How do I find a lawyer?

What’s the difference between a dead lawyer in the road and a dead snake in the road? There are skid marks in front of the snake. Ha! One of many lawyer jokes and one happily told to me by my grandfather-in-law (who told me a lawyer joke every time I saw him).

There are numerous ways to find a lawyer from the yellow pages (look up attorneys) to websites.

First, the Hendricks County Bar Association has a website that has a lawyer directory located at http://hendrickscountybar.org/lawyer_directoy_5.html. The directory lists those attorneys who are members of the Hendricks County Bar Association and their areas of practice. You do not have to be a member of a local county bar association in order to practice law in that county. Many bar associations have websites to provide information and a resource for finding an attorney. The Indianapolis Bar Association provides that information at: http://www.indybar.org/Public-Need-Lawyer.aspx.

How do you find a doctor or dentist? Do you ask a friend or co-worker? That is certainly an acceptable way to find a lawyer too. If your friend had a lawyer for a divorce and you need a lawyer for a personal injury lawsuit or a criminal case, make sure the lawyer handles your type of case. Many lawyers practice in multiple areas of law and some choose to focus on one area.

What if you need a lawyer and you cannot afford one? If you have been charged with a crime; you can ask the judge at your initial hearing, or after the initial hearing by filing a written request, for a court appointed attorney. The judge will ask you questions about your financial situation and if the judge determines you are indigent or partially indigent, you will be appointed an attorney to represent you.

If the case is civil, then there are several resources you can turn to.

n From 10 a.m. to noon on the third Wednesday of each month, you can apply for legal asistance at the Self-Help Center on the first floor of the Hendricks County Courthouse in Danville. See the website for details and exclusions: http://hendrickscountybar.org/free_legal_3.html

n The website for Indiana Legal Services is www.indianajustice.org. This organization provides free legal services to low income and elderly individuals and assistance with dissolutions when there is a threat of domestic violence.

* The Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic’s website is www.nclegalclinic.org.

* The Indianapolis Legal Aid Society may be reached online at www.indylas.org or by calling 635-9538.

* Legal Line, available on the second Tuesday of each month except for December, is an opportunity to ask an attorney basic legal advice and questions. It is avilable online at www.indybar.org/freelegal or by calling 269-2000.

* The Ask a Lawyer Program is online at www.inbar.org.

* Attorneys donate their time to people in need through the Indiana Pro Bono Commission (Pro Bono means “for the common good”). This organization’s website is www.in.gov/judiciary/probono.

Just so you know, judges cannot recommend to you who to hire as your attorney. What I can tell you is that you can check online at http://hats.courts.state.in.us/rollatty/roa1_inp.jsp to see if the attorney you are considering has any pending disciplinary matters or concluded matters with the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission.

— Stephenie LeMay-Luken is judge of Hendricks Superior Court 5. To submit a question for the judge, contact the Hendricks County Flyer by writing to Hendricks County Flyer, attn: Editor Kathy Linton, 8109 Kingston St., Suite 500, Avon, IN 46123 or by e-mailing to kathy.linton@flyergroup.com.