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Where/How to Find Small Claims Lawyer?

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pgb205

Junior Member
this is for Brooklyn, NY. I have court date for small claim of under 1,000.
From what I've been told the judge will review and resolve this on the next court date.

I would like to know how to find a good lawyer to handle this and what is the
normal rate for presenting a case in front of a judge.

thanks
 


this is for Brooklyn, NY. I have court date for small claim of under 1,000.
From what I've been told the judge will review and resolve this on the next court date.

I would like to know how to find a good lawyer to handle this and what is the
normal rate for presenting a case in front of a judge.

thanks
The best thing to do is to ask someone for a referral. Rates will vary depending on a lot of factors there's no way to tell you exactly what to expect to pay. You can also search the internet. There are several who advertise representation in the small claims courts in your area. These practices are generally client mills that will have a lawyer there to do several cases in that court that day so they will be cheaper than hiring an attorney who isn't normally in that court.
 

Proseguru

Member
If you have have a lawyer represent you at all in small claims (many do not allow a person to be represented by consul) it will cost you more than 1K and this is not recoverable.
 
If you have have a lawyer represent you at all in small claims (many do not allow a person to be represented by consul) it will cost you more than 1K and this is not recoverable.
You may notice at the beginning of the original post the OP says "this is Brooklyn NY." In NY you MAY choose to be represented by counsel in small claims court; you may also CHOOSE to represent yourself.

Since you didn't even know this, I'm curious how you have any idea what this type of representation would cost? As I mentioned there are hired mouthpieces that are in the court all day and will cost you a few hundred dollars to attorneys that will do detailed work preparing and presenting your case for several thousand.
 

You Are Guilty

Senior Member
It mostly depends on how complicated the case is and how many appearances it will require (they do not always finish in one night), but generally, you'll be looking at a minimum of $500, and likely quite a bit higher.

As for finding these mythical creatures, click the "Find an Attorney" link on the bottom of this page, and failing that, you can try here:
https://www.brooklynbar.org/lrs/
 

pgb205

Junior Member
It mostly depends on how complicated the case is and how many appearances it will require (they do not always finish in one night), but generally, you'll be looking at a minimum of $500, and likely quite a bit higher.

As for finding these mythical creatures, click the "Find an Attorney" link on the bottom of this page, and failing that, you can try here:
https://www.brooklynbar.org/lrs/
That's some great advise. I do have one more question. Is there anyway I can check for a lawyer's 'ratings', seeing as I will only be getting one chance to make my case before the judge?
 

ecmst12

Senior Member
There isn't any official rating system. You can google, of course, but internet reviews are of questionable value. You can check with the bar to see if there have been any complaints filed against any particular lawyer. The best way to find a lawyer of course is to have a personal reference from a family member or friend, but that's not always possible. The next most important thing is to interview the lawyer, have a consultation and decide whether you seem to understand each other.
 

You Are Guilty

Senior Member
Ditto.

(Un)fortunately, there is no useful information concerning a lawyer's effectiveness, although you can look them up to see if they are rated by Marti ndale Hubble: http://www.Marti ndale.com/Products_and_Services/Peer_Review_Ratings.aspx. I might also be inclined to check yelp. (There are other lawyer rating services out there, but I have not been particularly impressed with any. E.g., one has me listed as a Native American Rights lawyer).

While over the years I have occasionally appeared in small claims court on behalf of a corporate client as a favor (which means sometimes you can find a good one, lol), I have found that as a general proposition, the majority of the attorneys who are small-claims "regulars" are not ones I would be comfortable hiring. (In fact, many moons ago, I had one case where I discovered my adversary was not even admitted to the bar. That case settled rather quickly).

Do your homework ahead of time and you shouldn't have any surprises.

{edit}
Lose the spaces to get URL to work. Forum bleeps out the name of the company if not put there.
 
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