Retaining a lawyer can be a costly exercise, especially if you are not quite sure what kind of help you need or, indeed, if you need any legal help at all. For this reason it makes sense to try and get some free legal advice before you commit to paying a lawyer's fees so that you can see where you stand.
So, in many cases, following these tips could see you get free legal advice that could well save you a significant sum of money:
-andnbsp; Free Consultation -- some lawyers will give you a free consultation at the beginning of a legal process so that you can assess where you need to go. Here you could outline your legal issue to a lawyer who can give you advice on how to proceed and how much it will cost you to do so.
-andnbsp; Research -- there are all kinds of online legal websites that you can use to get some basic introductory advice before you opt to retain a lawyer. These range from online law books through to specific legal advisory sites, chat rooms and blogs. This route could see you find out what you need to know at no cost.
-andnbsp; Public Defenders -- if you cannot afford to retain a lawyer to defend you, for example in a criminal case, then the state will appoint a lawyer to work on your behalf free of charge. You may have to prove financial hardship here.
-andnbsp; Pro Bono Services -- some lawyers will offer pro bono (i.e. free) legal services for certain cases. To find out if you will qualify for these services you'll need to find a participating lawyer/firm in your area.
-andnbsp; Contingency/Success Only Fees -- in certain legal areas (such as in personal injury cases) some lawyers will offer their services to you on a contingency basis. Here you will only pay a fee if your claim results in a successful settlement or payment. If you lose your case then you don't have to pay lawyer's fees.
-andnbsp; Consumer Groups -- in some cases you may well find that talking to a consumer group will give you access to free advice that could be useful to you here. This won't necessarily work for every legal issue but could be helpful in some cases.
In some cases you may only look for free legal advice to assess whether you need a lawyer to act on your behalf or to assess whether a legal case is worth progressing. In others you may find and/or qualify for a full range of legal services.
If you can it is worth while trying to get legal advice at no cost before you think about retaining a lawyer. There is no point taking a legal route if your case has no hope of success. This will simply be a waste of money for you. It is also worthwhile knowing what the overall costs of getting legal representation will be so that you can work out what you can and can't afford.
In some cases you may also find that the legal advice that you are given shows you that you could take on your legal needs yourself. This shouldn't be entered into lightly and you should always make sure that you understand what the ramifications are of taking the initiative yourself.

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Article Submitted By: RichardBanbury
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