How to Choose a Lawyer Wisely

In the Philippines, choosing a lawyer seems to be a very easy task especially due to the influx of bar passers taking their oaths every year. Despite this fact, there is still a need to make a wise choice. Otherwise, clients face the risk of losing their properties, their liberties, and even their own lives due to poor legal advice and/or representation.

Before discussing some helpful tips in choosing a good Philippine lawyer, it is best to analyze first the main objective for seeking one. Clients hire lawyers for various reasons. It can be as simple as seeking advice on a legal query or as complicated as representing one in court cases. With this, it is clear that the common objective for hiring a lawyer is to seek help in resolving legal problems. A successful resolution of a case therefore, refers not merely to winning against an opponent, but more importantly, to giving one’s case an opportunity to be heard in court.

Basing on the above objective, the following are some helpful tips in choosing a good Philippine lawyer:

• Look at the soul. A good quality lawyer has self-respect, dignity, and integrity. He avoids employing illegal means in handling cases because he values respect for himself. He cannot muster cheating on anyone because he knows that he is cheating himself in return. He competes only with his own weaknesses, not with other lawyers.

• Look at the heart. A good quality lawyer loves his profession; thus, loves serving his clients. Such a lawyer offers his services to anyone in need regardless of compensation. Public service is his motivation, not material wealth.

• Look at the mind. A good quality lawyer has a firm grasp of all the laws and able to integrate everything into a whole. He continues to broaden and update his knowledge through constant research. He does his work with utmost diligence and never allows himself to render sub-par performance.

The above tips may appear to be too idealistic, but high standards are needed in choosing a lawyer in order to avoid compromising one’s rights. It is not simply a matter of track record or fame or government connections. More than anything else, it is a matter of sincerity for public service.