I suggest using a lease that is as one-sided in favor of the landlord as the local landlord tenant laws will allow.Most agents aren't specifically trained in how to screen tenants, quite to the contrary of the beliefs held by many uninformed people who believe that agents know everything about real estate because they are agents.And I have posted about this previously on BP; a search of the BP forums would have found at least one of these other threads.https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/52/topics/829...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/52/topics/156...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/177...https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/52/topics/215...If you have to or choose to rely upon others to perform tenant selection for your rentals, then you should at least learn about how to do this, so that you can determine whether the person you hire has an understanding of what to do, and to be certain yourself that the person hired is actually following the best practices (and not just reciting them to you just to get hired).You should be able to give a profile for the sort of tenants you wish to have occupy your rental, so that you can create some specific qualifying criteria.

For example, studies have shown that landlords in low-incomeneighborhoods overcharge housing voucher holders,making the program lesscost-effective and therefore limiting its reach (Desmond and Perkins 2016).Public policies aimed at easing families’ rent burdens should be grounded ina firm understanding of property owners’ business practices.4.

Expect a 2yr learning curve because there is a ton to learn, practice and master, it does not happen over night.

But again, this is a standard business practice. 

his family has been practicing real estate law locally for decades.

As an civil/environmental engineer with a very small side-biz practice, I'll understand.I had another meeting with my parents on 1.28.14.

Of course you can find deals anywhere at any time, but for best practices, those are the areas that have different levels of real estate activity and it will be up to you to determine your strategy. 

Very basic on the practical RE side, but good intro to some options. 

Also what are some of the industry "best practices" regarding the subject?

It is because they aren't worth a crap at being attorneys and practicing private law so they get on and stay on the govt cheese as long as they can.