason?
- Has the lawyer ever had any complaints filed against him? If so, for what reason?
- Does the lawyer (recognized by his peers for his expertise) receive referrals from other lawyers relative to this particular area of law (Corporations, Contracts, Domestic, etc.)?
- Does the lawyer object to the client asking these questions? If so, for what reason?
- Has the lawyer ever received any honors; if so, identify and describe the honors.
- Does the lawyer advertise? If so, why and where does he advertise?
If, after asking these questions, you are still uncertain about your choice of legal counsel, we suggest you call your local attorney referral service, typically provided by your state or city bar association. Ask people in your area if they’ve heard of the attorneys and what they think about them. Check out the online archives of your local newspaper–Has there been any publicity about the lawyer or the cases that he or she has handled?
When ready, contact the attorney’s firm and schedule a consultation. Use your common sense and gut instincts in deciding who to hire. Your relationship can last several years and require a good working relationship and trust. You want to choose the best lawyer to do the best job for you.