The first thing you need to realize here is that you aren't looking for a best friend, you're looking for a lawyer.  The qualities you'd want in a friend, are certainly not those you need in your lawyer.  You need to always remember you are looking for a professional relationship, and expect nothing more-or less-than professional treatment.  In other words, always approach this as the business relationship that it is.  The first step to finding the right professional relationship is to remember a couple of "nevers."

THE NEVERS

Never pick a lawyer based on a television ad.  The "Bulldog" and the "Strongarm" might be great if you are looking to hire a professional wrestler or a repo man, but they tend not to impress a judge.  And honestly, if you're the kind of person that is impressed by that kind of bluster and ambulance chasing, you're probably not going to be reading this article, but just in case you're tempted-don't be.  The only sure thing you are getting for your money from these lawyers is bad acting-another thing that usually doesn't go over too well in court.

The second "never" is never hire a lawyer from a phonebook ad.  Same general principles apply with the ad-the flashy phone book ads have about zero correlation with quality lawyering.  Now, certainly, every lawyer is in the phone book, so, unlike television ads, random choices from the phonebook could very well lead you to a good lawyer.  The reason you never want to proceed this way is that there are simply much better ways to go about finding a good lawyer than random chance based upon what catches your eye in the phonebook.

The first place to start when looking for a lawyer is to ask friends, relatives, and acquaintances for recommendations.  Equally as beneficial is using the Internet.

REFERENCES

As with any business, word of mouth is the best advertising.  It is also the best way for you to find out who has done well-or poorly-for people whose judgement you value (or at least can evaluate).  Even if no one you know has experience with a lawyer who deals with what you need, you can still get some feedback if you know where to look.  For example, if you are selling a house without a real estate agent, you could check with the local title companies to see who they have had good experiences with.  Similarly, if you need a lawyer for your small business, you can check with the local chamber of commerce to see who has good relations with the local business community.

USING THE SEARCH ENGINES

Even with all the potential resources out there, you may get stuck when it comes to finding the right lawyer for your needs.  Here's where the Internet is a godsend.  Search engines can be utilized to find lawyers in your area.  In addition, ColoradoAttorneySearch.com has a lawyer directory that allows you to find lawyers by zip code or specialty.

SPECIALTY

One other important thing to think about when picking lawyer is specialty-that is, make sure the lawyer you hire is the lawyer you need.  In other words, if you need a criminal defense lawyer, don't hire an estate lawyer, even if he is an old family friend.  Similarly, even in civil cases, you want to make sure you have the right specialist to meet your needs.  Intellectual property law is far different from property law-make sure your lawyer regularly practices the kind of law you need.