You need to start with defining what you mean by a good attorney. Good is a relative term. It means different things to different people.

The first thing you need to understand is that the legal profession covers many different specialities. Attorneys can specialize in civil or criminal law. Under the civil law are many additional specialities. They range from general practice to corporate,ligitation, real estate, divorce, bankruptcy, maritime, labor, estates and many more.

So if you are looking for a good attorney, the first thing you need to do is to get clear about the need. Are you looking for an specific need? Or are you looking for a firm that can handle a wide range of legal services? You also need to get clear about the complexity and the dollar value of the need. If you are looking for a real estate attorney to handle a single family home, a good attorney would be totally different from a good attorney to handle a $50 million dollar real estate financing and construction project. Both real estate but very different skill sets and therefore very different cost schedule.

So the first step is getting clear about your specific needs and the level of skills involved. The billing rate for attorneys can range from $150/hour to well over $1,000/hr for the very top level attorney.

Having said that, depending on the type of attorney you want/need here are some suggestions to finding the right one for you.

Go to your bank and talk to the head of commercial lending. Tell him the type of attorney you are looking for and ask for the names of three or four that would fit that bill.

If you deal with an accounting firm, you can go to the partner of the firm and ask him the same question.

If you know a successful businessman, ask him for the names of three or four attorneys that fit what you are looking for.

You can also try the Chamber of Commerce and any other business organization in your area.

Once you have the names from 4 or 5 different sources, compare the list. There should be one or two names that keep poping up. Schedule an interview with those that appear to be the most promising. You must feel comfortable and have confidence in the attorney. Do not be afraid to ask rather pointed questions about the case, the charges, the time frame. etc. Be sure to get a written engagement letter.

You must get an total estimate of cost. If you are dealing with a large firm, you will find that often some other attorneys that you never talked to will be brought in on the case. Cost can run up in a hurry if you do not stay on top of them.

Finding a good attorney is like finding any other professional - a doctor or an accountant. You must get clear about what you want and need and what pay level you are willing to endure. Then interview. Do not settle for the first one. Even if you think the first one is perfect, unless you have lots of experience, you need to talk to two or three just so you can develop some reasonable standard of measure.