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Looking for a lawyer for something we don't handle?

Park & Hayes focuses on estate planning and small business. Below are the practice areas we don't take, with quick notes on what to look for in those attorneys — so you can vet a referral or do your own search with the right questions in hand.

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Five areas we refer out, and what to look for in each.

We don’t list specific firms here — partly because referral arrangements carry their own rules, and partly because the criteria below let you vet any attorney in these areas yourself. Use the Idaho State Bar’s lawyer-search tool to verify license and history before hiring anyone.

Family law

Divorce, custody, adoption, prenups, guardianship.

What to look for

A dedicated family-law practice, not a general firm with a family-law line item. Family law has its own procedural rhythms, its own emotional weight, and its own court culture; doing it well is a full-time commitment.

Look for flat-fee or hybrid fee structures for predictable matters, and ask whether collaborative-law training is available if your situation might support a less adversarial path.

Questions to ask
  • How many cases like mine have you handled in the last year?
  • What's your fee structure for this type of matter?
  • Will you personally be the attorney working on my case, or someone else in the firm?

Personal injury

Car accidents, workplace injuries, medical or product liability.

What to look for

A PI-only or PI-dominant practice — not a firm where PI is a side line. Settlement leverage comes from being a known opposing-counsel name to the insurance adjusters in your area.

Demand transparency on contingency-fee structure — the industry norm is 33–40% of recovery, varying by case stage. The right attorney will tell you honestly when your case isn’t worth pursuing.

Questions to ask
  • What's your contingency percentage at each stage of the case?
  • What's your honest read on what my case is worth?
  • How many cases like mine have you actually taken to trial?

Criminal defense

Misdemeanor and felony charges, post-conviction relief.

What to look for

A criminal-defense-only or criminal-dominant practice. The typical fee shape is flat-fee for misdemeanors and hourly for felonies — beware firms that quote a single flat number for a felony case before reading the discovery.

Use the Idaho State Bar’s lawyer-search tool to verify the license and check for any disciplinary history. Look for comfort with both plea negotiation and trial — a defender who only ever pleads or who only ever takes things to trial isn’t matching the tool to your situation.

Questions to ask
  • Have you handled this specific charge before?
  • What's your fee structure?
  • Walk me through what the next 60 days look like for me.

Civil litigation

Commercial disputes, breach of contract, employment matters as plaintiff.

What to look for

Litigation experience in the relevant court — federal vs. state vs. small claims have different rules, different judges, and different timelines. Ask which courts they regularly appear in.

A litigator worth hiring will give you an honest cost range — litigation is expensive and often unpredictable — and will recommend non-litigation paths first (mediation, demand letter, settlement) when appropriate. The lawyers who can’t help you for less are usually the ones who shouldn’t help you at all.

Questions to ask
  • What's the realistic cost range for getting this to resolution?
  • What's the chance we settle before trial?
  • Is there a non-litigation path I should consider first?

Real estate transactional

Residential purchases, FSBO sales, easements, title disputes (for non-business clients).

What to look for

A real-estate-focused practice with familiarity in your county. Real estate is local — title customs, recorder’s-office quirks, and HOA enforcement vary by jurisdiction.

Expect flat fees for standard closings and look for familiarity with Idaho-specific issues — water rights, agricultural-land conversions, and HOA disputes are regional and often surprising to attorneys trained elsewhere.

Questions to ask
  • Do you handle this transaction type regularly?
  • What's your fee for this kind of closing?
  • Are there Idaho-specific issues I should be aware of?

How to vet any lawyer, in any area.

The criteria above are area-specific. These five questions apply to every attorney you consider hiring — in family law, in criminal defense, in PI, in business work, in estate planning. Including us.

  1. 01Ask if they've handled cases like yours within the last 12 months.
  2. 02Ask what their fee structure is and what the realistic total range looks like.
  3. 03Ask who'll actually do the work on your matter — the partner, an associate, or a paralegal.
  4. 04Use the Idaho State Bar's lawyer-search tool to verify the license and check for any disciplinary history.
  5. 05Trust your gut on whether they explain things clearly. If a basic question gets an evasive answer, that's the answer.

If your situation evolves and you ever need estate or small-business help, you know where we are.

No pressure. The first call's free when you're ready.

Estate planning

We’d rather refer than over-fit.

If your need is in our two areas, the first call's free. If it isn't, the criteria above are yours to use.

Schedule the first call