One of the best ways to start the process of selecting a real estate attorney is to ask for referrals – from friends, associates and your Realtor. Every field of law has its complexities so you will want an attorney who is experienced, not only in real estate transactions but the conventions in your area. These vary from locale to locale so knowing “how we do it here” can make the transaction smoother with less chance of miscommunication.

Communication is one of the most important elements in any real estate transaction. Make sure that you have an attorney who is responsive to your queries from the outset and “works and plays well with others.” While you absolutely need someone to protect your interests, your attorney must be one who can help dissenting viewpoints move to a consensus, resulting in win-win outcomes. It will do you no good to have your Realtor negotiate successfully on your behalf and then have an attorney who regards the transaction as an adversarial process and sabotages the agreement.

Another element of communication is time. Be sure that your attorney will have the time to devote to your transaction. One who spends many hours in court each week may not have a system in place to deliver the level of service you need.

Finally you want an attorney who understands your style and preferred methods of communication. Are there are any dinosaurs that don’t use e-mail or cell phones or texting? You bet.  This can be symptomatic of someone who won’t be able to keep up with the pace of the transaction and rapidly changing world of communication.

Ask your Realtor about typical fees in your area. If someone’s fee is way out of line, find out why; that goes for too high or too low. Real estate transactions involve large sums of money and are long term commitments. Be sure that you’re choosing the attorney who will make it the best possible experience for you, now and for the future.