Choosing an Attorney

I. THE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK.

Choosing an attorney is a crucial decision that materially changes your chances of success in and out of the courtroom. You should have answers to the following questions when picking an attorney.

(1) How many years of experience does the attorney have?

Mr. Pahlke has been practicing law for nearly 30 years. His associates, Kyle Long and Jennifer Turco have accumulated several years of additional experience and have great interest in the field of litigation.

(2) How busy is the attorney? To determine this, you can ask the attorney how many cases she currently has.

- Reason: You want to know how much time and effort the attorney can dedicate to your case.

Mr. Pahlke maintains a busy caseload, but he tries to keep it at an equilibrium that balances helping as many people as possible with providing vigorous, top-notch representation for each client and with the time he spends with his children. The way he looks at it, his work takes a good deal of his time, but as Confucius wrote, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” More quotes are here.

(3) How knowledgeable is the attorney about the potential judge, jurisdiction, and jury pool?

- Reason: You need an attorney who is familiar with the legal environment and the other lawyers and officials who operate it. The difference between an attorney familiar with the area and one who is not can be the difference between victory and defeat.

It depends on where you would be filing suit. Mr. Pahlke has extensive experience with courts in Nebraska and has worked with co-counsel in Iowa, Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Texas, Washington, California, Illinois, and Nebraska; he has several resources at his disposal for trying your claim in several different states across the country.

(4) Does the attorney usually try cases (take them to court) or settle them? Further, does the attorney know your wishes—either to settle or take the case to trial? Last, will the attorney leave the final decision between settlement and trial up to you?

Mr. Pahlke is known for his courtroom successes. He is willing to try your case or settle it as justice demands.

(5) What is the fee arrangement?

- Reason: You want to have a deal with the attorney that is fair. Usually, plaintiffs will agree with their attorney that if the action is successful, the attorney will get a predetermined percentage of the verdict or settlement.

The Pahlke group almost always operates based upon a contingency fee agreement.

(a) Is there a retainer fee? A retainer fee is a fee an attorney charges when he or she decides to take your case. You should ask what the terms and conditions of the fee are. Is the attorney using the fee for his own income or to cover the expenses of researching your case?

Mr. Pahlke usually does not require a retainer fee from his plaintiff-clients. When he does need one, it is not for his own compensation but instead to pay for the research and expert costs necessary to evaluate your case.

(b) What documents are you signing? Unfortunately, some attorneys have told their clients that they are signing a harmless document when in fact they are signing a contract to hire that attorney.

This behavior hurts both lawyers and the law. The Robert Pahlke Law Group is staunchly opposed to such ethics abuses. We have seen this behavior ourselves and have represented clients in cases where their former attorneys misled them into signing documents other than those they thought they were signing. Such conduct should not be tolerated.

(6) What do you think of the attorney’s staff?

- Reason: Because your attorney is likely to be quite busy, some of your communications will go through the attorney’s staff. The better you know the staff, the more comfortable you will be contacting them and the more efficiently your claim will be handled.

Mr. Pahlke’s staff includes two associate attorneys, and excellent staff in the form of legal assistant, legal secretaries, and other support staff. Learn more about us in our who we are section. We are proud of our staff’s excellent depth of knowledge and can-do attitude because we know it provides you with superior legal representation.

II. THE OBSERVATIONS YOU SHOULD MAKE.

As you know, you can often learn much about a person by simply observing his or her mannerisms. The same is true of attorneys. Gauge the following when you meet with a potential attorney. The attorney’s:

(1) Aggressiveness and Motivation

- Reason: You need an attorney who will actively work for you; there is little that is more frustrating than hiring an attorney who sits on his hands and lets your claim slip through the cracks.

(2) Listening skills

- Reason: Your story is the one that counts. If the attorney cannot or will not listen to your story, he/she cannot tell the jury your story. If the jury does not understand your story and if the attorney cannot breath life into your story, the jury is not likely and the lawyer is less likely to make you whole.

(3) Modesty/Arrogance

- Reason: Your lawyer will be your personal representative and will speak for you on some of the most important issues in your life. You should choose an attorney who can tell your story, effectively. The case should be about the client, his life, his tragedies and his heroism. The case is not about the attorney, it’s about what the attorney can do for the client.

(4) Understanding of your fact situation and the law surrounding it

- Reason: Without a solid understanding of the facts, situations, and the law surrounding it, the chances of success in your claim decline. The jury wants to listen to a person they can trust, a person who understands how you got hurt and why you deserve compensation. We strongly believe in visiting the client in his home to learn as much as we can about the client and his struggles. It’s critical that the client be understood and that the attorney fully understands that which has been taken from the client without his permission.

(5) Suggestiveness: Were you pressured?

- Reason: This is the same person that will give you advice about accepting or rejecting settlement offers and other important issues. If he has a tendency to pressure you early on, you might note that his advice may be partial and does not always leave you free to make your own decisions.

III. OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION.

(1) Former clients of the attorney: Would they hire the attorney again?

(2) Other local attorneys and judges: Call them and ask about the potential attorney’s reputation as a trial lawyer and his or her staff. It is important to know if the staff has the resources to take your case—remember, they, along with the attorney, will be doing much of the work.

(3) Google! Googling an attorney may turn up information that aids your decision. This may range from accomplishments, including presentations or publications the attorney has produced, or disciplinary actions the attorney wants to hide.

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