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The Absolute Wrong Way to Pick an Attorney For Your Iowa Wrongful Termination Case

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Posted by Laura Schultes

Hiring an Iowa employment law attorney to represent you if you have been fired is an important decision with real consequences.  You need an experienced Iowa termination lawyer to fight for fairness for you.

The wrong way to pick an attorney is to make a quick decision based on convenience or guesswork. Here are a few examples of well-intentioned but misguided ideas that can lead to choosing the wrong attorney for a termination claim:

“I’ll just go to the lawyer who helped me with an OWI.”

A common mistake in hiring an attorney for a serious employment claim is simply hiring the only attorney you know or who helped you with a different kind of legal matter. Doing a good job on a divorce case or a drunk driving charge does not qualify an Iowa attorney to handle a serious employment claim involving a firing.

Most employment attorneys have highly-focused practices.  This means they only handle serious employment disputes for working Iowans.  If an attorney also “specializes” in family law, probate matters, or criminal law, then that attorney probably isn’t who you need for a serious employment termination case.

Of course, a lawyer you already know and trust can be a useful place to get suggestions for a qualified Iowa employment attorney, but don’t end your search there.

“I’ll just go to the attorney whose office is closest to my house.”

What are the odds that you happen to live minutes away from one of the relatively few Iowa attorneys who specializes in representing individuals in employment disputes? The sad truth is that most people will drive several hours for a good deal on a new car, but don’t look statewide for an experienced Iowa employment law attorney.

Many people don’t realize that an employment law attorney who is licensed to practice law in Iowa can accept clients statewide. With modern technology, most communication can be done over the phone or by email.  Rather than picking the attorney who is located closest to you, focus on picking the best and most qualified one for your case, no matter what city their office is located in.

“I’ll just go online and hire the first lawyer who contacts me.”

Don’t contact only one law office or hire the first lawyer who agrees to take your case. Any lawyer can seem qualified or knowledgeable if you have nothing to compare them to. Online chats or forms are a great way to reach out initially to a law firm, but you should speak with an attorney on the phone before you decide to hire them.

You can use the Internet to come up with an initial list of attorney names, but we recommend speaking with a few attorneys before making a decision on who to hire.

“I’ll just let an attorney referral website direct me to a lawyer in my area.”

Attorney referral websites ask you to describe your situation and provide your city and state.  In exchange, you get the name of an attorney to contact.

A lawyer who is listed by an attorney referral service or website is not necessarily there because he or she has a good reputation. Some referral services will list any lawyer who is willing to pay a fee.  Without more information, it is dangerous to rely on an attorney referral service recommendation alone. These types of sites are useful to collect names and contact information for attorneys, but to do further research before hiring a lawyer.

RSH Legal offers a free, no-obligation case evaluation to Iowans who have been fired. To schedule yours, call 1-319-774-1783 today.

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