It’s no secret that finding a lawyer, in general, can be quite a daunting ordeal. This becomes even more pressing an issue for those dealing with tax disputes where there run the very real risks of serving jail time. In these instances, you want to work with either an attorney or a team of attorneys that have a fairly proven and extensive track record during disputes. Below, we’ve gone over the best way to find a certified tax attorney in as few as four easy steps.
Step #1. Curate A List Of Attorneys
First thing’s first, you want to do a bit of research and put together a list of different local tax attorneys. There are a lot of different avenues you can use to search, with one of the most effective being the local bar association as they have the most up-to-date records.
When researching these attorneys, you must take a bit of time and run through their reviews and past performance records. You also want to see if they have any referrals from past clients. Simply put, it’s not enough just to find a tax attorney. You want to make sure they’re a qualified tax attorney.
Step #2. Picking The Best Of The Best
Once you’ve narrowed your list to the top five, 10, or 15 best attorneys (depending on the number of lawyers in your area), you’ll want to set up some consultations as soon as possible. Most firms offer free consultations, so there’s no reason not to take the time to schedule in. Even if they aren’t free, the fees are so small it’s still worth your time, especially if these are the ones with the higher reviews. Law firms like Dallo Law Group (dallolawgroup.com) offer free case evaluations in addition to consultations. These are the optimal scenarios as you can get an expert opinion on exactly what your options are before spending any money.
The point of a consultation isn’t just to get their opinion on your situation, however. In addition, going through with a free consultation or evaluation grants you a chance to learn as much as you can about the firm itself. This includes things like, what their fees are, what is their success rate, and how available or accessible are they throughout the process. Questions like these are vitally important and help paint a picture of what they are beyond just third-party reviews and referrals.
You want to consider a few factors when ultimately making your decision here. Make sure you have as much important documents and information as possible related to your dispute. You also want to compare their remarks and statements with any previous firms you’ve visited so you can see which is the best of the best in real-time.
Once you’ve made a shortlist of the top 3-5 firms, take a look at your budget to determine which of these offers the most competitive rates while also matching up as close to your ideal scenario as possible.
Step #3. Establish A Letter Of Engagement
Finally, once you’ve picked your firm and factored their cost concerning your budget, you’ll want to put together a letter of engagement or an engagement letter. This is essentially a contract between you and your attorney which goes over the standard conditions of taking them on as your representative.
The Dallo Law Group is an excellent resource for many people, either directly as an attorney or indirectly as a potential reference. They have a host of experienced and award-winning tax attorneys as well as a tax professor and certified law specialist. You can find out more about them at dallowawgroup.com to get additional information.