Questions to Ask a Law Firm
A first meeting at a law firm is an interview, and you are the one holding it, whether the problem is a dispute, a transaction or a family matter. These 54 questions to ask an attorney before you hire run in the order the decision does: the firm itself, the people who would work on your file, their view of your matter, fees and costs, how the work runs day to day, and what to settle before you sign. Rules for lawyers differ by country and state, so treat anything here about what a firm must do as a prompt to ask how it works where you are.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The firm
How much of this firm's work is matters like mine?
Why ask it
A firm's website lists every area it will accept, and this asks what actually fills its week. Listen for a rough share and a recent example close to yours. If your kind of matter is a sideline here, ask which lawyer does most of it and whether that is who you would get.
When did you last handle a matter like this around here, and in which court or office?
Why ask it
Local practice counts alongside subject expertise: filing habits, timelines, how particular judges run their courtrooms, or how the local registry handles the paperwork when nothing is contested. A date and a place tell you more than the number of years they have been practicing.
Which side of disputes like this does the firm normally act for?
Why ask it
A firm that mostly acts for employers, insurers or landlords knows how those clients think, which can help you. It may also be reluctant to press hard against the kind of client that pays most of its bills. Ask whether taking you on would be awkward for any existing relationship.
Have you run a conflicts check, and do you represent anyone connected to this?
Why ask it
The check is routine before a firm takes a client, but it is only as good as the names it is run against. Give them everyone involved, including businesses and family members. A conflict found later can force you to change lawyers mid-matter at your own cost.
How many lawyers here do this kind of work?
Why ask it
One lawyer working alone has nobody to test an idea against and nobody to cover when two hearing dates clash. A large group has capacity, and a higher chance that your file moves between people. Neither is wrong, but you should know which one you are hiring.
Would the firm keep all of this in-house, or refer part of it to another firm?
Why ask it
Firms sometimes bring in another firm for a trial or a specialist point, and the two may share the fee. The rules on fee sharing and on telling the client differ from place to place, so ask how it works where you are. Then ask who would be answerable to you, and whether it changes what you pay.
Does the firm carry professional liability insurance?
Why ask it
Whether lawyers must carry it, or must tell clients when they do not, depends on the state or country. It is a fair thing to ask, and a well-run firm will answer without bristling. You are finding out whether anything stands behind the firm if a missed deadline or a drafting error costs you money.
Can I speak with a former client who had a similar matter?
Why ask it
Confidentiality limits this, and some firms will say no for that reason alone. If they cannot offer anyone, ask instead for matters they have handled that are on the public record, which you can look up yourself.
Your team
Who will do the day to day work, and may I meet them?
Why ask it
The senior lawyer in the consultation is often not the person who will handle your file. That is ordinary at a firm, so find out who it will be, how long they have done this work, and whether you can speak to them directly.
How is the work divided between partners, associates, and paralegals, and how is each billed?
Why ask it
Sensible delegation lowers your bill and poor delegation inflates it. Ask what a paralegal does at their rate versus a partner. Firms that bill partner time for document sorting will show it in the first invoice.
Which lawyer is responsible for my matter overall, and how do they check what others draft?
Why ask it
Someone has to own the file: the strategy, the calendar and the final read of anything filed in your name. Get that person's name, and ask how a junior lawyer's or paralegal's work is reviewed before it leaves the building. 'The team' is not an answer.
How many open matters is the lawyer who would run my file carrying right now?
Why ask it
The figure means little without knowing the type of work, so listen instead for whether they know it and how they sound saying it. Follow up by asking whether anything on their calendar over the next few months, a long trial for instance, would push your matter to the back.
If this reaches a hearing or trial, who stands up in court?
Why ask it
At some firms the person who prepares a case is not the one who argues it, and in some countries a separate advocate or barrister is brought in for that. Ask who it would be, when you would meet them, and whether their fee is inside the estimate you have been given.
If the lawyer handling my file leaves the firm, what happens to it?
Why ask it
Lawyers change firms more often than clients expect. In many places the client decides whether the matter stays or follows the lawyer, but ask how this firm handles it. Ask too whether you would pay for the hours a replacement spends reading in.
When two people from the firm attend the same call or meeting, am I billed for both?
Why ask it
Double attendance is one of the quieter ways a bill grows past its estimate. Sometimes a second person is needed, for example to take a note while the senior lawyer questions a witness. Ask when the firm does it as a matter of course, and whether you can request a single attendee for routine calls.
Who do I call with a quick practical question?
Why ask it
A paralegal or legal assistant can usually tell you whether a document arrived or when a hearing is listed, at a lower rate or none. Get that person's name and direct line before you leave. Ask what they are not allowed to answer, since in most places advice on the law has to come from a lawyer.
Your matter
Is what I tell you today confidential, even if I do not hire you?
Why ask it
In many places a consultation is protected whether or not you become a client, but the detail varies, so hear it from the lawyer before you get into the facts. If a friend or relative is sitting in, ask whether their being there changes anything.
From what I have told you, what kind of case is this, and is any deadline already running?
Why ask it
You are asking them to turn your account into a legal claim or process, and to say whether a limitation period or filing date is counting down. A provisional answer is fine. No answer at all suggests the matter is outside what they usually do, or that they need facts you have not given yet.
Do you think this is worth pursuing?
Why ask it
The valuable answer is sometimes no, or not in this form. A firm willing to say that the likely recovery will not cover the fees, or that a negotiation would serve you better than a filing, is telling you something a keen firm will not.
What could be done here short of going to court?
Why ask it
The lighter routes include a letter on the firm's letterhead, a negotiation, mediation, or waiting. A firm that sets those beside the expensive option is giving advice, not making a pitch. Ask roughly what each would cost and why the cheaper one might fail.
What is the realistic range of outcomes here, including the worst one?
Why ask it
A lawyer who describes only the good end of the range is selling. You want the bad outcome named, with a rough sense of how likely each is. A firm that says it must read the documents first is being careful, so ask when you would get the answer.
If you were on the other side, what would you go after first?
Why ask it
This draws out a frank view of your weak points, where a general question gets a summary of your strengths. A firm that answers well has already thought the matter through, and you leave knowing which documents or facts to worry about.
Which documents or facts would change your view?
Why ask it
The answer shows what their assessment rests on, and it gives you a list to gather whichever firm you choose. If nothing could change their view before they have read a single page, treat the confidence with caution.
How long will this take, and which delays are outside anyone's control?
Why ask it
Separating court scheduling from work the firm controls tells you what to attribute to whom later. It also sets a reference point, so if nothing has happened for four months you know whether that is normal.
Do you know opposing counsel, and have you dealt with them before?
Why ask it
A firm that has faced the other side's lawyers before can often say whether to expect an early settlement or a long fight. The answer can also reveal an uncomfortably close professional relationship, which you would want to know about before you commit.
Is there anything I could do in the next few weeks that would damage my own case?
Why ask it
The usual list is deleting messages, posting online, moving money, signing something, or talking to the other side directly, but have them say which apply to you. Lawyers tend to answer this one quickly, because they have watched clients do all of it.
What would the first thirty days look like if I hired you?
Why ask it
A concrete answer names the first letter or filing, the documents they would ask you for, and the date you would next hear from them. A vague one suggests your matter would join a queue. Either way you leave knowing what you are buying first.
Which decisions would be mine, and which would you make without asking me?
Why ask it
Broadly, whether to settle or to sue tends to be the client's call and the tactics the lawyer's, but the line varies by place and by what the agreement says. Ask for examples from a matter like yours, such as agreeing to give the other side more time. It heads off the later argument about who authorised what.
Fees and costs
Am I being billed for this meeting?
Why ask it
Ask it in the first minute. Some firms offer a free first meeting, some charge a set amount, and some bill their hourly rate and take it off the bill if you sign. Any of those is fine once you know which, and it is better heard from the lawyer than read on an invoice.
What is the fee arrangement, and what does it not cover?
Why ask it
The exclusions matter more than the number. A flat fee often covers a defined stage and stops at an appeal, a trial, or a motion nobody anticipated. Get the boundary of the quoted work in writing.
If you would take this on contingency, what is the percentage, and do costs come off before or after it?
Why ask it
Whether a contingency fee is allowed at all depends on the country and the kind of matter, so start there. A percentage taken before costs are deducted leaves you less than the same percentage taken after, and some agreements raise the share if the matter goes to trial. Ask who pays the costs if nothing is recovered.
What is your realistic estimate of the total cost through each stage?
Why ask it
Ask for it stage by stage: initial filings, discovery, motions, trial. Then ask what typically drives it higher. An unwillingness to estimate at all is a warning, and so is a confident single figure for litigation, which nobody can promise.
What costs are separate from your fees?
Why ask it
Filing fees, process servers, court reporters, expert witnesses, medical records, and travel are usually billed on top and can rival the legal fees in a contested case. Ask who pays them as they arise and whether you must approve each in advance.
Will you ask for a retainer, and what happens to the unused part?
Why ask it
Money paid up front is commonly held in a trust or client account until it is earned, but how that works, and whether any part can be non-refundable, depends on local rules. Find out when it must be topped up, and get the answer on refunds in writing.
In what increments does the firm record time, and does every email count?
Why ask it
Hourly firms record time in units, commonly a tenth or a quarter of an hour, and a one-line reply may be rounded up to a whole unit. The same goes for a call to ask what is happening, so one email with five questions costs less than five emails with one each.
Do your hourly rates go up during a matter, and how much notice would I get?
Why ask it
Many firms revise their rates once a year, and a matter that runs for two years can cross two increases. Ask whether the rates in the engagement letter are fixed until the matter ends. If they are not, ask when the next review falls and how you would be told.
Does the firm add its own charges for copying, postage, couriers or file storage?
Why ask it
These are small lines, but they show how the firm thinks about billing. Ask for the list, and ask whether any of it is a flat percentage added to every invoice instead of the actual cost. A percentage grows with the bill whether or not anything was posted.
What will the invoices look like?
Why ask it
A redacted sample shows more than any description. You want time entries detailed enough to tell what was done, for how long, and by whom. A bill that reads as one line for professional services gives you nothing to query.
Can we set a budget for each stage that you will not pass without checking with me?
Why ask it
A budget is not a cap unless the agreement says so, so ask which of the two you are being offered. Even a soft budget earns its place, because it obliges the firm to call you while the work is running over and you still have choices about scope.
If I win, can I recover my legal fees from the other side, and if I lose, could I owe theirs?
Why ask it
This depends heavily on the country, the court, the kind of claim and sometimes on a clause in a contract. In some systems the loser usually pays part of the winner's costs, and in others each side carries its own unless a law or contract says otherwise. Ask how it works for your matter, because it changes the arithmetic of settling.
Does the firm offer payment plans, capped fees or limited-scope work?
Why ask it
Worth raising even at a firm that looks expensive. Some will cap a stage, spread payments over months, or take one piece such as a document review or a single hearing and leave the rest to you. Courts differ on limited-scope work, so check in the same breath that yours allows it.
Day to day
How and how often will I hear from you, and who covers when you are away?
Why ask it
Ask for a specific standard, such as calls returned within a working day and an update at each stage. A firm has more than one person who could reply, so find out who that is when your lawyer is in court for a week. Vagueness here tends to predict slow answers later.
What will you need from me, and how much of my own time will this take?
Why ask it
Clients routinely underestimate this. Document gathering, statements, and disclosure obligations take real hours, and delay on your side is expensive when others are billing for the wait. Ask what they need first and by when.
How will we send documents to each other: a client portal, email or paper?
Why ask it
You will be sending bank statements, medical notes and identity documents, so the channel matters. Ask whether there is a secure portal, whether you can see the documents on your own file there, and what you should not send from a work email account.
Do I see letters and filings before they go out, or after?
Why ask it
Reading a draft lets you catch a wrong date or a misspelled name that the lawyer had no way of knowing was wrong. Not everything can wait for you, so ask which documents you would approve first and which you would simply be copied on.
How does the firm keep track of the deadlines on my file?
Why ask it
A missed deadline can end a claim, and the usual protection is a calendar system with a second person checking it. You are not auditing the firm. You are listening for whether a system exists or whether everything rests on one lawyer's memory.
What should I do if the other side, their lawyer or an insurer contacts me directly?
Why ask it
The usual instruction is to say nothing of substance and pass the message to the firm, but have them tell you exactly what to say. Ask about adjusters, investigators and messages from the other person as well as lawyers. Write the wording down, because that call tends to come when you least expect it.
If I am unhappy with how my matter is being handled, who at the firm do I raise it with?
Why ask it
One advantage of a firm over a sole practitioner is that there is somebody beside or above your lawyer. Ask for a name: a managing partner, a supervising partner or a client care contact. Some places require firms to have a written complaints procedure, so ask whether that applies here and for a copy.
Before you sign
May I take the engagement letter away and read it before I sign?
Why ask it
This should be an easy yes. Read it at home against your notes: the scope, the names and rates of the people on the file, and the retainer terms. Anything you were told in the meeting that is missing from the letter, ask to have added.
If the firm acts for me and someone else in this, what happens when our interests split?
Why ask it
Couples, co-owners and a company and its director are often represented together to save money. Ask what the firm would do if the two of you later disagree. Commonly it could not keep acting for either, though the rules vary, and you should also ask whether what you tell the firm is kept from the other client.
If I decide to stop, or move to another firm, what happens?
Why ask it
Ask about notice, outstanding fees, whether they can hold your file, and what a court must approve if proceedings have started. Understanding the exit before you sign is the difference between changing lawyers and being trapped with one.
Does the agreement send fee disputes to arbitration, and what would that mean for me?
Why ask it
Some engagement letters require it, and in some places the bar association or regulator runs a fee dispute scheme that the client can choose instead. Ask which applies and how it works where you are. This clause is much easier to question before signing than after a disputed bill arrives.
What happens to my file and my original documents when the matter ends?
Why ask it
Firms generally keep a closed file for a set period and then destroy it, and both the period and your right to the contents vary by place. Ask for originals such as deeds, wills and signed contracts to be returned at the close. Ask how long you would have to request a copy of the rest.
What would make you tell me to hire a different firm?
Why ask it
A candid question to close on. Good answers are specific: the matter turns on a specialist point, it is headed for an appeal, or it is small enough that a smaller practice would do it for less. A firm with an answer ready is thinking about your interest, and many will name the firm they would send you to.
Choosing and Working With a Law Firm
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the consultation
Write your account down in one page
Dates, names, and what happened in order. A first consultation is short and may be billed by the hour. A written chronology means you spend the time on advice instead of narrating, and the lawyer can see the shape of it immediately.
Find out whether you are near a deadline
Limitation periods, appeal windows, and notice requirements can be short and are unforgiving. If you think a deadline may be close, say so when booking the appointment, since it changes how quickly you need to be seen.
Check the lawyer's license and record
The bar or law society register for your state or country usually shows whether someone is admitted and in good standing, and often any public disciplinary history. This takes a few minutes and is worth doing before the meeting, not after.
See more than one firm
Two or three consultations give you a range on strategy and on cost, and the differences are often large. Ask each the same core questions so the answers are comparable, and note who explained things in a way you understood.
Running the interview
Send the factual questions ahead
Whether the meeting is charged, who will be in the room and whether the firm has a conflict can all be answered by the intake coordinator before you arrive. Give the names of everyone involved when you book. That keeps the meeting itself for the questions only a lawyer can answer.
Pick about twelve for the room
A first meeting rarely has time for more. Take two or three each from The firm, Your team and Your matter, then the estimate and retainer questions from Fees and costs. Day to day and Before you sign can wait for a follow-up call or email once one firm is in the lead.
Ask to meet whoever would run the file
If the consultation is with a partner and an associate would do most of the work, ask for ten minutes with the associate, that day or by phone later in the week. You are hiring both of them, and the second conversation is often the more revealing one.
Keep one grid for every firm
After each interview, write down the same things: the names and rates of the people on the file, the estimate by stage, the retainer, the weak point they named and the reply time they promised. Side by side, the differences are plain, and a firm that named a weakness the others passed over has told you something about how it works.
The fee arrangements you will be offered
- Hourly: billed in increments, often six or fifteen minutes, for every call, email, and letter. Ask the rate for each person who will touch the file and the minimum increment.
- Flat fee: one price for a defined piece of work such as a will, an incorporation, or an uncontested filing. Ask precisely where the definition ends.
- Contingency: a percentage of what is recovered, common in injury and some employment claims in some countries and restricted or not allowed in others, and for some kinds of matter. Ask whether the percentage rises if the matter goes to trial, and whether costs come out before or after the percentage.
- Retainer: money held on account and drawn down as work is done. Ask whether it must be replenished, and get any claim that part of it is non-refundable in writing.
- Hybrid: a reduced hourly rate plus a share of the outcome. Ask what happens to the reduced rate if you lose.
- Whatever the structure, ask for the engagement letter and read the sections on scope, termination, and cost estimates before signing.
Things that should give you pause
- A promise about the outcome. Predictions are legitimate and guarantees are not, and many places restrict lawyers from advertising one.
- Pressure to sign at the first meeting, or a discount that expires that day.
- Refusal to put the fee arrangement or the scope of work in writing.
- Consistent inability to reach anyone, or answers that come only from a non-lawyer intermediary.
- A firm that has never handled your type of matter but is confident it is straightforward.
- Money requested by cash, wire to an unfamiliar account, or without a receipt into a trust account.
Once you have hired them
- Keep your own file: every document you send, every invoice, and a dated note of each conversation.
- Query invoices early. A question about a time entry in month one is routine, the same question a year later is a dispute.
- Put instructions in writing, particularly any decision about settlement, so there is no argument later about what you authorized.
- Answer their requests for documents promptly. A file that stalls waiting on the client gets picked up again later, and the time spent getting back into it goes on the bill.
- Ask for a written update at each stage, and ask what the next three steps are whenever you speak.
- If communication breaks down, put your concern in an email to the responsible partner before deciding to leave. Many firms fix it at that point.
If the cost is out of reach
Ask about narrower engagements
Many firms will handle a discrete piece of work, review a document, or coach you through a self-represented filing for far less than full representation. This is sometimes called limited scope or unbundled work. It is worth asking about explicitly.
Look for legal aid and clinics
Legal aid bodies, university law clinics, and bar association referral services take on housing, family, immigration, and employment matters at low or no cost for those who qualify, though what each covers differs by place. Eligibility is usually income based, so check before you assume you are over the line.
Ask what a payment arrangement would look like
Some firms will agree installments or cap fees at a stage. It is a normal request, and the worst outcome of asking is being told no.