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Survey: The Most Popular Way to Find a Lawyer Is...

By Jenny Tsay, Esq. | Last updated on

Move over, Yellow Pages and word-of-mouth referrals. The most popular way to find a lawyer nowadays is to do what you're doing right now: Go online.

It may be no surprise that in the digital age, the Internet is now the No. 1 option that comes to mind when consumers need to find an attorney, according to a new FindLaw survey.

That's actually quite different from how Americans looked for a lawyer in 2005, when FindLaw asked respondents the same question.

From No. 4 to No. 1

In FindLaw's 2005 survey, just 7 percent of respondents said they'd turn to the Internet to look for a lawyer.

Going online was the fourth most-popular response in 2005, beaten out by the Yellow Pages (10 percent), consulting the local bar association (13 percent), and asking a friend or relative for a referral (65 percent).

Less than 10 years later, it seems Americans' preferences have changed. FindLaw's latest survey found:

  • Nearly four in 10 (38 percent) said they'd turn to the Internet to find a lawyer.
  • About three in 10 (29 percent) said they'd ask a friend or relative for a referral.
  • One in 10 (10 percent) said they'd consult a local bar association.
  • Just 4 percent said they'd use the Yellow Pages.

Online Advantages

There are many advantages of going online to find legal help. Effective searches can give you a wide range of potential lawyers to choose from, and law firm websites are open for business 24 hours a day.

But with so much information out there on the Web, how do you make sense of it all? That's where FindLaw can help. For example:

Not only can FindLaw connect you with professional legal help, but we also offer free informational legal articles on a wide variety of subjects in our Learn About the Law section.

With an abundance of online resources available for finding an attorney, it shouldn't be a huge surprise that the Internet is the most popular way to find a lawyer.

-- FindLaw Consumer Blogs Editor Andrew Chow, Esq., contributed to this post.

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