Legal Secrets: How To Hire a Lawyer

Ah, lawyers. Often called the bottom-feeders of our society (unless they're Tom Cruise, or go on to occupy positions of major importance in the White House), lawyers may or may not have a bad rep, but thanks to this video, consumers will certainly be better able to choose one through careful shopping. Titled How to Successfully Interview an Attorney on the actual tape, the program is mostly a simple talking-head interview between Barbara J. Swist, Consumers for Legal Reform, and Mac Jacobs, Attorney at Law. Swist asks Jacobs about different types of lawyers and firms, his own education and legal history, and his experiences at the trial, appellate, and State Supreme Court level, before getting down to the nitty of asking about malpractice suits and insurance, fee structure, and sample copies of monthly billing statements. The tape also includes some tips on areas to inquire about concerning client's rights. Swist even goes so far as to share her own requirements with the lawyer (my favorite was the demand that any phone call from her as a client must be returned within 24 hrs.). a good, inexpensive primer on hiring a lawyer. Recommended. (R. Pitman)