You hire a personal injury attorney, such as this Thomas J. Henry attorney, because you need someone to handle your case and provide appropriate legal counsel. However, the rush to find someone to help you in the midst of your case combined with the average person’s inexperience in this area makes it easy to make a mistake. In other cases, you may realize that the person handling your case isn’t a good fit with your needs. Here are three signs you should look for another personal injury attorney.
There Is Poor Communication
Poor communication undermines the core of the client-attorney relationship. If they aren’t available when you have questions, you may make a mistake. If they don’t reach out to you when they have questions, they may undermine your case.
A law office that loses you in the shuffle is hurting you, too. If calls are unanswered or unreturned, you need to find an attorney who can and will communicate with you. A major red flag is when your attorney won’t reply to emails though they’re marked urgent. While cases may take weeks or months, your attorney should still provide updates on your case or be willing to give you the status updates when you call. If you feel that you cannot communicate effectively with your attorney, you need to find another one. A law office where someone different answers each call is a red flag since high turnover in the office suggests other problems.
They Have a Bad Attitude
The best personal injury attorneys are caring and considerate, even as they deal with your legal case. They respect your privacy and your feelings. On the flipside, if you feel like you cannot trust them with sensitive information, you cannot give them the information they need to proceed properly. If they’re rude or dismissive, they may not listen to you when you try to tell them what they need to know.
In many cases, a lack of personnel is the reason why the service might feel rushed. That’s why it’s usually a better idea to go with a larger personal injury law firm, like David R. Heil law, for instance who’s an Orlando personal injury attorney. A professional like this will be more attentive, supportive, and responsive, and will fight aggressively on your behalf in the courtroom.
They Pressure You to Settle for Less
Your personal injury attorney was hired to secure you a fair settlement. If your personal attorney pressures you to settle for an insufficient amount, it is time to seek other legal representation.
The challenge for many is knowing when the settlement is too low. Warning signs that this is happening include lawyers not seeking copies of your medical records and failing to seek medical evidence to prove the severity of your injuries, not asking about lost wages and their impact. A major red flag is an attorney pressuring you to sign a settlement agreement without telling you how much it is for, the terms of the agreement, and its impact. Never sign something you don’t understand and leave immediately if it an attorney pushing you to do exactly that.
Conclusion
While you may not know what to look for in a personal injury attorney in the midst of a crisis, know that you have the option to change legal attorneys if you run into problems like those above. You cannot afford to stay with someone who isn’t doing what you need them to do.