An attorney referred by a friend may not be the best option for you. You might not like the attorney's manner, the attorney's approach to the case or that attorney's fee might be too high. Generally, that is when people turn to the internet to find a more suitable attorney to represent him or her in their matrimonial or family law matter. When using one of the major search engines on the internet, a person in New York City might search for "NYC Divorce Attorney".
The next step is to look at different attorneys' websites. You should look to see what ratings that attorney has received from the various attorney ratings groups such as Avvo, LexisNexis, Martindale-Hubble as well as other lesser known legal rating organizations. You should also look at the years of experience of each attorney, which often has a direct correlation to the hourly fee of the attorney, and maybe even take note of the quality of the website.
Next, you should contact a few attorneys either by telephone or email. How fast can you get the attorney on the phone or does the attorney respond to your email? If you're a new client and can't get the attorney on the phone imagine how hard it would be if you were a client. How does the attorney relate to you on the phone? Does the attorney listen to your problem, seem knowledgeable, or give you enough time to discuss the problem you are having? You should be able to connect with and feel comfortable with the attorney on the phone. If not, then that attorney might not be the appropriate attorney to represent you.
Another way to choose an attorney is to go to a website that has multiple attorney listings. Once at the appropriate website, perform a specific search (e.g. divorce, prenuptial, custody, child support, etc.) Be sure to include the location where you live or are searching for an appropriate attorney. The website should generate a list of appropriate attorneys given your designated criteria making it very easy to compare different attorneys. Often, the websites show client ratings, websites, photos and peer endorsements. Lawyers.com, Avvo.com, Martindale.com and Nolo.com are just a few of the websites that have these types of listings. Some of these websites even allow someone to post a question about your case so you can receive different answers from the attorneys that utilize the sites.