The promise of a global network is that you can hand a task to a qualified local lawyer anywhere. The risk is that "anywhere" includes people you've never worked with. A short vetting routine turns that risk into a decision you can defend.
1. Verified admission
Confirm the lawyer is actually admitted in the relevant jurisdiction, not merely based there. A verified badge should mean a checked bar registration — if you can't see how the status was confirmed, treat it as unconfirmed.
2. Relevant, not just general, experience
A brilliant tax lawyer is the wrong choice for an employment hearing. Look for someone whose recent work matches the task in front of you, and don't be shy about asking for a comparable matter they've handled.
3. A track record you can read
Ratings are only useful if they come from real, completed tasks. Read the reviews, not just the score — patterns in what colleagues praise or flag tell you far more than an average.
4. Responsiveness
Cross-border work lives or dies on communication. A lawyer who takes two days to answer a simple question before they're hired will not suddenly become responsive once the deadline is real. Test it.
5. Clear terms before you start
Scope, fee, deadline and what "done" means should all be written down before work begins. Ambiguity is cheap to fix beforehand and expensive to argue about afterwards.
None of this takes long once it's a habit. Five minutes of vetting is the difference between delegation that quietly works and delegation you spend a week cleaning up.