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 Paul A. Lauto, Esq. received his Juris Doctor from New York Law School in 1990. In 2002 Mr. Lauto established Paul A. Lauto, PLLC (Now located at 565 Route 25A, Suite 207, Miller Place, NY 11764; (631) 928-1430; www.liattorney.com, with a primary concentration on personal injury, all types of accident cases and more. |
| The process of selecting an attorney to represent you can be complicated. Many people rely on information obtained from the internet, recommendations from family and friends or by whoever is the closest to where they live. Although there is usually an abundance of attorneys to choose from, especially in the personal injury field, I recommend you keep the following in mind when deciding who to choose. First and foremost you want to make sure that the attorney is fully licensed and has maintained good standing throughout their career. Lawyers who have been suspended, disciplined, sued multiple times for malpractice or have had a litany of complaints filed against them with the BAR Association are perhaps not the best choice for you. Do not ignore such potential red flags or dismiss them summarily. Another factor to look for in a good attorney is many years of experience in their field, be it personal injury, matrimonial, criminal or whatever field of law you need representation in. While certainly not every attorney with 25 plus years experience is automatically better than an attorney with significantly less years experience, it stands to reason that the longer one does something the better they are at doing it. Perhaps one of the most important factors to look for in a good attorney, is someone who will handle your case from start to finish. All too often you may meet with an attorney who you like and believe will be handling your case, only to later find out that your case was passed off to someone else in the office. In some firms paralegals and secretaries may actually be the ones doing the bulk of the legal work and they only have an attorney take over when it's time to appear in court. It is also extremely important to choose an attorney who will communicate directly with you throughout your case. Be aware of the attorneys who will speak to you initially in order to sign up your case and then you are hard pressed to ever get them to speak to you again. A good attorney will return telephone calls the same or next business day, respond to e-mails and texts in a timely manner, answer all your questions and explain the legalities of your case in simple and easy to understand terms. Attorneys who satisfy this crucial requirement are becoming scarce and may more often be found among sole practitioners and small law firms. Lastly and although it may sound trite, it is imperative to find an attorney who truly cares about you and your case. You should find an attorney who above all will put your best interest first. Too many attorneys get caught up in greed, creative billing and the size of their legal fee. Make certain the attorney you choose will safeguard what is best for your wallet instead of their own wallet. While this list of what to look for in a good attorney is not all inclusive, it does detail what is in my opinion five of the most important factors. When choosing an attorney, ask questions and make sure that you get satisfactory responses as to all of the above and more. If you choose an attorney who is in good standing, well experienced, communicative and cares enough to personally handle your case from start to finish, you are more likely to have a good experience and result with your legal matter. |
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20 lucky winners will win $500 each in prizes totaling $10,000. 