If you need a solicitor you should choose one who has experience in the appropriate area of law. A local advice agency such as a law centre or Citizens Advice Bureau, should be able to recommend local solicitors who are experienced in the appropriate area of law or will be able to provide information on how to find a suitable solicitor. In some cases, a CAB can refer you to an organisation which can offer free legal help. You can also find details of solicitors on the Law Society website at www.solicitors-online.com, or go to the Community Legal Service Directory for details of solicitors and advice agencies throughout England and Wales.

If you are at a police station, or have been charged with an imprisonable offence, you can obtain free legal advice under the duty solicitors' scheme. If you are at the police station, the police will contact the duty solicitor. If you are at the magistrates or youth court, the arrangements for providing the solicitor will vary. In Northern Ireland, Belfast Magistrates' Court is the only magistrates' court with a duty solicitor's scheme. When you have chosen your solicitor, you will need to make an appointment. This will usually be within five working days. If the matter is urgent the solicitor should try and arrange an earlier appointment.

You should take all relevant documents to the appointment and it may be helpful to prepare a list of questions for the solicitor in advance.

For some cases a solicitor will require identification from you before they can act. This applies, for example, to transactions involving more than £10,000, such as a house purchase. Identification can include a current passport, driving license or benefit book. A recent utilities bill will also have to be provided. If you do not have this sort of identification you should check with the solicitor how best to prove your identity.

A solicitor must comply with certain rules and standards laid down by the Law Society. The solicitor must, for example, give you certain information at the first interview. The information should include:

• how the solicitor intends to deal with the problem
• what the solicitor's next step is
• information about costs, which must be confirmed in writing as soon as possible after the interview
• in England and Wales, whether you will be eligible for publicly funded legal services or criminal legal aid
• in Northern Ireland, whether you will be eligible for legal aid
• the expected timescale of the case/
• whether the solicitor has a relationship with another company that could affect the steps taken in relation to your case.

The Law Society has also produced a document called The Client's Charter, which tells you what you can expect from your solicitor and what to do if you want to make a complaint. Your solicitor does not have to give you a copy of this charter, but it is considered good practice for them to do so.

You should make sure you understand what the solicitor has told you and should not be afraid to ask questions.

During the case the solicitor should keep you regularly informed of progress and costs even if there are no significant developments.

At the beginning of the case, the solicitor must give you information about the likely cost of the case and how the charge is calculated, for example, a fixed fee, an hourly rate or a percentage fee.

In some cases, for example, personal injury cases, you may enter into a conditional fee agreement with the solicitor. This means that if you lose the case, you will have to pay the costs of the other side and you will normally be asked to take out insurance to cover this situation. If you win the case, your solicitor will normally try to get their fees paid by the other side, at a higher rate. Generally, only people who are not receiving Legal Aid can enter into a conditional fee agreement.

If you are considering entering into a conditional fee agreement, you must be clear what the terms of the agreement will entail and you should consult an experienced adviser for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau.

In all cases, the solicitor must discuss how the costs are to be met and whether you are eligible for Legal Aid. If the solicitor does not do Legal Aid work, they must still explain the advantages of Legal Aid services to you if you are eligible, and give you the opportunity of going to a solicitor who does Legal Aid work.

You should get your bill within a reasonable time after your solicitor has finished the work they have done for you, and it will be made up of three elements: disbursements, VAT and fees.

Disbursements are the expenses the solicitor has had to pay out on your behalf, for example, fees paid to court and barristers' fees.

Fees cover the professional services carried out by the solicitor on your behalf. If the work was court work, the fees that the solicitor can charge are subject to court rules. There are no scales that regulate non-court work, but the charges must be fair and reasonable. VAT will be charged on the fees and some disbursements.

If you think the bill is too high, you can: ask the solicitor for a detailed account in some cases, ask your solicitor to apply for a remuneration certificate (that is, ask the Legal Complaints Service to look at the bill) ask a court to look at the bill.