When you wind up having to give up your property to the government, or another authority, because they want to use it for public purposes, you are bound to be rather overwhelmed and frustrated. And, that is completely normal. While this is allowed by the law under eminent domain, and you cannot exactly do much about it, the truth is that you are also entitled to fair compensation, and that the authority taking the land and the property will have to compensate you for it. Yet, things are not always fair, which leaves a lot of property and landowners feeling sort of tricked and treated unfairly.
Here’s what eminent domain is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain
Why does this kind of unfair treatment happen, though? Well, clearly, because the government agencies often have teams of lawyers on their side, as well as appraisers working for them, while most people are unfamiliar with the complex legal, as well as valuation issues involved in the process. So, they often feel that they either have to agree to what they are offered or get nothing at all.
That, however, isn’t the case, and you will absolutely understand that when you start working with attorneys that specialize in this particular field, and that, thus, know how to fight for your rights and secure fair compensation. The truth is, thus, that while you may not stand a chance when trying to go through all of this alone, fighting eminent domain and ultimately getting fairly compensated is very much possible with the right lawyer on your side.
If you have now found yourself in a situation like this, there is absolutely no denying the fact that you actually want to partner up with a legal professional and thus get the fair treatment you deserve. The only thing is, if you have never had to work with these experts in the past, you may not be entirely sure about how to actually choose the right eminent domain lawyer for yourself. And, well, that is what we are here to help you out with, so keep on reading to get the tips you need when trying to make the right choice here. Read more on eminent domain in general.
1. Get Recommendations
Perhaps you already know someone who has had to go through a similar process, and who has worked with one attorney or another. In that case, you should undeniably ask for recommendations, because the people around you will undeniably be willing to share their experiences with particular legal professionals. Even if you don’t directly know anyone who has had this particular issue, you should still talk to the people you know, because they may know someone else who could be able to share those recommendations.
2. Search Online
Of course, in addition to talking to the people you know, you should undeniably also take the time to search for these experts online. Most great attorneys nowadays understand the importance of online presence, meaning you’ll be able to find their official websites and thus check them out in a bit more details before deciding whether you want to work with them or not. So, use this step, together with the one above, to make a list of potential professionals, and then start researching them all in more details.
3. Check Specific Experience
Once you have that list made, the next thing you should do is, naturally, start digging deeper for information on the professionals you have in mind. And, of course, one of the first things to do is check how experienced they really are. I am talking about specific experience when it comes to eminent domain, because that is what you are dealing with, and you, therefore, want to find attorneys that have experience in that area.
4. Check Reputation
Moving on, apart from checking their experience, you should also check their reputation. The goal here is for you to choose a highly reliable and trustworthy eminent domain attorney that is known for fighting for their clients, and that has a proven track record of keeping those clients happy and winning their cases. So, read some reviews to inspect the reputation before making any kinds of final decisions.
5. Have Interviews
Of course, you should also never make any final choices before you actually have a few interviews with those different legal professionals you are considering. You should use those interviews as an opportunity to ask any questions you may have, including those about your specific case and the ways in which they can help fight it, as well as those about how you can reach them and how responsive they are, and how much they charge for their services. Additionally, don’t forget to assess the communication during the interviews as well, because you ultimately want to choose an eminent domain attorney that will be easy to communicate with and respectful.
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