A common complaint with many clients is that their lawyer does not return phone calls. Regardless of the firm size this is all to common. There are two types of lawyers that do not return your phone calls, the busy lawyer and the lawyer that just neglects his or her clients. On any given day a lawyer’s schedule can be quite busy. A typical day for a Personal Injury Lawyer may involve conducting a deposition, preparing for a trial, writing a motion , signing up a new matter or a combination of these. Most busy negligence lawyers find themselves in many places in the course of a day. Its a simple fact that should not be taken for granted as many Personal Injury Lawyers litigate cases (many do not) and this creates a tremendous amount of paper work and court appearances.
Sometimes a lawyer is just too busy to return your phone call immediately. If they are on trial or preparing for one it could be a few days before your lawyer returns your phone call. If it is a true emergency then a phone call should be returned immediately. If a lawyer is not on trial or preparing for one then you may expect a return call within a reasonable amount of time. The policy in my office is simple: Take the phone call now and if you cant return it within 24 hours.
Other lawyers just neglect their clients without any real reason. They either do not return their clients phone calls in a reasonable time or they do not return their calls at all. Besides trying to win your case a lawyer’s job does includes keeping the client updated and informed about the status of the case.
It is essential that at the start of any relationship the ground rules are discussed.
-How often will your lawyer communicate with you?
_Does the lawyer have a policy with respect to client communication,such as, he will only take calls in the morning or in the afternoon.
_Have you given your lawyer more than one way of contacting you? Make sure he has a friend or relatives number. There will be no excuses at that point.
-What is the best method of communicating? (Phone, email or visit)
-If your lawyer is not available when can you reasonably expect a return phone call?
-If your lawyer is not available what other staff members can help you?
It is important at the outset that you tell your lawyer what your expectation are. I have had clients tell me that they want to be informed about everything and some clients who don't want to hear from me unless its really important.
The relationship you have with your lawyer is no different and is based on open, honest and direct communication. These sound like easy concepts but many lawyers violate what appears to be a constant number one complaint. Take a look at this article from a few years ago.It amazes me that almost 100% of the clients who see me that tell me they want to switch their lawyers because nobody talks to the.
If you want to hire an accident lawyer visit my website and order my FREE report. There is tons of FREE information about lawyers and how to find the right one for you.
Remember: FAILURE to communicate will damage any relationship.
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