Steven Schlesinger works as an attorney for Jaspan Schlesinger, LLP, based in Garden City, New York, which serves clients in the New York metro area and New Jersey. Steven Schlesinger expects to answer the questions of prospective clients before he begins working with them. If you are thinking of hiring an attorney, these are three of the questions you need to ask and the types of answers you should be looking for.

Q: What types of cases do you usually handle?
A: While attorneys may not be able to give specific details about the cases they have worked on, you should hope to hear an answer that reinforces the attorney’s expertise in the practice area that is relevant to your case. Ideally, the attorney will have worked on cases that are very similar to your own, which can then lead to a discussion about possible case strategies.

Q: What will be the likely outcome in my case?
A: A prospective attorney will not be able to provide specific answers to this question, so be wary of any who offer guarantees or seem overly confident. What you are looking for is a preliminary assessment based on the information presented.

Q: How will we communicate?
A: Effective communication is vital in creating and handling a case, so it is important there is a clearly-defined structure in place. Communication models will vary between attorneys, so the key is that you leave the conversation feeling satisfied that the one discussed will work for you.