A dishonest lawyer is one who does not respect you enough to tell you the hard truth. If someone tells you that they will certainly win your case for you and that you don’t need to worry about a thing, then they are not the attorney for you. There are some cases that are stronger than others. A good attorney will tell you if your case is strong or not. Once they look at the evidence, they will tell you where the weakness lies in your case. A good attorney will not sugar coat reality and build up your hopes. Your best attorney will talk straight and let you know where you stand. When you are interviewing lawyers, ask them what they believe the likelihood of success is on your case. Don’t be disappointed if they are less than enthusiastic about it. Look for an attorney who tells you what they see as the positives and negatives of the case and is honest about your chance of success. Ask them what they do if they find that they have missed something or did something incorrectly. We are human, and mistakes happen. An honest lawyer will take immediate steps to correct the mistake and let you know if it is something that impacts you. Ask what it is that you can do to make your case better. There are always little steps that you can take to make yourself look better to the judge. Don’t be surprised if the attorney tells you when you haven’t been following that advice. Also ask what you have done that will look bad to the judge. Often when you are caught up in a situation you lose track of what is best in the big picture. An honest attorney will tell you when you screwed up. Remember also that most attorneys have a full case load and are working long hours to keep up. Especially if it is a small or solo practice they sometimes may not be able to get back to you for a few days. Trials, meetings, and illnesses all come up to stop us from doing what we would like to do. You can expect a return communication within one business day, two at the outer limit. Just because your lawyer is busy doesn’t meant that they aren’t honest or working for you.