Choosing and Working with a Lawyer

Once you choose a lawyer, make sure to explain to the lawyer everything that you think is relevant about your case. Here are some things that you might want to bring up in your first couple of conversations with your lawyer:

• your concerns about the case;
• your goals;
• what you think the other party’s goals will be, or what you think they may say about you, regardless of whether those things are true or made up. Even if you believe that this information would be hurtful to your case, your attorney should be aware of everything. Having surprise evidence come up during a hearing or a trial that your attorney was not prepared for can be very damaging to your case;
• ask about their strategy for how to accomplish your goals;
• discuss what you can do to better prepare your case, including what documents you may be able to show the attorney, what witness testimony may be helpful, etc.; and
• ask what else they need to know from you. Be open and honest with your attorney in answering whatever questions they have. Your attorney may have to ask difficult questions that will be hard for you to answer. However, with limited exceptions, your conversations with your attorney are confidential.

If you feel you are having trouble explaining things to your lawyer, write down what you want to say beforehand. Sometimes it is helpful to write things down in a bullet point list, keeping each bullet point to one or two sentences. When you write things down in this way, it often helps you get your thoughts straight and focus on the most important parts. It could also help the lawyer follow what you are trying to explain.