Legal representation is a right that every individual is entitled to. Anywhere in the world, every person or group who needs legal counsel should have it, regardless of whether they’re the plaintiff or defendant. It’s also their right to have a qualified professional to provide such services, but unfortunately, fake lawyers have affected that.
Legal representation scams have victimized people of different statuses worldwide. It takes many forms, but it’s generally fraudsters who pose as lawyers advertising services they’re unqualified to provide. It’s a deceiving practice that robs a person who needs legal assistance and worsens their current situation.
The best way to avoid being scammed out of qualified legal counsel is to know how to see through them. That way, you’ll be less vulnerable to being deceived by those fraudsters. Follow the tips in this article to help you identify fake lawyers.
Watch out for signs common in scams
Specific details may differ, but in essence, all scams are the same. Most scammers will use the basic structure of scamming even when posing as an attorney. That means the same rules of avoiding any form of scam still apply to spotting fake lawyers.
Find out what a scam looks like will come in handy when you’re looking for a lawyer. That’ll help you be extra vigilant to protect yourself from scammers. Learning the red flags of scams will help you better detect them and even make it second nature.
Common scam signs include asks for urgent payment and making threats to make you panic. Any legitimate attorney won’t do such things, so move on to the next option if you encounter people who do them.
Verify their identity
Here’s where doing your research will help a lot. First, when you’re looking for a lawyer, verify the information they present to their potential clients, Look for more information about their firm if they’re in one, and other basic things a lawyer’s credentials should include.
In the U.S., each state typically has a Bar tasked to regulate the admission of lawyers in the legal profession. They have a website you can refer to where you can find all admitted lawyers in your state. If you don’t find the bar number they presented to you on that site, chances are you’re better off finding a credible online source to learn the steps to file a class-action lawsuit.
Also, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask any lawyer to present their bar number. A legit one should understand why you’re inquiring about it. Apart from the bar number, you can also ask their State Bar profile to cross-reference it along with their bar number.
Besides their credentials, you should also verify their place of work and contact details. Google is your best friend when it comes to doing this, as a legit attorney and firm will likely have their details on the search results. Try calling the number or sending an email to the email address saying you want to verify their information and see if you can find something.
Look for ratings on third-party rating providers
Reviews have been quite popular for some time now, and you can also use them to verify lawyers you’re looking to work with. You should check out third-party rating providers to learn more about them through client reviews. It’s similar to looking at Yelp reviews when searching for finding a suitable accommodation for a trip.
These rating providers typically employ a patented selection process to know when a particular lawyer is credible. If you can’t find any record of them in any of those providers, you should start looking at other prospects.
Conclusion
You should arm yourself with information to avoid falling victim to lawyer fraud. These people must be held responsible to protect everyone from having their rights to an attorney stolen. Be more cautious and vigilant to stay away from fake lawyers.
