Asking for Referrals: Why Your Primary Attorney Should be Your First Stop for Specialized Legal Needs
The attorney-client relationship is a special one. A client can tell me things they won’t even say to their spouse and know that conversation stays between us. Yes, I have an ethical obligation to keep those matters private, but it still requires a level of trust that I have hopefully earned from the client.
It may be the case that your trusted attorney will be the only one you ever use in your life. However, sometimes legal needs require attorneys who dedicate their practices to specialized areas of law (such as personal injury, worker’s compensation, or employment law).
Before hopping on Google and selecting the first law firm that comes up, clients are well advised to come to their trusted primary attorney to request a referral.
Trust and Reliability: Believe it or not, the firm with the highest advertising budget may not be the best for your case. Even if we are not dedicated to a particular area of practice, local attorneys tend to know which attorneys have the best reputations in their particular field. And many of the best attorneys rely more on referrals than they do on advertising leads. Your primary attorney knows you and can direct you to the best attorney or firm for your particular situation. Because of the earned trust, you know that you are not simply being passed off but that we truly want what is in your best interest.
Seamless Introduction: When your case is being referred by an attorney there is a smooth introduction to the new attorney or firm. Also, when you are referred by an attorney, the firm handling your case has an interest in making sure you are well taken care of because they know it is important to us (the referring attorneys) and they want us to continue referring cases to them.
Mutually Beneficial: On some cases, your attorney may make a referral fee for the referral, which is paid by the personal injury firm (for example) that is handling your case at no additional cost to you. By stopping to see your trusted attorney first, not only are you getting the benefit of his or her knowledge of the local landscape of attorneys, but you are also providing a tangible economic benefit to your attorney at no cost to you- a true win win.
So, if you have a problem outside of your attorney’s area of expertise it is extremely wise to go to your own attorney first.
No matter how big or small, it is very important to me that my client’s feel comfortable coming to me for any of their legal needs so I can make sure they are taken care of.
