Q: How would I go about having a lawyer ready to use in case i every needed one.

A: It's always better if you can build a professional relationship before the disaster strikes.

My suggestions would be to call them up and talk to them. Sign an agreement. Put down a retainer of an agreed upon amount. If anything happens you have a lawyer retained and they know they'll get paid.

Some attorneys won't do this at all because they don't want to be responsible for representing you for whatever; they want to know what they're getting into. Others will likely charge you for file setup and admin costs of getting you in the system. I personally think that's fair. Others will charge you for simply being your attorney. That's a bit rare these days but it does still exist.

The important thing is that you find someone you trust and that the two of you agree to terms and those terms are reduced to a writing. Then everyone understands the other person's expectations and obligations.

I have Clients I only hear from once or twice a year, but we both know what to expect and it's a good relationship. When it's not a good relationship we discuss how we fix it or we get them setup with someone else.

Start looking for attorney/s that you think you may need and reach out and start a conversation. If it doesn't feel right move on to the next one. It's going to take time.

Hope that helps.

A: You can research those attorneys whose expertise falls into the areas in which you anticipate the need for services, and contact them. If you anticipate your needs will be broad, a firm whose practice covers a number of different areas could be worth exploring.

Tim Akpinar