Finding Legal Help for Consumer Issues

It's sometimes difficult to find a lawyer who will represent a single consumer in a legal dispute, often because there's not enough money involved to make it cost-efficient to hire someone. However, if you have a consumer complaint that you haven't been able to resolve, it would still be a good idea to try to talk to a lawyer. Helpful hints on provided below on how to come up with a list of lawyers to call.

Short of hiring a lawyer, you may be able to avoid taking the matter to court by filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Response Center toll-free at 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357)or filling out the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Complaint Form online.

If state laws apply, you can file a complaint with your state's Attorney General's Consumer Protection division.

You can also file complaints with your local Better Business Bureau or municipal agencies, who will sometimes work at negotiating a compromise.

You may also be able to get the legal help you need through low-cost legal resources in your community, including:

• A local consumers' union
• Governmental agencies other than the Attorney General's Office, such as vehicle fraud agencies or agencies assigned to watch over lending institutions
• Government-funded legal services providers in your community who take consumer cases on a sliding scale or if you make below a certain amount of income

If you're unable to resolve your dispute short of taking it to court, you may be able to represent yourself in Small Claims Court if the amount at stake is small enough. However, if there is too much money involved to take the matter to small claims court, or you know of several other consumers who are having similar problems with the same business, you may be able to find a lawyer to take your case on a hourly or contingency basis.

A great place to start a search for a lawyer is right here at lawyers.com. You can do a free search to come up with a list of lawyers by using the Find A Lawyer search box that can be accessed from anywhere on lawyers.com. (You should see a search box on the right side of your computer screen.)

To do a search, go to the first part of the Find a Lawyer search box where it says "Select a type of lawyer" under the "personal" topic menu. Use your mouse to scroll down the areas of practice in the menu and click on "CONSUMER" (or click on one of the sub-areas under this heading if it applies to your situation). Then, in the second part of the search box, type in your hometown, insert your state, and click on the Search button. You should be able to pull up Search Results with a list of lawyers in your area.

If you don't pull up any names, try broadening your search. Follow the search tips that were provided in response to your unsuccessful search, or click on Search Help. Ultimately, you will be able to pull up a list of names.

To try to hire the best lawyer you can for your situation, it is critically important to take the next step of accessing background information for the lawyers on list you have pulled up. You should easily be able get a lawyer's biography either by clicking on his or her name, or by clicking on the "More info . . ." link that appears in each listing. If the lawyer has a Web site, you should check it out by clicking on the hot link that may also be provided in the listing.

You'll want to find out every thing you can about the lawyers and then do some initial screening to whittle down you list to three or four prospective candidates:

• Look at the biographies and Web sites for the lawyers and their law firms. Do they appear to have expertise in the area of law that you need? Do they have any information on their Web sites that's helpful to you? Does the lawyer belong to any legal associations that cater to consumer issues?
• Look for a list of representative clients. Are they the types of clients that you'd want your lawyer representing? Has the lawyer represented other consumers similar to yourself?
• Search the Internet under the name of the lawyer and his or her law firm. Can you find any articles, FAQ's or other informational pieces the lawyer has written that give you a level of comfort?
• Ask other people if they have heard of the attorneys and what they think about them.
• Contact your state bar association or go to their Web site to find out if the lawyer is in good standing.
• Check out the yellow pages of your telephone directory. Does the lawyer advertise? If so, do you find the ad compelling? Helpful? Tasteful?
• Check out the archives of your local newspaper. Has there been any publicity about the lawyer or the cases that he or she has handled?
• Consider any special needs you have. For example, could you benefit from an attorney who speaks a language other than English?
• Look to see if a lawyer is connected with associations that cater to your legal issues. For example, most bar associations have sections in consumer law and other related categories.
• Having a lawyer who is involved in a chamber of commerce or other local organizations may also be a good sign, depending on your legal needs

Unless there are special circumstances, you'll want to hire a lawyer with an office that is not too far away from you or the business with whom you're having the dispute. Special circumstances where you may have to go out of town would include a situation where local attorneys don't specialize in the area where you have specific legal needs. If the business you're in conflict with is in different cities or out of state, you should also consider a lawyer or law firm with offices (or with affiliations with other lawyers or firms) in some of those locations.

Before You Meet with a Lawyer

• Ask for references. You'd want to talk to people who could comment on the lawyer's skills and trustworthiness. Get a reference from a bank and from other lawyers.
• Ask about conflicts of interest. Does the lawyer represent the business with whom you have a dispute, or other similar businesses?
• Ask for a copy of a firm brochure and promotional materials the firm may have. Crosscheck these materials against your other sources and references.

Related Resources on lawyers.com