Searching for the best lawyer begins with defining what work needs to be done and then determining who has the expertise needed.
One approach is to ask colleagues for their recommendations. This can work well if you have a broad network of colleagues serving similar industries that face comparable legal issues. The likelihood of success, however, may be limited because of the anecdotal nature of individual recommendations and referrals.
The breadth of candidates can be broadened by contacting a legal referral service. They can identify a pool of talented lawyers, but the question remains. Who has the appropriate expertise?
To answer the question, we invite you to read our pages and visit our website at www.metrocorpcounsel.com. In our articles, leading experts share their insights on a panoply of legal issues challenging corporate counsel today.
Our website hosts our recent issues along with links to the LexisNexis and WestLaw websites where our past issues are archived. This combination enables you to review the depth of analysis by the author not only in current articles but also in any other articles that he or she may have written over time.
You'll find a new feature at our website. Each article now includes a link with the name of the author so that you can learn more about his or her background. Another link is provided to the law firm's homepage where you can put the author's expertise within the context of the organization's partners and resources.
Another capability at www.metrocorpcounsel.com is our search tool. You can search for articles by the author's name or the topic of the legal issues for which expertise is needed.
By reading our Corporate Counsel Organization Highlights, Partners Notes and Bulletin Board in this issue or online at www.metrocorpcounsel.com, you can learn about seminars, workshops and programs where leading experts are talking about legal issues and trends of interest to you. Participation in such events and activities can help you broaden your network and identify other resources for finding the best lawyer.
We'd like to hear from you about your recommendations about finding the best lawyer. Please share your thoughts with us at [email protected].
Published June 1, 2004.