It always amazes me the number of people who do not realize that they need a lawyer. If you are asking yourself if you need a lawyer, then you do. Plain and simple, you need a lawyer any time you are dealing with any questions regarding laws, court proceedings and contracts. Any time you have to deal with anything to do with a law whether civil or criminal you should have a competent lawyer represent you.

Most of the time, most people only think about hiring a lawyer when they need a lawyer to defend them in a criminal case. So many people just never think about hiring a lawyer to defend their best interest on a day to day basis. Now sure most of us do not need, much less afford, a lawyer to be at our beck and call every day. But, what about hiring a lawyer to read over a real estate contract, or the nondisclosure agreement that the boss wants you to sign? What about hiring a lawyer to help you negotiate a business deal or go after a nonpaying customer. Many people simple only think about using a lawyer when the need criminal defense or when they want to sue someone.

The legal system awards those that understand how to work within its confines. The statement "we are a nation of laws" is probably one of the most prophetic statemnts ever uttered by an American. Why? Because, we are a nation of laws. Just about every aspect of our life is touched by at least one law. So, why wouldn't you have a lawyer represent you?

There are three reasons why people shy away from having a lawyer represent them. First, lawyer in general have a bad reputation. Lawyers are not known as the defenders of the weak and poor. This is truly one of the biggest myths in America today. Every ground breaking case that added to our legal rights were surrogated by well intentioned lawyers. Most big class action lawsuits were spear headed by lawyers that would not have been paid if they did not win. The bad reputation of the legal profession really boils down to juries in civil cases giving huge awards. There are bad apples in the cart that do spoil the basket but all in all most lawyers know and do their job with honor and dignity.

Second, some people think that all you need is a hand shake to seal a deal. And, if you hire a lawyer to represent you to close a deal then you are being rude to the other party involved. Nothing could be further from the truth. Long gone are the days where you could trust a man at his word. Long gone are the days where you could expect both parties in a business deal to follow through with their end of the agreement.

Third, lawyers are just too expensive. This is just flat out not true. You can find good competent legal representation at a decent price. Just because a lawyer charges more does not mean he or she is better than the cheaper on and vice versa.

Most of the time lawyers are called in to sort out issues after the fact. If a lawyer would have been used in the beginning of that business deal then it would have been easier to get both parties to follow through. Or for that matter get one party to pay the other. If a lawyer would have been braught in at the beginning of the a situation it may not have escalated to a point where both parties are suing each other. Lawyers have the reputation they do because we call them in too late. We don't have them look at that real estate contract BEFORE we sign it. We don't have them look at that NDA before we sign it. So now the lawyer has to fight for your rights from a disadvantage. The worse a position you put your lawyer in the more expensive it will be. The point is, if you have to question whether or not you need a lawyer, then you do. Get legal representation before you start that business deal or legal proceeding. Get legal representation early and you will not regret the decision.