Determineing how many cases an attorney has won or lost is essential when selecting an appropriate legal representation for your case. A great way to access this information is through Google. Simply search their name.
State bar directories often allow you to search by focus, section or specialty; these sources are an excellent way of gathering disciplinary records for lawyers.
Ask for References
An effective way to evaluate a lawyer’s win/loss record is to ask friends, family and business associates who they have used for legal needs in the past and provide feedback based on their own personal experiences working with that lawyer. They may offer suggestions based on personal feedback regarding working relationship with your potential legal team member.
Alternately, you can search online for lawyers who specialize in your area of law and who have professional websites or profiles on online attorney directories that showcase their specialization, client testimonials and examples of cases they have handled. These directories typically feature such information.
Case history research can also be accomplished online by searching a court website and legal databases for judges or parties involved. Most legal databases offer “note up” features to track down similar cases as part of your research; WestlawNext Canada, Quicklaw and CanLII all feature note up features; once you find one case using headnotes or Key Numbers you can search to locate additional secondary ones that cite it.
Search Online
If you can’t access information through references or an attorney’s website, using the internet can provide some additional insight into their case wins and losses. Utilizing search engines you can search a lawyers case history while the PACER electronic records system enables searches of federal district, bankruptcy or appellate court cases that the attorney was involved with.
Most online legal research tools allow users to search for cases by name, topic and document field. Some databases also allow for searching judges by name; to do this use Westlaw or Fastcase homepage’s Case Law or Trial Court Orders section and choose a search template including “judge.”
Most case law databases also include annotated versions of statutes and regulations, which provide important legal information such as lists of cases that cite that law or regulation; you can then quickly locate additional cases on your topic using these case citations.
Contact the State Court
When researching an attorney’s past cases, it is advisable to contact their State Court. They may have an online searchable database available or provide access to older court records on microfilm.
Westlaw provides online legal research services that make it easy to quickly locate court cases. With these systems, you can search by docket number or key word – and even see whether any subsequent court decisions overruled or reversed this one!
Public records requests allow you to get information on an attorney’s case history. Public defenders have an obligation to release all case files and performance reviews; other offices and courts may provide similar details upon request; while the State Bar Association can help find information regarding disciplinary records of attorneys. It’s essential that you check whether a candidate has a track record for winning cases before hiring them as your counsel.
Contact the Bar Association
Nearly every attorney in the country is licensed through their state agency and you can use their database of lawyers to look up their history.
An effective way of researching an attorney is through their bar association. Here you will be able to verify their license as well as gather any pertinent details regarding disciplinary actions taken against them.
A good attorney should never try to hide anything from you and will always be open and transparent about their record and experience. When attorneys get into trouble for malpractice, lack of communication or fee disputes, you can file a formal complaint with their governing body or Bar Association; in many cases the disciplinary process may take some time; therefore it’s essential that you select one with an unblemished disciplinary history so as to prevent any issues down the road.