What I find when I am researching the background of an expert, a salesman, a piece of information, is that it’s relatively easy to look pretty slick and experienced on the internet, just like in television advertisements. Put a suit on a nice looking person, and you have a lawyer. Whether that lawyer has a clue on how to handle themselves in court is another question. Give them a good website developer or commercial producer, and they look like they have a clue… but that is the hired help that has a clue… the advertiser looks good, but do they have the ability to process the complex issues of your case and adjust their presentation when the judge indicates an interest in a different issue than the one you’ve prepared for? Does the attorney assigned to your hearing have time to spend with your file before they walk into the courtroom, or have you hired a law office with 50 attorneys who treat your case like an assembly line? Has the person you trust because they sound so good, experienced, or are they just very young and good at computer networking, website production, etc? Are they producing their newsletter articles on their own and out of their own knowledge and experience, or are they purchasing their newsletter articles from some media or advertising source to make themselves look more substantial?
With a contractor, you see the same thing. Look at their portfolio of completed projects. Is it the same 3 projects depicted for a business that claims 20 years of experience? Is this contractor skilled in only one thing? If they re-design kitchens, and you want to build a kitchen addition to your house … have they ever done a kitchen that is a whole addition to a house such as what you are seeking? Be aware of the skills needed for the job you have available and check the applicants against those requirements. Do not simply listen to a good sales pitch and look at a pretty picture and believe that it will translate to the job you have. Check to see if they know how to add foundation, have they ever re-routed plumbing, do they have the licensed professionals to get the electrical work done properly? And make sure they pull the permits (which means a little more money, but ensures that at least some third party will do an inspection of the job).
Some types of services, you can’t even rely upon them saying that they’re a member of some professional guild or licensed by some licensing agency, if you have never heard of the agency or researched it, how can you be sure that this is the license you want? The most current example of this that I researched recently was personal trainers. You can find someone who is generally athletic appearing who has completed a 2 week course for their nationwide chain of gyms and is a member of one type of certifying group, or you can find someone who has a degree in physiology and holds other licenses, belongs to other organizations. The variety of types of certifications and available in some career is mind-boggling and consumers are rarely able to decipher whether the certification is worthwhile or relatively meaningless.
Look at the resume of the person you’re getting your information from: when did they go to school or get their background? Some older workers drop the dates off of their resumes so that people will not think they’re old-fashioned, but you can see years worth of actual experience and publications on their resume. However, younger workers will have the dates off their resumes in the hopes that you will not realize that they just graduated law school a few months ago and the only time they stepped into a courtroom was as a student. This baby lawyer’s website may very well look much more polished than any grizzled old barrister’s, but you can be sure that underneath the bravado, they don’t have a clue what they’re doing when they go to court. Anyone can put on a good show for you, but you want someone with substance.
Does the person who has a slick website and extensive background, have any background, training or certifications in the thing they are proposing to do for you? I find this to be a particular problem now, as former mortgage brokers are finding that they cannot find business and are re-creating themselves as debt negotiators. They say they have 30 years experience in “the financial industry” or “with loans and banks”, and they suggest that they are expert in debt negotiation. They don’t tell you that their real expertise is in marketing, finding clients, creating an impressive online presence. I have had clients pay thousands to debt negotiators such as this, who are trying to get out of the contracts now that the negotiation has failed and left them in worse condition than before, and they are coming to me to find loopholes in the contracts. Loopholes are rare, refunds are rarer. Often, you are dealing with someone who has never set foot in your state, let alone been licensed to do business there. Even if it’s your neighbor, I have to ask if you knew them well enough to know they were a mortgage broker, what made you think they could do this debt negotiation thing?
One last issue: know the services you are going to get from a professional. Many divorce lawyers these days are offering litigation (traditional practice), mediation (a series of conferences to arrive at an agreement for divorce), or collaborative practice (referrals to several different professionals to resolve all the problems as best as possible without the nastiness of the traditional divorce... the "cadillac" of divorce services). If you are looking at a litigator, are you looking at one who is better with property valuation or with child custody disputes. Again, know what services you need and check the professionals you are considering agaisnt your needs. Don't just hire the first person with a slick website and comforting manner. Don't just hire the first person with an aggressive, "bulldog" manner. Ask the advice of the professional you are considering, and figure out if their suggestions meet your needs, before you move forward.
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