Many avenues exist through which the ordinary Toronto resident can find a good lawyer who can handle whatever legal tussle that they have. Unfortunately, these avenues tend to not only be costly but they are also very inconvenient. Most lawyers will charge in excess of several hundred bucks just to meet up with him or her. In most instances, referrals by word of mouth from family, work colleagues and friends are the most preferred way of finding good lawyers in Ontario. Professionals in other areas like accountancy, banking, insurance agencies, real estate agents etc can also be of help in this. Referrals are actually how most lawyers of repute attract and keep their clients.
Yellow pages are another mode of locating lawyers in Ontario. The procedure is quite simple, you are only required to browse through the yellow pages and locate the legal services section. You then proceed to pick an advert of your choice and secure an appointment. Studies have shown that law firms or lawyers who have big ads in the yellow pages attract more business. This is driven by a belief that big yellow pages ads translates to actually how successful a particular law firm is. Some clients have even turned to the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Lawyer Referral Service for referrals where they are charged $6 for half an hour’s conversation with a lawyer.
The bottom line is that finding competent lawyers in Ontario is a very important undertaking and no resource should be spared in regards to this matter. A lawyer who represented you in the sealing of your house deal should not represent you in a criminal case nor should the one who drafted your will. They may not necessary have the requisite experience necessary to cross examine adverse parties or even be up to date on the same. Residents of Toronto tend to have limited budgets for hiring lawyers and as such, they will only engage a lawyer for a fixed time period. It is a bit hard for an ordinary Toronto resident to distinguish between the many law firms and lawyers especially those involved in general practice.
The simple fact that you will have to fork out cash once you go to see a lawyer is enough to deter people from seeking legal help. Most lawyers will charge approximately $500 for the initial consultation. This means that it can be very expensive for some people to actually afford to retain lawyers in Ontario. These factors have contributed largely to the fact that many residents of Toronto are wary of hiring lawyers. Technology savvy Torontonians who surf the web looking for lawyers are generally not satisfied by yellow pages or even referrals from friends and family as a source of good lawyers.
Google and Yahoo search engines are used to seek out specialized lawyers in certain fields’ e.g. family lawyers, corporate lawyers and criminal lawyers. The internet actually provides testimonials from former clients of the lawyer and experience that the lawyer has accrued over the years. The initial consultative meeting with lawyers in Ontario has a fixed fee which gives way to the signing of a retainer agreement should you agree on the services to be offered and fees to be charged.