If you’ve run into legal trouble and need to hire an attorney, you have a choice between local and non-local firms. While it can be tempting to go for a large, inner-city law firm, in many cases, local is better.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at five key benefits of hiring a local lawyer.
1. Local knowledge
Some rules are made at the national level, but others are very local. That’s why a local attorney is so helpful. They know exactly how to adhere to the pertinent rules. This may relate to the process of getting a proper hearing or details about who is required to appear at that hearing.
Additionally, local attorneys know how to effectively argue in front of local judges. Although judges are supposed to be impartial, they’re also human, and attorneys from the area tend to know precisely how to avoid offending them.
2. Convenient location
Although outside firms may be able to offer legal advice on local issues, it’s going to be more difficult for them to meet up on a regular basis. If an attorney is a few hundred miles away, they’re unlikely to fly or drive whenever a quick meeting is needed. A local attorney, however, is only a few minutes away. Not only that, but their office is probably convenient to the courthouse. This makes the entire legal process smoother and easier to handle.
3. Local relationships
An attorney with plenty of local experience builds up beneficial relationships over the years. This may include knowing the local judges, business leaders, court clerks, and more. An out-of-town attorney is highly unlikely to have this on-the-ground intel built over years of experience.
Local attorneys can also use their contacts to better understand your unique situation. For example, they may know how your case relates to another business owner’s case from a few years back. Similarly, they may know local expert witnesses who can provide great testimony to bolster your case.
Whatever the specifics, being embedded in the local environment can help the litigation process along.
4. Reputation to manage
Local attorneys have local reputations to cultivate and defend. That means they have a strong incentive to prepare a highly strategic and effective strategy for winning your case. They don’t want to lose face in front of the judge, court staff, other lawyers, and local business leaders by consistently losing cases. So, they will strive to protect their reputation by winning your case.
Outside attorneys, on the other hand, have less of an incentive to do the same thing. After all, they may never see the inside of that courtroom or deal with local leaders again.
5. Cost savings
Lawyers have a broad range of fees that are important to understand. Alongside traditional fees related to preparing and defending the case come all the expenses related to the lawyer’s time. As you might have guessed, non-local lawyers tend to have far more expenses than local ones.
For example, non-local lawyers need to charge for transportation costs, hotel costs, and food costs related to your case. Depending on how far away they live and how frequently they come, that can quickly add up. Local attorneys, on the other hand, don’t need to charge you for the added expenditures – thus, saving you quite a bit of money.
Keep these five benefits in mind, and make an informed decision about the best attorney for you. For example, if you’re in rural New South Wales, the best Albury solicitors can provide you with knowledge, convenience, and affordability that you’re unlikely to get from an out-of-state or Sydney-based solicitor.
