You want to spend some time talking with the lawyers you are considering hiring to get a feel for how it will be to work with them. It's extremely important to find a lawyer you're comfortable working with.

To further narrow your choices, it also helps to prepare a list of specific questions:

• Free consultation. Do they provide one, and if so is there a time limit?
• Background. Does the firm do the type of work you want them to do? If not, be sure to ask for a referral to another firm that is familiar with cases such as yours.
• Experience. Are their clients similar to yours in size or legal needs? How often do they work with them? Do they have experience with businesses in your industry?
• Billing rate and fees. How much will their legal services generally cost? This is typically measured by "billable hours," so ask what their billing rate is.
• Estimate. For relatively standard services, such as reviewing contracts, ask for some kind of cost estimate.
• Timeline. Get them to approximate deadlines for specific jobs if at all possible. When will the work be completed? How will billing work if the deadline is missed?