Choosing a Lawyer
Choosing the Right Lawyer for You: A Selection Guide
A practical selection guide for choosing an Ontario lawyer: verification, focus, communication, fees and gut check — with the consultation questions that actually differentiate.
Reviewed by Sabeeya Akram, Managing Partner, Ayoun & Sabeeya LLP
Published April 26, 2025 · Updated August 31, 2026
The five-filter method
- Verify — licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory
- Focus — your matter type is a core part of their practice
- Communication — plain-language answers, in the language you think in
- Fees — consultation terms and rates in writing before you commit
- Gut check — you are trusting this person during a hard chapter; the meeting should feel like it
Questions that separate candidates
- What would you try first in my situation — and why?
- What do matters like mine usually cost, settled versus fought?
- Who exactly works on my file?
- What is the biggest risk you see in my facts?
- How quickly do you return calls and emails?
Use the consultation as the test drive
A consultation is not a formality — it is the sample of the service. Did you leave with options, costs and a next step? That is what the working relationship will feel like. Ours are first 15 minutes free, then $199 per half-hour, at 25 Watline Avenue in Mississauga or by Google Meet, in English, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi or Polish.
The content of this website is legal information about Ontario and Canadian law, not legal advice. Reading it, or contacting us through it, does not create a lawyer-client relationship — that begins only after we confirm in writing that the firm is acting for you.