Legal Advice: What Is It and When do You Need It?

There are a few situations in which it’s fairly easy to tell you need a lawyer. Like when you’re suing someone or you’ve been the victim of a crime.

But what about the situations where you’re not sure? The best times to seek out legal advice may not necessarily be obvious. Keep reading to learn about a few unlikely situations in which legal advice could be the most important thing you seek out.

What is legal advice?

Legal counsel, whether you like it or not, does not simply constitute speaking with a lawyer. Your friend or neighbor may be a lawyer, but speaking to them about a legal matter doesn’t necessarily qualify as true legal advice. In order to receive legitimate legal counsel, your conversation must have the following characteristics:

  • Legal knowledge, skill, and experience on the counselor’s part.
  • Applications to a specific law or set of legal circumstances.
  • Impact on your (or someone else’s) legal rights or obligations.
  • Invocation of rights and responsibilities (ie: a legal contract) on the part of the counselor.

When should I seek legal advice?

While seeking legal counsel from a law firm or lawyer may seem complex, the reality is that a skilled attorney at law will be able to identify the issues and provide assistance. Let’s take a look at a few situations in which you may need legal help.

  • Signing a contract: Unless you practice contract law yourself, it’s always a good idea to seek legal assistance before signing any kind of binding agreement. It’s easy to miss important legal information when you have an untrained eye!
  • Settling an estate: Considering almost 70% of Americans don’t even have a will or estate plan, the legal complications here are nearly endless. This is a long and detail-oriented process that you definitely don’t want to go through without a lawyer.
  • Filing for bankruptcy: There are many complex legal processes in the word, and this is one of them. Filing for bankruptcy without the assistance of a lawyer is not wise.

Whether you’re in the process of starting your divorce or you need to write a will and create an estate plan, legal counsel is incredibly important. When in doubt, don’t leave anything to chance. And if you’re looking for a law firm in Delaware, keep Baird Mandalas Brockstedt in mind.

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