Choosing An Attorney For Your Neighborhood

Various decisions within a homeowners association require a combined effort on deciding what is best for the residents, the community, and the neighborhood website.  Typically, choosing an attorney for representation is a discussion the board of directors deliberate about until a collective choice has been made.  A well-versed attorney that is familiar with the laws of homeowners associations can save an HOA in many areas.  To find the ideal attorney, a few factors should be taken into consideration to ensure that happens.

 

 

With most decisions, it can become common to just be concerned about the fees involved and shop around for the best deal.  Although the attorney fees play a part, the level of experience the attorney has should play the biggest role in them representing your HOA.  There are some situations that could be complicated and demand the knowledge of an experienced attorney to properly resolve a legal issue.

 

A few of the situations where an experienced attorney may be needed is the revision of documents, a possible lawsuit, and collection of debt.  Specifically, a lawsuit could be one of the more complicated situations and an experienced attorney will be significantly valuable during that time to successfully guide the neighborhood through those legal issues.

 

 

When it comes to communication, establish up-front what level of interaction you expect to have from a potential attorney and if they can meet your requests. Gaps in communication during times of an emergency could be a problem so mention that to them before reaching an agreement.  The homeowners association should feel comfortable that the attorney will respond promptly, even if they have to use the neighborhood website to locate contact information. 

 

The last factor is to understand how the attorney will be charging for their services.  Sometimes, clarity is needed here so question them if there are any additional fees involved.  Generally, experienced attorneys will have a higher quote but the security they provide in legal protection can be well worth it in the end.