How does one go about hiring a legal or financial professional from among so many potential choices?

Life has always been pretty simple for us, so we’ve never needed anyone to help with taxes or legal concerns. However, some more complicated scenarios have arisen, and we really could use some help.

The problem is, CPAs and Lawyers are plentiful, and we don’t really know other people in our part of the state from whom we can get personal recommendations. Online ‘ratings’ sites seem very limited at this point in time, because there are few people who actually contribute to them unless they have a major complaint.

Beyond verifying the degree and/or license, how can one narrow down their options to find someone they can trust?