The yellow pages and Internet are full of lawyers advertising they are the most experienced and most effective attorney to hire. Some even go so far as to claim they are the best law firm in a particular city or region of South Carolina. According to South Carolina State Bar advertising ethics they're not supposed to make that claim, but if you read their ads, many do.
This blog post will discuss the reasons why it is important to go beyond the advertising tag lines and bullet-point lists when searching for the right attorney in Lexington, or any community in South Carolina.
Look for the right kind of experience
First and foremost, let's get one thing perfectly clear: Experience matters. But the truth is, any lawyer who has been practicing for more than a few years can brag about experience. So, it's not just experience that matters; it's having the right kind of experience. Some law firms advertise that they're the jacks of all trades. But did you know that before attorneys can represent a client in a South Carolina court, they are supposed to demonstrate they have knowledge in that particular area of law?
So, it's not just experience that makes a difference - it's the RIGHT kind of experience. At The Rick Hall Law Firm, LLC, in Lexington, we don't try to be all things to all people. We focus on specific areas of law - personal injury, workers' compensation, and real estate law - and are ready to prove our knowledge and experience through demonstrated results for our clients.
Founding attorney Rick Hall has earned Martindale-Hubbell's highest AV Pre-eminent peer review rating for ethical standards and legal knowledge. He is a National Trial Lawyers Top 100 lawyer in South Carolina for civil litigation, including personal injury law.
Associate attorney Jennifer Cooper was an adjunct professor at Trident Technical College, teaching in the area of business law and premises liability litigation. She is a former prosecutor with more than 15 years of experience. She has been repeatedly selected to instruct courses at the National Advocacy Center, a school operated by the Department of Justice to educates and train nationwide attorneys in trial advocacy. Instruction covers the basic foundation of courtroom skills to the most advanced and technical legal devices. Learn more at our Attorney Profiles page.
Listen for the way the lawyer talks to you
Attorneys have every right to be proud of their profession. To practice law in South Carolina requires an undergraduate degree at an accredited college or university with high enough grades to be accepted to law school. Law school requires another three years of hard work, requiring high grades to be conferred a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. Before they can represent clients in a court of law, they must first pass the state bar exam.
In short, it would be easy for lawyers to feel as if they are smarter than their clients. Many are; many are not. But even the most intelligent attorneys will not be effective lawyers if they cannot communicate in a language that helps their clients feel comfortable and confident. At The Rick Hall Law Firm, we make it a point to speak in everyday American English...with a comfortable native South Carolinian drawl, of course.
Feel the trust
For most people facing a serious legal problem like a personal injury or real estate dispute, it may be the most worrying time in their lives. All the framed diplomas on the walls, awards sitting on desktops, and books on the shelves may be very impressive, but if you do not get a strong sense of trustworthiness, you are in the wrong law office.
At Rick Hall Law Firm, we care about more than the outcome of the legal case. We care about how the case will impact our clients' lives. From the first telephone call to the moment you walk through our office doors in Lexington, we start working to earn your trust - never taking it for granted.
Look. Listen. Feel.
If you are looking for an attorney to handle your personal injury, workers' compensation, or real estate matter in Lexington or a nearby community in South Carolina, we hope you will take these three simple things into consideration: Look. Listen. Feel. Then call The Rick Hall Law Firm to let us show you how we put them into practice.
In future blog posts, we will be exploring specific types of cases we handle and how we hope you will find us to be a different kind of law firm: A law firm you will be proud to call your own.