(MONEY Magazine) – "THE FIRST THING WE DO, LET'S KILL ALL THE lawyers," Shakespeare wrote. You may be tempted to second that emotion, with the O.J. lawyer madness and the cost of hiring an attorney now ranging $100 to $500 an hour. Not so fast, though. You almost certainly need one or more lawyers at your disposal -- or you will soon. If you want to draw up a will, get a divorce, buy or sell real estate or just make the car mechanic refund your money for his sloppy work, it's virtually imperative to have a lawyer in tow. Here are steps to find the best lawyer or legal service at the most reasonable cost:

When selecting lawyers on your own, start by asking friends, relatives and business associates for pros they have used. Next, go to the library and see which of those lawyers -- or others in your area -- are named in the well-regarded The Best Lawyers in America, 1995-1996 and have been practicing at least 10 years. Authors Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith in 1994 polled more than 11,000 lawyers and asked who they thought were the top attorneys in their area and in their specialty. They wound up with 13,417 names, or 1.5% of the nation's 862,954 lawyers, in 24 categories.

Once you've used The Best Lawyers to find three attorneys for the specialty you need, you could start interviewing them to choose one. To slice your legal fees, however, you might want to ask the law partners which of their firm's associates could handle your needs. Top lawyers tend to hire sharp associates, who typically bill you 20% to 50% less than partners at their firms.

Another way to save is to use a prepaid legal service. This is kind of like an HMO, with lawyers rather than doctors. For a fairly inexpensive flat fee of $8 to $12 a month -- $96 to $144 a year -- you can consult with any of the service's team of lawyers, who typically work for different firms. Some plans offer unlimited consultations; others limit you to 50 hours a year or so.

Prepaid legal services are most useful for getting advice on whether legal action is warranted and what it would cost, as well as for fairly routine matters such as drawing up a simple will, reviewing documents or taking your case to small-claims court. If you decide to sign up for one, stick with a group that has been in business for at least three years and offers either unlimited consultations or gives you at least 50 hours a year. Avoid any prepaid plan charging more than $12 a month; otherwise, you probably won't save on your legal bills by going the prepaid route. Also, make certain that the lawyers you might hire have been practicing for at least 10 years. Three prepaid legal services that meet our rigid guidelines: Montgomery Ward Legal Services Plan ($7.95 a month; 800-323-4620), Caldwell Legal Services ($8 to $10 a month; 800-222-3035) and Lawphone ($9 to $10 a month; 800-255-3352).

Don't meet with any lawyers until you've thoroughly checked their backgrounds to be sure they haven't had their own scrapes with the law. Here's how: Tap into the Lawyer Check service at Court TV's Law Center on the America Online or Prodigy computer services. A Court TV staffer will, for no charge, ask state authorities whether a particular lawyer you're considering has been subject to any disciplinary action.

When you've selected a few lawyers to interview -- they shouldn't charge for a 20-minute session -- be sure to ask these two key questions:

-- WHAT ARE YOUR FEES, AND HOW MUCH MONEY WILL THIS COST ME OVERALL? Although lawyers often charge hourly fees, for simple matters such as a house closing or reviewing a lease you may be cited a flat fee of $500 or so. Expect the lawyer to charge a contingency fee for a personal-injury case. This means he will collect a portion of any amount you receive -- typically 10% to 35%-plus, often, hourly fees.

-- DO YOU DO ALL THE WORK YOURSELF OR LET ASSOCIATES HANDLE PART OF THE WORKLOAD? If the lawyer will hand off your case to an associate, be sure to meet the associate and see whether you two hit it off. After all, with all the money you'll be shelling out, you'd better be sure that your advocate and you can work as a team. Case closed.

The authors write the monthly newsletter Straight Talk on Your Money ($75 a year; 800-777-2002) and are co-authors of the book Straight Talk on Money. They also serve as hosts of a daily national personal-finance show on the WOR Radio Network.