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Questions to Ask When Shopping For a Lawyer

The decision to sue your employer is a momentous one. If you are considering filing suit, you need to hire the most capable and aggressive lawyer you can find -- and that means interviewing more than one attorney before you make your selection. A number of lawyers will talk about committees they serve on, awards they have won, and articles they have written. We submit that when you are shopping for a lawyer to file suit on your behalf, you need to ask some hard nosed questions about that person's experience in the courtroom as an employment litigator on behalf of employees:

When was the last time this lawyer actually tried an employment claim all the way to a jury verdict?
How often has the lawyer argued an employment case on appeal, either before the Appellate Division, the New Jersey Supreme Court, or the Third Circuit?
How much of the attorney's practice is actually devoted to employment law, as opposed to real estate, unemployment compensation, family law, personal injury or workers compensation?
How much of the attorney's practice is devoted to litigating cases in court, as opposed to informal settlement negotiations, severance agreements and the like?
How long has this attorney's practice been focused on employment litigation?
Does the lawyer exclusively represent employees, or does he/she sometimes represent management against employees?

The answers to these questions may spell the difference between an attorney who is able and willing to represent you zealously in court against your employer, and one who is not.