How do you know if you need to hire a lawyer for your legal issues? There are a few things to consider.
There are many matters that may cause you to need to seek litigation. However, not every situation calls for litigation when it comes down to it. If you are not sure whether your particular instance constitutes a real legal claim of some kind, talking with an attorney and having that initial meeting can help you determine whether or not your situation is legally viable.
The first consideration is whether the matter that you want a solution for is something that was truly illegal. You may not know whether there is a law in place that covers what happened (or is happening). If you are unsure, there are resources at the local libraries or on official law websites that can help you get more information on the legality of things.
If you already know that an incident has occurred where taking legal action would be warranted, you are already one step closer to your solution. On the other hand, just because an incident has taken place where legal repercussions would be warranted doesn’t mean that legal action is the best way to resolve the issue.
Once you make that call to an attorney, he or she can only tell you whether or not you have a case. If you do have a case, of course the law firm is going to encourage you to take action. If you go strictly on their advice, you will always end up taking legal action (if you have a case). (They are a bit biased because they want your money!)
So what do you do if you do have a case but are unsure whether to escalate your situation to a legal level? The first step is to ask why you are seeking legal help. Are you or someone you care about in danger? If you are, this is an indication you should go forward with an attorney.
The last thing you want to do is take the law in your own hands and commit a crime of some kind. You cannot justify doing that. You may try to, in your mind, but our system of law doesn’t work that way. You can’t make a citizen’s arrest and prosecute someone in any way you see fit. That’s not how our legal system works. You must go through the proper authorities and channels, so that the offender gets a fair trial (just as you would want if your roles were reversed).
If no one is in danger, the next thing to ask yourself is what your motive is. If something you own was damaged and you need to replace it, for example, that’s a valid motive to sue. But, ask yourself: Is the other person a reasonable individual and you could just ask them to repair or replace your item? If it is a reasonable person, give him (or her) the benefit of the doubt and offer a chance to fix the situation for you.
However, if something of yours was damaged or destroyed and the other person is not approachable (or if you already approached him or her and did not get a good result), taking legal action can definitely be a suitable option.
Another important thing to consider is whether your main motive for going the legal route is out of a sense of vengeance. Do you just want revenge? Are you just trying to get back at someone for hurting you or someone else? If you are a person of faith, it may be a good idea to visit a church first and seek the help of someone with a good moral head on their shoulders. Perhaps they can help you learn to forgive, and if you can indeed forgive, many legal situations can be avoided.
Remember that no one is perfect and you wouldn’t want someone to take legal action against you unless there was no other choice. You’d want to be given the benefit of the doubt and a second chance. Keep in mind that whatever you accuse someone of, whether the individual is found guilty or not, will stay on his or her record for years (perhaps permanently).
Whatever you do, do not take the process of taking legal action lightly. Consider all these things before you do so. It can help in many ways, but it can also hurt. Would you have more regret if you did sue or more regret if you didn’t? Just think this all through and be sure before you jump (as with anything in life).
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