Check the bar.

I am an attorney, and I recently hired and attorney, only to discover later that he had several bar sanctions ...

Doh.

Many attorneys are not even listed in Martindale-Hubbell. Most attorneys that I know do not even bother to submit the information that Martindale needs in order to list them.

Also, check Martindale-Hubbbel to see their rating. Look for an AV rated attorney.

As an estate attorney, I can tell you that this is a great question to ask. The other post is correct. Check with your state's bar. The DC bar allows you to check into an attorney right on their website. I do not know if MD and VA allow you to do it in that way. However, this is not going to tell you anything about the quality of the lawyer. It will only tell you if the attorney is currently licensed in that state and if any complaints were filed against the attorney. When seeking an estate attorney, you should refer to the article that I posted on the front page of the DC Urban Moms website (http://www.dcurbanmom.com/weblog/2012/07/09/top-7-things-to-know-before-hiring-a-wills-trusts-or-estate-attorney). If you are interested in talking to me about how I might be able to help you with your estate planning needs, then please contact me at:

acarducci@msn.com; anthony.carducci@legalhelpmaryland.com; or by phone at 410-693-7323.

You can see if they are a member in good standing with the state bars by going to that state's bar association. It will have complaints lodged, if any.

I am looking for an estate attorney. Other than references, how can I best check credentials? Thanks!