From our friends at Zifflaw.com. They've provided 8 reasons to go local when seeking legal help. Go to the post here to see the entire list. But I think the most important two are knowing the local judges and local court systems and rules in order to get things done and get things done as fast as possible.
Just because a lawyer practices in Buffalo or Philadelphia or Scranton does NOT make that lawyer "better" than a local lawyer. Trust me. I worked in Harrisburg for many years in a big firm. Where you practice and what size of firm you come from does not make the lawyer good or bad.
Some people are also worried that a small, local law firm cannot "handle" big cases due to staffing issues or the cost required. Again, trust me when I tell you that no matter the size of the case, we at Carroll & Carroll, P.C. have unlimited funds if the case calls for it.
Also, with firms like Zifflaw and Carroll & Carroll, P.C., we have lawyers who specialize. Therefore, we focus on a few types of cases and that's it. Further, our case loads tend to be smaller, thus allowing us to spend more time with individual files and clients. There is more of a chance that you'll feel better taken care at a small firm rather than a big one in another city several hours away.
Consider these things when viewing the advertising from out of area lawyers on TV, radio and billboards.