What Should I Look for in a Civil Attorney
So you find yourself in a situation in life in which you need some expert legal assistance. Perhaps you need to draft a will or discuss your estate plan, or maybe a loved one has passed away and you are involved in dealing with the Estate either through the Probate process or a more informal situation. Or maybe you find yourself involved in some sort of dispute involving land or other real property issues like easements, property boundaries, trespass, nuisance, or title issues.
Each of these situations are something that an experienced Civil Attorney can help with. But out of the many options available out there, how can you know which is best for you, your situation, and your personality. Lawyers are like wine or fried chicken. Everyone’s palate is a little different, and what feels comfortable and tasty for one client, may not work for others. I can tell you with certainty that I am certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, and just because I might have a high level of experience in your particular type of issue, you and I might not see eye to eye. The attorney-client relationship is a high level, closely knit relationship in which both the attorney and the client must rely heavily on one another and therefore must work well together.
My objective here is to give you a bird’s-eye view of what to look for in a Civil Attorney, from the perspective of one who has been in practice for 22 years. There are many fine attorneys out there who work hard to help their clients solve difficult problems. There are also a few bad apples out there whom you want to avoid. Below is a list of some factors to consider in your search for a competent, high caliber attorney to help you. With a little effort, you can use the tools below to find a good match.
Google Reviews
Technology has created an amazing and inclusive space in which the market allows a free exchange of information between businesses and customers/clients available to the public in the form of reviews. I find that businesses that take good care of their clients receive generally positive reviews. Obviously, the more reviews you have to look at, and the higher the rating, the more you can feel comfortable about the quality of services to expect. Of course there are always the unreasonable customers who are never satisfied when they don’t get what they want. They are easy to spot. Take the reviews as one tool in your arsenal to assist you in finding any good business.
Integrity
This one is a must for me. Dealing with people who are dishonest, undependable, unreasonably aggressive, or don’t do what they say they are going to do, are all red flags. This is especially true when dealing with an attorney, upon whose reputation with other attorneys, judges, and various governmental bodies is extremely important to quality representation. This quality, or lack thereof is often reflected in the Google Reviews. You can also get a sense of one’s integrity using your natural intuitive capacity. In the end, go with your gut.
Professionalism
The practice of law requires a certain level of professionalism. How one speaks, sits, stands, and generally carries oneself speaks volumes. You should expect your attorney to be an excellent listener and able to clearly articulate for you what your options are, what the expected costs will be associated with the representation, and generally what you ought to expect from the relationship. You should expect punctuality. Also, what does the office space look like. Is it neat and clean or is it neglected, messy, and disheveled?
High level of experience
How long has your attorney candidate been in practice? How much experience does he or she have with the kinds of work you are needing? You can ask these question directly during a consultation.
Competent Staff
How does the staff make you feel? Are your questions answered patiently and clearly? Are the options for scheduling made clear, and at times convenient for your schedule. Do staff seem unnecessarily stressed or overwhelmed or do they seem put together and like the enjoy their work? Are these people you would like to work with?
Trust your gut
At the end of the day, you must get along well with your attorney and his or her staff. You must not hate being around this person. If you experience one who is condescending, unable to focus, dishonest, or you just don’t feel comfortable, maybe keep looking
Our team takes pride in assisting our clients, and we are frankly careful to screen our clients closely to ensure that we can add value to your life and that we can all get along. Generally, the situations we as attorneys undertake involve complex, often highly charged emotional issues requiring a blend of diplomacy, candor, and the ability to manage an awful lot of information under very challenging circumstances. The ability to do that well is not easy, and often carries dynamics beyond the control of either the attorney or the client. We always strive to do our very best work, to keep our clients meaningfully informed, and assist you in working through whatever is needed.
Good luck in your search. Feel free and contact the office to schedule a consultation.
Matt and Team
How to Avoid the Nightmare Tenant
One of the most common issues I see in my practice is the Landlord who finds him or herself in a situation with a challenging tenant who can’t or won’t pay rent and refuses to leave. If you are a landlord and find yourself in that situation, my advice is to either file a complaint for restitution in your local magistrate court or hire an attorney to handle the process for you. This article however, is not for you.
This article is for the landlord who is looking for a tenant and struggling to figure out whether or not to rent your well-cared for and beloved property to a particular candidate. The good news is that if you follow the simple steps I outline, you will almost never encounter or have to deal with a nightmare tenant.
Step 1: Perform a background check. Most important here is to obtain from your candidate their most recent landlord as a reference and simply call that landlord, and ask the reference what its like to be the candidate’s landlord. Ask questions like: does the tenant pay? On time? Is the tenant a troublemaker? A partier? This is, by far the most valuable tool in your toolbox. Don’t skip it. If your candidate can’t or won’t give you their current landlord as a reference, this is a huge red flag, and I recommend you find another candidate, or proceed with extreme caution.
Step 2: Perform a credit check. This is simple, and should be incorporated into your application process with the fee being covered by your tenant’s application fee. You can always offer to credit those monies against the tenant’s first month rent if you want. Here again, don’t skip this step.
Step 3: Look at your candidate’s car. Yes, you read that right. If you are a conscientious landlord, you take good care of your property and you want to maintain it in good condition. It doesn’t take more than one time of having a nightmare tenant tear up your property to realize you can lose a lot of your profit in making unnecessary repairs and cleaning up after a tenant that doesn’t take care of your baby. Looking at and inside of their car will show you generally how they take care of things. The patina of their car will soon be the patina of your property.
You will notice that the three steps above are simple, inexpensive, and take very little time. Trust me on this. Follow these steps and you will avoid nearly all of the risk of getting tied up with a nightmare tenant.
If you would like to have the background/credit check performed by a professional, our office can do the work for you for a relatively small fee.
Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Hope this helps. If you get stuck, give us a call and we will get you scheduled for a consultation and get you back on the right track. We are at your service.
Matt and the Team
How to Avoid the Nightmare Landlord
One of the most common issues I see in my practice is the Tenant who finds him or herself in a situation with a challenging Landlord who doesn’t follow the rules. As a New Mexico resident, a tenant shares broad protections from abusive landlords under the New Mexico Owner Resident Relations Act, 1978 NMSA 47-8-1, et seq.
If you are already a tenant and living in a rental property, this article is not for you. Look at the terms of your contract, and if you need further analysis and advice, contact a good local attorney.
This article is for the tenant looking for a new space and unsure about whether a landlord or management company manages a property where you want to live. Follow the simple steps below to avoid most of the danger of being in a lengthy contractual relationship with a terrible landlord.
Before we begin, as a tenant, you need to understand that the reality of our economy is that there are fewer and fewer rental spaces available as housing costs increase. This makes it especially important that as a tenant, you have your ducks in a row. Good credit and positive references will make you a stand-out candidate, more likely to get the attention of prospective landlords.
Let’s make sure we get you connected with the owner of a quality property who takes pride in maintaining a nice, comfortable place to live.
Step 1: Check the Google Reviews. Technology allows us to know how a particular business performs and treats their customers or clients. This step is simple, free, and assuming there are enough reviews, you will get a picture of how this landlord treats its people.
Step 2: Ask the landlord for prior tenant references. Smaller properties of one or a few units probably wont have Google Reviews, but you can ask your prospective landlord for references. Call them and ask questions about how the Landlord treats its tenants.
Step 3: Make sure you read the lease agreement carefully before you sign. Once you have signed, you have created the relationship that will dictate the relationship of the parties as long as the tenancy lasts.
Following these simple steps will help you avoid most of the problems I see with tenants in my office. If you run into problems, give us a call and we will get you scheduled for a consultation to help you identify your options to get you on the right track. We are at your service.
Matt and the Team