THE LEGAL PROCESS

Notwithstanding Shakespeare's urgings in Henry VI to "kill all the lawyers," the legal profession has exercised a pervasive influence in America's public and private sectors, its government, and in its social life. There can be no effective administration of the civil or criminal justice systems without lawyers. They have been - and will continue to be - indispensable to any working society.

This website has been prepared as a public service, to give a "plain language" overview of the law, and to make the public aware of the process by which a lawyer or law firm should be selected. That process - and, of course, the ultimate decision - becomes of paramount importance in our increasingly complex society, which more and more each day requires the assistance of competent counsel.

Selection of a lawyer should be made on an informed basis. The advice and recommendations of relatives, friends, acquaintances, business associates, bar association referral panels, and other lawyers should be sought to determine the lawyer's reputation and standing in the community, neither of which can be measured accurately on the basis of misleading advertising or exaggerated claims. Once the preliminary decision has been made, it this is time to arrange a personal consultation with the lawyer or law firm being considered. While restrained publicity may be helpful to the selection process, there is absolutely no substitute for a personal consultation.

Behrins & Behrins is a full service law firm offering a wide variety of legal services throughout New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., and in some cases through affiliates, across the country and internationally. Clients are served by utilizing the latest developments in new millennium technology, but without ever diminishing the high degree of personalized attention to which each client is rightfully entitled. Availability of legal services at Behrins & Behrins runs the gamut, ranging from the representation of accident and malpractice victims, to litigants in matrimonial and family law proceedings, to purchasers and sellers of real estate, to business and commercial clients, to the preparation of wills, trusts, and estate plans, to defendants in criminal prosecutions.

An overview of the law included in the range of legal services offered by Behrins & Behrins appears in the following pages - in the form of frequently asked questions - but the read is reminded that the questions and answers offer nothing more than a general overview, primarily of New York's laws, in a ever-changing sphere, and that there can be no valid substitute for a personal consultation with a lawyer.

Before proceeding further, however, a few words should be said concerning legal fees. No initial consultation with the lawyer you plan to retain should terminate without having a detailed discussion concerning the fees to be charged for your particular legal matter. If the fee is "contingent" (a percentage of any recovery), the percentage amount should be clearly established. If the fee is predicated on an hourly charge, the hourly charge should be fixed, and an estimate of the total hours needed to conclude your particular matter should be requested. In either event, you may be responsible for the necessary disbursements (out-of-pocket expenses) made in connection with your case. An estimate of that total, too, should be requested at the initial consultation. Finally, to avoid possible misunderstandings, a retainer agreement should be in writing, signed by the lawyer and the client.