Need to hire a lawyer Make sure you follow at least these simple guidelines:

1. Ask them if they have up to date experience in the field where you need assistance. Increasingly, lawyers are specialists, and you want a specialist. You want a specialist because the law gets more and more complicated. Ask: Have they recently had similar cases What kind of outcome
2. Ask for a quote. Some will say that that is not possible, because they do not know from the outset how the case will develop. That may very well be true, BUT: Experienced lawyers can make a qualified guess and ALL lawyers can give a quote based on some assumptions that should be communicated to you. It is as easy as that, and no-one should make it more compicated.
3. Ask for an engagement letter. Many bigger firms have these as standard. It should cover issues like at which intervals you will be updated on your case, who will handle it, at what price and the assumed timing, based on certain (detailed) assumptions etc.
4. Call them often, BUT make it short. Most lawyers charge by the hour, so be careful, be prepared, know exactly what you want to say and want, and reduce all small talk to an absolute minimum. But call anyway to give input, to ask where the case is etc. Lawyers are humans and if pressed a little they will give your case priority (if nothing else then just to get you off his or her back). Warning, though: A good lawyer does not need any pressure, and if pressed too hard, you risk that the case gets handled too superficially.
5. Find a lawyer that suits your personality. Tough/Agressive Soft/Looking for consent Specialist / Someone you can talk to / Trusted (general) advisor. Make up your mind.
6. Ask around. Who have had good experiences (and bad ones).
7. Don't forget that lawyers are there to represent you and defend you. BUT also remember that they have a clear interest in charging hours, i.e. an interest that conflicts very much with yours. Good lawyers can find good reasons to spend more, and bad/ruthless lawyers bad reasons. How to get out of that one Well, agree on a fixed price (and hope that the lawyer does not work too superficially on the job), get a second opinion from another lawyer (if you know exactly what the problem is, it will often be free to get some general input from other lawyers). At the end, a lot depends on trust.
8. Don't be afraid, ever, to use your common sense and ask questions, and to give all input that may be relevant to your case.
9. If you feel very badly treated etc., contact another lawyer for his/her opinion (could be about the legal work or general conduct) and also the local or national society of lawyers in your country.