When it comes to hiring an attorney the choices are numerous and difficult. Of course, personal referrals are always appreciated, but at what cost. Personal relationships are hard enough to come by in day to day life, so trying to create an immediate one with a stranger if even more difficult.

Right off, the first tip is to understand that you are hiring a means to get to an end. If you need to cut the grass you buy a lawn mower, if you need someone to interpret law and translate on your behalf, you hire an attorney.

So don't expect a lawyer to give you the pat on the back and warm and fuzzy around each and every turn. Don't forget that that consoling time costs anywhere from $100 to $500 per hour. A lawyer once told me, "if you need someone to help you to sleep at night and let you know it will be okay, when we are done here goto a social worker, it is cheaper".

Come Prepared

There are many things you can do yourself to lessen the expenses of an attorney no matter what you are hiring him or her for. The main thing you can do is be prepared. Gather any and all documents that you feel may be related to your case. Organize them in a fashion that makes sense and notate where applicable for an easy find during your consultations.

Another great tip is to document all of the events that took place during the situation surrounding the one causing you to need a lawyer. Whether it be conversations surrounding the events leading to a marital separation or cause and effects surrounding an automobile accident, having the freshest occurence of events detailed allows for consistency in relaying them back and the time it would normally take for an attorney to write them down on paper and later type them into a computer.

Make Copies

As you move closer and closer to knowing exactly what you need, bring copies. Ask the attorney how many copies is suitable to bring. If they say, "don't worry we will do that for you", insist. Copies normally run 25 cents to 50 cents per piece of paper, per side of paper.

If documents are stapled together in the original, staple the copies. The whole idea here is to replicate the documents are they were maintained within your home or office. Many times attorneys need 5 or more copies for paralegals etc so this bill can really add up in a hurry.

Think Things Through

Have all of your questions prepared a head of time. The last thing you want to do is to have an attorney layout each and every option they have ever encountered in their career. Again, when billing by the hour, a drawn out conversation can add a quick $500 to the tab. Provide scenarios to your lawyer as you have perceived it going.

Two things occur here. One, you retain much more of the information as suggestions are attached to actual thoughts you have already commited to memory. Two, you will understand better why you have an attorney and quickly be able to guage their ability to represent you as you wish to be represented.

When sending communications, such as email, take your time and consolidate your thoughts. Each time someone has to open an email, consult your case file, and then respond takes time which directly translates to money from your pocket.

Don't Be Intimidated

Even though a good friend might have referred you to the star attorney, don't be afraid to decide they aren't for you. Many times there is compromise in the result of your case and you must feel comfortable that your attorney represented you well. Each lawyer has a personality, one that your friend might have liked, but you don't. You don't need to love your lawyer, but you need to respect them as they are your voice.

What if the Quarterback Goes Down?

Ask your attorney what happens in the event they cannot show up on the day of the trial/hearing. It is naive to think that certain things can't happen that would cause this scenario. Court dates can rarely be changed easily and in some cases failure to appear simply cause the case to get dismissed. So how deep does the bench go? Will the case be postponed? If a replacement has to come, do they have the same skillset? Will they be aware of my case?

The above tips should give you a general sense of what you can do to save time in determing the best path for your particular situation. Take control of your fate and be as involved with it as possible. Your preparations will minimize the additional preparations an attorney needs to make on your behalf. To put it in perspective, $350 per hour is slightly less than $6 per minute. Your attorney's per minute rate is higher than the average minimum wage for this country - spend it wisely!