What questions do I ask when looking to hire a lawyer?

Question

I am a new investor. I have some general questions I want to ask. How long have you been doing real estate law? What are the different types of deals and work you've done in the past? What are you fees and prices? Are you available on short notice?

Essentially:

What questions should I ask a lawyer I am considering hiring?

What should I be looking for and what should I be avoiding?

Essentially:

What questions should I ask a lawyer I am considering hiring?

What should I be looking for and what should I be avoiding?

Troy Robin · Answer

@Abel Curiel & @Scott Mac Thank you for your response. I appreciate your experience and knowledge.

Scott Mac · Answer

Hi Able,

When you ask the above question, what do you believe the pro's and cons are of the "yourself" vs "a team" options(???)

Abel Curiel · Answer

Hello @Troy Robin

*Please note, I work with RE attorneys in NY so the procedure may be a little different in your market.

Do you handle all contract negotiations yourself or do you have a team?

If we had an accepted offer on a property today, how soon do you think we can have the signed contract returned to the seller's attorney?

What title company do you typically refer business to?

There isn't much to get into aside from price and the questions above... Once you have an actual deal in hand, there will be a lot more to ask the attorney.

Abel Curiel · Answer

Hey Scott, great question. It all depends on the individual. I work with attorneys who do EVERYTHING themselves with no paralegal or associates. PRO he is a 1-stop shop and has complete control over the entire process. CON - if he is unavailable, everything is on hold.

On the other hand, you have Attorneys who have a team behind them i.e. paralegal, runner, associate attorneys. PRO - everyone has a specific task and they can handle more volume. They're able to move more quickly when it comes to negotiation, getting contracts signed/delivered, coordinating the closing. CON - if 1 person in the team is ineffective, it can drag things during the process.

Randy Rodenhouse · Answer

I think the questions would depend on what you’re trying to do with real estate. For example, if you’re trying to buy real estate creatively using seller financing or subject to or maybe lease option you would want to find out whether that Attorney has had experience in those areas. Ask the attorney if they’ve closed the type of transaction you’re looking to do and any references would be helpful.

What questions do I ask when looking to hire a lawyer?

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