In the realm of civil litigation, complex cases are considered the most difficult to manage. If you are gearing up for a complex case, it helps to know what to look for when finding an attorney who can help. However, given the sheer depth involved in the legal system, it can be daunting to even know where to begin.
In this blog, we’ll discuss what complex litigation actually is, as well as offer our best tips for finding the right attorney for your case.
What Constitutes Complex Litigation?
The term complex litigation encompasses a sizable variety of different types of civil litigation. Complex litigation will typically involve relatively large civil cases with multiple parties, jurisdictions, and complex variables at play. While there is no exact or official definition for complex litigation, they usually have more at stake, more variables to account for, are lengthier, or are some combination of all three compared to the average civil case.
If you happen to be caught in a potentially complex case, you are going to want to pick the right attorney for the case. But how can you know who to choose for your particular circumstances? It can be tricky, but in this blog, we’ll offer some guidance for doing just that.
1) Organizational Skills Are Key
Becoming a good lawyer or attorney typically requires above-average organizational skills, but this is made even more important in complex litigation cases. To keep track of various aspects of the case for long periods of time, your lawyer needs to excel at gathering and synthesizing information. In complex litigation cases, any amount of information that is overlooked could result in unfavorable results.
To find out if your attorney is well-organized, you could check out reviews that have been written by previous clients. Some lawyer-focused directories may also offer comments from peers in the legal field, which may offer insight. Finally, you can simply ask your attorney about their history with complex litigation and inquire about how they approached their complex litigation cases.
2) They Come From A Proven Firm
Often, the nature of a complex case will necessitate teamwork among the attorneys and legal staff in a firm. Attorneys in a firm will often work together on cases, even for simpler ones, but complex cases will see a great deal of collaboration amongst the firm. This is especially true if the case spans multiple pockets of legal expertise that may be shared by different members of the firm.
If an attorney takes on your complex litigation case, there’s a good chance that they will collaborate with other attorneys in the firm, even for relatively minor questions. This makes the firm as a whole an important consideration, not just the main attorney working on the case.
When looking for someone to take on your complex litigation case, it may be helpful to look into the history and success of the firm as a whole. What have previous clients said about how the firm operates, and how may that apply to your specific circumstances?
3) Look For Great Communication
On top of good organizational skills and a proven team, your attorney should also possess great communication skills. Since there are often so many moving parts, your attorney should be able to give you regular updates on the status of the case.
Your attorney should be able to explain the variables at play in your case in a simplified way so you understand each step in the process. There should be someone in the firm that you can rely on for updates or questions, be it an attorney or paralegal/legal secretary.
As stated before, you could look at reviews from past clients to learn more about their communication strategy or simply ask your attorney about how they handle communication with their clients.
4) Discuss Pricing & Payment Information
Lastly, you should discuss up-front how pricing and payment are going to be handled for your case. Too often, clients will have a misunderstanding of how pricing and payments will work which causes problems later on. You should ask about this very early on in the process to ensure that you and the attorney/firm you are working with are on the same page.
Specifically, you can ask whether there will be a fee based on contingency or on an hourly basis. If the attorney works on contingency, they won’t charge based on any rate, but will instead collect a percentage of the judgment that is awarded to you. You could also ask if they expect a retainer, or if certain tasks may be billed separately.
The Bottom Line
The truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all way to find the perfect attorney for any case, but the tips we’ve offered are a good place to start. You could always add more criteria or ask more questions until you are satisfied and ready to work with any particular attorney.
At Surratt and Thompson, PLLC, we are confident that we check all of those boxes and many more. Each attorney in our firm has a wealth of legal experience, and we share that knowledge as a firm to exceed the expectations of each client, whether they be an individual, business, or other legal entity. We hold communication to be paramount, making sure our clients are clear on the process every step of the way.
If you have more questions regarding complex litigation or have a complex case for yourself, please contact our firm today via phone, email, or by visiting our office in person!