Match experience to the next job
A property purchase needs someone who can negotiate the payment and registration sequence. An appeal needs someone who can identify the error and file the appropriate challenge. A difficult child case needs active work on representation, assessments and interim protection. A broad list of practice areas does not answer who will perform that work.
Use the Georgian Bar Association register to establish professional status, then discuss comparable work and availability. Ask the person who would actually handle the matter to explain the first two steps.
Use the first call to test the working arrangement
Describe the desired result, the immediate obstacle and any fixed hearing or signing date. Ask who will lead the matter, who will attend and how the lawyer will communicate with you. If you need English, establish whether you can discuss legal choices directly or will need an interpreter.
- What would you do first, and why?
- What can be achieved before the next deadline?
- What must I decide or provide so that you can act?
Put the appointment into useful terms
The agreement should name the client, describe the legal work and identify the stages included. Distinguish preparing a document from filing it, attending hearings, negotiating settlement and enforcing the result. Agree the price, expenses, approval of additional work and how you receive copies of submissions.
Agree an update point tied to an event, such as filing the claim or receiving the other side’s response. A promise to keep in touch is less useful than knowing when you will receive the next explanation.
If the work has stalled
Ask which action has been completed and what is preventing the next one. Where a deadline is approaching, obtain the current case documents and arrange replacement assistance in time. A professional complaint and protection of the pending case are separate tasks.
Example: you have paid for a court claim, but have received only a draft. Establish whether filing was included, whether the draft awaits your instructions and whether the court has actually received it. That identifies the unresolved work more clearly than asking whether the case is progressing.
Official sources
Sources checked on 22 October 2026.
Speak with the lawyer who will handle the matter
Explain the result you need and the next deadline. Compare the proposed first action, the person responsible and the fee for that work.