How to find a good lawyer when you have no clue:
1. Determine what kind of lawyer you need: probate, litigation, etc. You may need to speak with a lawyer to figure this out.
2. Call the State’s Bar Association and get three referrals.
3. Call the three referrals. Be sure to let them know who referred you (very important). Immediately discard any that do not return your phone call.
4. Talk to the lawyers and tell them about your matter. If they don’t or can’t help, ask THEM for a referral. There’s no better way to find a good lawyer than to ask other lawyers. When you call any lawyer, I can’t express how important this is, ALWAYS tell them who referred you. Saying that you googled looking for a lawyer is okay, but it’s ALWAYS better to be referred and to let the lawyer know who referred them.
5. Talk to three lawyers. You’ll get a feeling for it after a while.
6. I can’t stress enough, if the lawyer doesn’t answer his phone or is never in or doesn’t return phone calls, walk away immediately. If they’re responsive at first but then become hard to get in contact with, get rid of them. It’s a huge red flag.
I would be very concerned if my lawyer picked up the phone every time I called or got right back to me. Most good lawyers are busy in court or preparing cases. If they are sitting by the phone waiting for me to call, maybe they are not such good lawyers.
Thumbs up for #17.
Also look into a Civil Rights attorney if the vic was a senior citizen and there are statutes dealing with / enhancing crimes against them.
If they say no, ask for a referral. Some of them are real ballsy litigators, would love to expand the catchment area of their practice outside the inner city and might love headlines from a case like this.