What can I expect from my attorney?

What is the name of your state? California.

After much thinking (and worrying) about the situation, I have decided to seek legal counsel. As I posted before, the situation is that an acquaintance is suing a mutual acquaintance and a third party. The third party's attorney contacted me asking me to talk to his private investigators and "answer a few questions".

Since I've never had to see a lawyer before, I'd like to know what to expect from one.

1. Will the information I share with him or her be confidential? What if, for some reason, I am not comfortable with him or her after a few meetings, and decide to change lawyers? Can the former lawyer then decide to "leak" the information I shared with third party's lawyer?

2. How are legal fees determined? Are there flat fees or fee structures followed by ALL attorneys? Since this is a civil litigation that may proceed to jury trial, would the lawyer charge me a fee to retain him or her as my legal representative and then charge me for incidents as and when they occur? As in for instance, for filing a motion to quash a subpeona or actually going to court with me etc? I am very anxious and troubled and while I don't want to talk cost at the first meeting, this is a very important consideration for me as I have a small, limited income.

3. What should I have ready for my first visit to an attorney? And again, will everything I share with the attorney (I plan to puke my brains out and not hide anything) remain confidential even if I change attorneys at a later date?

4. The third party is being represented by a lawyer in a BIG-NOISE-LAW-FIRM. A friend highly recommended another lawyer in the same firm. Now I may be legally clueless but I'm not STUPID. I told him that it sounded like a bad idea to hire a different lawyer who, nevertheless, works for the same law firm as the third party's lawyer. Since I cannot afford a lot of money, I will be seeking the advice and representation of someone who is not such a "big noise". Would my would-be attorney's low profile make a difference to the case, jury, judge etc?

5. Is there a way I can check on my attorney's professional history? Doctors' performance may be tracked through websites that rate / rank their services. Are there similar websites that would help me get to know more about the attorney BEFORE I even visit him or her?

Thank you for any advice / opinions / suggestions. I am very worried and can't really think straight at this time, so any feedback is gratefully welcomed.

You are correct that you should not hire an attorney who is with the same firm as any other attorney representing any other party in this matter. Everything you tell your attorney is confidential and subject to attorney-client privilege, both during and after the representaiton.

In many/most states, you can check the state bar asscociation website to see whether a lawyer has been bubject to disciplinary action by the Bar.

For the kind of legal services you are describing the lawyer will probably charge by the hour. Lawyers' rates vary depending on their experience and the prevailing rate in the area. It would be very foolish for you to avoid asking what the attorney's hourly rate is and how many hours s/he would anticipate working on your representation (which would be a tough question to answer in most cases, but is worth discussing anyway). No attorney should accept representation without entering into a written fee agreement with you.

You don't say what this case is about or why you are so worried. If you post about that, people may be able to either assuage your fears or confirm that it is best that you be represented by counsel.

Thanks for the heads-up about the state bar's website. The attorneys I have in mind have no adverse history.