Most people at one time or another have questions about their legal rights or find themselves in positions where they think about getting legal advice or wonder if they need an attorney's assistance. However, many of those people, for whatever reason, never follow up and make the initial contact with an attorney. As a result, people often get a poor result to a legal problem they were facing, or make uninformed decisions that turn out to be costly in terms of personal liberty, financial loss or loss of protections that would have been available had they made that initial contact with an attorney. Conscious of these issues, The Law Offices of Parnell & McKay, has prepared this page to assist you in accessing legal service so that you are able to make informed decisions concerning legal questions with which you may be confronted. This is not a substitute for legal representation. It is written to encourage people to more readily seek legal advice by suggesting ways to recognize when legal service would be helpful, how to go about choosing an attorney and what to expect from the relationship.

Generally, if you find yourself asking if you need a lawyer, you should talk to an attorney. Most attorneys will be happy to talk with you for a few minutes, listen to your question and let you know if he or she thinks a lawyer would be helpful. If they think assistance is indicated, they can tell you why and how an attorney can help. If they think you can probably handle the problem yourself. They might make some suggestions, such as small claims, that will help you resolve your problem more quickly.

Also, you should consider calling an attorney when someone on the other side tells you that you do not need one. If that happens, the person making the comment probably has a reason for not wanting an attorney helping you out. Ask yourself what advantage that person will get if they keep you from getting legal assistance. There is usually a reason behind an attempt to prevent consulting an attorney. For example, automobile insurance carriers often discourage it because studies have shown the average payment to an injured party is substantially higher when an attorney is involved. Check out with a quick phone call to an attorney experienced in the area of your legal problem.