If you've just moved to a new city and have found yourself in need of a lawyer, don't automatically call your old one and hope he or she can help in the new location. Depending on the case you're dealing with, you might find a local attorney to be a better bet. Working with an attorney who is in the same area you are in means you can meet with him or her in person fairly easily, and there are fewer risks regarding confidentiality.

Information Interception

If your lawyer in a case is located just far enough away to make in-person meetings difficult, you have to rely on electronic communications and mail. Those increase the chances that confidential information could be intercepted. Sometimes this is deliberate theft by the other party in the case, but that's not usually what happens. Instead, you have people just looking for random personal information who steal mail or play around with Internet connections.

This is one of those situations where there might not be a huge chance of something happening, but the risk is great enough that you'd want to protect your information as much as possible. A breach like this could affect gag orders from the court in addition to general confidentiality. If you're involved in a case where you want to protect the information from anyone not authorized to see it, doing things in person is going to be a lot more secure.

Finding a Local Attorney

Of course, if you've just moved, having to find a new lawyer on short notice can be an unexpected detour in taking care of the matter that's led to a court case. But that doesn't mean it has to be difficult. You have a couple of options when searching for a new lawyer. One is to contact your old lawyer and see if he or she knows of any good firms in the new location.

The other option is to contact the state bar association and see if they can refer you to someone. Some states, such as California, have certified referral services that can help you find a local attorney who specializes in cases like yours. If you have particular concerns about the security of your information and want to find someone close by, these services, ones like Metropolitan Lawyer Referral Service Inc, can give you a few options. After that, you can meet with the attorneys and see who would be the best match for your case.