When hiring a lawyer, legal experts say doing your homework upfront can save you from costly mistakes.George Cardona, the State Bar's chief trial counsel, says the first step is verifying that an attorney is actually licensed to practice."You can ask them for their bar number and checking their record to make sure that, in fact, they are licensed and active, have an active license and are authorized to practice law in California. So that's the first thing," Cardona said.Cardona also recommends leaning on your personal network before making a decision."Frequently, we suggest, you know, if you have friends or neighbors who have retained lawyers, talk to them, find out if they would recommend their lawyer," Cardona said.Attorney Dennis Beaver says online research is another important tool but warns that certain language in reviews should raise red flags."Look for such terms as fantastic, wonderful, best lawyer in the world. Look for these kinds of adjectives and adverbs that paint this particular lawyer as being the next best thing to slice bread," Beaver said.Beaver also says to pay close attention to how a lawyer speaks during initial conversations. He warns that attorneys are not permitted to guarantee outcomes."Lawyers can't use a guaranteed term. You can't say, I promise an outcome. You can't. Like a doctor can't say, 'I guarantee to cure you.' If you hear that, don't hire that lawyer. Find somebody else. We are not permitted to make those kinds of statements," Beaver said.Cardona says taking time before committing to an attorney is essential."So take the time up front to make sure that you're comfortable with the person and that you've done some checking to make sure that you know they're the type of person who you would want to work with," Cardona said.The State Bar of California also has recommendations available for those seeking legal services.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere: Download Our Free App for Apple and Android Sign Up for Our Daily E-mail Newsletter Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram Subscribe to Us on YouTube ...read more read less