The Law Firm: A Look At This Venerable Institution

While lawyers rarely get the kind of common-man respect afforded to teachers and officers, the fact remains that they play a vital role in keeping our democracy working. If you’ve ever cheered at a criminal being put away or watched with tears in your eyes as a corporation was forced to pay in court for their misdeeds, you understand why the “shyster” reputation is largely underserved. So let’s peel back the curtain and take a look at this venerable institution.

A law firm, when stripped to its essentials, is really just another business. The business is comprised almost entirely of lawyers, paralegals, and secretaries, but that doesn’t make it any less of a business. Most of them are in the game for profit, but that doesn’t mean they don’t do important work along the way. Certainly, there are any number of for-profit companies out there, without which our world would be the poorer for it. The service they are selling is legal advice and representation. In some cases, the service is much more specific. Clients may be individuals or they may be other companies, or a mixture of both.

Like any other field of business, there are large companies and small ones. The larger a law firm is, the more typically their clients will be made up of corporations, rather than individual clients. Having said that, there are a few mega-firms that still take on individual clients. Smaller ones tend to either ply their trade in smaller towns, or specialize in a particular area of the law. For instance, there are lawyers who specialize in traffic law, criminal litigation, taxes, bankruptcy, and any other aspect of the law you can think of.

If you’re looking for a good law firm, the best place to start your search is the bar association in your state. This legal entity has the knowledge you need to make an informed choice. The association will not be able to tell you that this group of lawyers is better or worse than that one, but they will be able to put you on the right track when it comes to the type of representation you need.

They will also be able to advise you on whether or not a lawyer has been brought up on disciplinary action before the bar and other critical information that can help you to get a sense of their ethical reputation. Beyond that, it’s simply a matter of judging the attorneys based on their experience, their education, and how they present themselves to you when you make an appointment.