Long gone are the days of flipping through the Yellow Pages to find an attorney. According to a new survey by FindLaw.com, consumers are most likely to turn to the Internet to find and research a lawyer before hiring them.

Thirty-eight percent of people surveyed said they would use the Internet to help them find a lawyer. Twenty-nine percent said they would ask a friend or relative. Smaller percentages said they would contact the local bar association or use the Yellow Pages. Fifteen percent of people surveyed said that they already have a relationship with a lawyer, and would not research other lawyers if they had a legal issue for which they needed representation.

The results are a significant change from a similar FindLaw survey conducted in 2005, reflecting the growth of the Internet and people’s willingness to search online for professional services. In 2005, only seven percent of people said they would use the Internet to find a lawyer, finishing a distant fourth among the research options at the time.

Other helpful resources include FindLaw’s Guide to Hiring a Lawyer, which provides information on how a lawyer can help, questions to ask when hiring a lawyer, legal aid resources, and attorney fees. FindLaw’s Guide to the U.S. Legal System explains what to expect when you are involved in a lawsuit or criminal proceeding, how the court systems work, a glossary of legal terms, and more.

Note to editors: Full survey results and analysis are available upon request. The FindLaw survey was conducted using a demographically balanced survey of 1,000 American adults and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percent.

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