Lawyers have an ethical duty to safeguard client confidentiality. Therefore, you may not be able to learn who someone's lawyer is unless the matter has come before a judge and the individual has given permission for their attorney to reveal this information.
However, these links allow you to quickly verify if an attorney in your state is licensed and in good standing.
1. Get a Reference
Referrals are an essential part of applying for legal jobs, so securing reliable references that highlight your accomplishments, skills and character traits positively are an integral component of the application process. To ensure an effective recommendation is written for you by an effective reference – choose someone senior who has strong relationships in the legal industry if possible and maintain a good rapport. Don’t forget to thank your reference once they have provided either written or verbal recommendations on your behalf – doing this will strengthen relationships and encourage future referrals!
There are various directories online where you can search for attorneys by name. Some also allow users to filter results according to focus, specialty and language capabilities.
3. Ask at the Courthouse
Most courts provide an accessible lawyer help center with volunteer attorneys available to meet with anyone free of charge, without attending court for them. While these lawyers don’t represent you directly in court proceedings, they can give advice about presenting your case effectively and advise how best to present it in front of a judge. In some instances, courts offer special services like translation or child care assistance – so be sure to inquire beforehand which types of assistance might be provided at each court location.
Arriving early at the courthouse will allow you to prepare for an all-day experience in court. Wear appropriate attire and bring all necessary paperwork – such as copies of Summons and Affidavit of Service forms as well as any relevant papers to support your claim – for review by a judge.
Bring someone with you for moral support; however, they must remain silent and cannot approach the bench without prior permission from a Judge. Also avoid discussing your case in hallways or restrooms as this could constitute a distraction.
4. Contact the Bar Association
Attorneys in each state require licenses in order to practice law legally. Most states have bar associations which oversee this aspect of practice law. An attorney who represents one party in a lawsuit must usually appear on their behalf when appearing before a court; otherwise if that party appears alone without representation they will likely face criminal contempt charges from a judge and must appear back for future court dates on time or face being set on a warrant and appear back again before that judge at another date or risk criminal contempt charges being levied against them.
State bar associations maintain lawyer directories to enable the public to easily verify whether an attorney is licensed and in good standing. These directories typically include their name, bar number, date of admission and status; inactive status or misconduct actions will also be noted here. Furthermore, some state bars offer advanced searches by focus area/section/specialty or keyword; an example would be the American Bar Association National Directory which offers advanced searches of attorney profiles by focus, section specialty keyword search capabilities.
