You can find a lawyer using the internet, including online directories, through word of mouth, social media, agencies, using LinkedIn, search engines and Google Maps.
Finding a lawyer that meets your needs, is friendly and understands your business and the law has never been easier!
This article explains the different ways you can find a lawyer in Australia.
Author: Farrah Motley, Director of Prosper Law, an online law firm.
Prosper Law is an online law firm. Our team of lawyers are here to help. If you are looking for a lawyer to help in the areas of contracts, employment, legal counsel, eCommerce, publishing or entertainment, contact us today on 1300 003 077.
At the start of your search to find a lawyer, you will need to figure out what kind of lawyer you are looking for. Lawyers and law firms can deal with many different types of law and legal cases. For this reason, you’ll want to avoid wasting time looking for a lawyer in the wrong field of law.
It’s helpful to add the legal area of expertise to your search query. This applies no matter where you are looking for a lawyer.
For example, if you are looking for a lawyer to help with contract reviews, you should make sure you search for ‘contract lawyer‘. Or if you are looking for a lawyer to help with a dispute with an employee, you should search using the words ‘employment lawyer‘.
Each Australian State and Territory has their own law societies. Law societies help to manage and regulate the legal profession. They can also be a really helpful source to find a lawyer.
Here is the list of Australian State and Territory law societies and the links to their registries so you can find a lawyer:
Lawyers and law firms are required to register with their relevant State or Territory law society. The law society then publishes the solicitor or law firm’s contact details. Sometimes the areas of law are publicly available on an online register. Unfortunately, not all law societies identify the areas of law that a law firm practices in. If this is the case, you will need to do some additional research and find the law firm by searching on Google or visiting their websites, so that you can confirm they practice in an area of law that is relevant to your legal matter.
If you find a lawyer through a law society, you can take comfort that the lawyer is registered, licensed and has the appropriate insurance in place.
You can also use law societies and institutions to find a lawyer near you. This can be done by typing in your location and restricting your search results to lawyers near your location.
While finding a local lawyer can be helpful, you don’t need to find a lawyer that is within close physical proximity to you. Legal services can and are provided long-distance and online. Sometimes an online lawyer (that is not located near to you) can be less expensive than a law firm that is, for example, located in a busy CBD with high rent costs.
Most people you know will have had a reason to contact a lawyer at some point in their life. Whether it’s conveyancing, family law, commercial law or litigation, lawyers come in all shapes and sizes.
If you know someone who has dealt with a lawyer, that lawyer works in an area of law relevant to your matter and that person has had a good experience with the lawyer, contact them. Getting an opinion of a lawyer from someone who has already used their legal services is a great way to figure out if that lawyer is going to be a good fit for you.
Word of mouth is a very reliable and trustworthy way to find a lawyer, particularly if you know the person who is providing the reference. They are less likely to refer a lawyer if they think you are going to have a bad experience.
One thing I would recommend is that, if someone recommends a law firm, but not any particular lawyer – do your homework. Lawyers often move between law firms. Client value doesn’t often come through a law firm. Value comes from a particular lawyer because of their attitude, personality, skillset and empathy.
On the other hand, law firms don’t and can’t embody these attributes. So if you’re looking to find a lawyer; search for an individual solicitor, not by law firm name.
If a lawyer isn’t on social media, they may not be moving with the times (that’s not a good sign by the way!). Through social media, you will be able to see reviews, pictures and posts from the law firm or lawyer.
Social media gives potential legal clients a new way to find a lawyer. My recommendation – use it to your advantage!
Here is a link to my Instagram page, YouTube page and Twitter page.
There are some online agencies through which potential legal clients can find a lawyer. These agencies may vet the lawyer to some extent. For instance, they confirm they are licensed and take a fee for connecting the lawyer and client.
Examples of agencies you can use to find a lawyer include:
LinkedIn is a great tool to find a lawyer to help with your legal matter. On LinkedIn, you can search by keywords including job title and location. You can also find articles published on LinkedIn by lawyers in the area of lawyer that is relevant to your legal matter.
Depending on the type of profile the lawyer has, you might be able to use LinkedIn messenger to speak directly with them.
A common way to find a lawyer is to use a search engine like Google, Yahoo or Bing.
For the best results, it’s advisable to search for a lawyer by the type of law you are interested in. This will ensure that the search engine results are relevant to your legal matter. Limiting your search by the country you are located in will help to refine your results. And this is important because the laws are different depending on which country you are in.
If location is important to you or you want to read through customer reviews before you commit to choosing a lawyer, Google Maps is a great option to assist with your search.
Google Maps shows a lot of information about businesses. When it comes to law firms, you’ll be able to see where they are located, pictures of the business, questions and answers, customer reviews of the law firm and you will be able to easily contact them.
Want to read more? Check out this article about how much you can expect to pay for a lawyer.
Author: Farrah Motley | Director
PROSPER LAW – Australia’s Online Law Firm
P: 1300 003 077
A: Suite No. 99, Level 54, 111 Eagle Street, Brisbane City QLD 4000
We provide legal advice to business and individuals across Australia, no matter which State or Territory you are located. Our easy-to-access, online legal services mean that you can talk to our lawyers wherever you are, at a time that suits you.
Don’t hesitate – reach out for your free legal assistance today. Your peace of mind is just a click or call away!
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