If you have hired a lawyer, of course, you expect that he or she is working in your best interests. But what happens if the lawyer works with the insurance company and you are left with less compensation than you really deserve? What should you look out for?
Things that you should always expect from your lawyer:
- Communication – Your lawyer should keep you informed throughout the legal process.
- Competence – If you have hired a personal injury lawyer, you expect that he or she has successfully handled such cases in the past.
- Ethics – Every state has specific laws related to lawyers and their ethics. These laws require lawyers to:
o Represent clients with the utmost loyalty
o Keep client information confidential
o Represent clients with competence
o Represent clients within the boundaries of the law
o Put client interests above their own
Watch out for any of the following:
- Your lawyer does not know the answer to basic legal questions.
- Your lawyer will not follow your instructions.
- Your lawyer is consistently late, does not file documents in a timely manner, or allows statutes of limitations to expire.
- Your lawyer will not return phone calls or emails, and is not in his or her office.
- Your lawyer has worked on behalf of your insurance company in the past.
- Your lawyer has represented a defendant in your case previously.
If at any point in the legal process you feel that your lawyer is not upholding these requirements, you should proceed with caution.
