Client Communication is Part of an Attorney’s Job
When you retain an attorney to assist you in a legal matter, you trust him or her to work diligently to pursue the results that you desire. You also trust that your lawyer will keep you informed as to how your legal matter is progressing. Most attorneys do a good job of keeping in contact with their clients, answering client questions as soon as they can reasonably do so, and communicating with the client from time to time about the progress that they have been making on their behalf.
Unfortunately, some attorneys do not handle the matter of client communication well. They may leave themselves too little time to deal with client questions as they arise, leaving clients waiting weeks for a call or email in response to their inquiries. They may also fail to inform clients of the status of their cases, with clients left having to wonder whether their cases are simply waiting for the next stage of the proceedings to begin or lost somewhere on the attorney’s desk.
When attorneys fail to communicate with their clients, disciplinary action may be taken against them. Last August, a Wise County lawyer was suspended from the practice of law in Tennessee because of problems with his client communication, among other things.
A complaint of legal malpractice
The complaint which led to disciplinary action against the attorney alleged that the attorney accepted a fee from a client as payment for representation, and then failed to adequately communicate with the client, in addition to giving his client improper advice about whether to accept a plea deal.
A lack of effective communication between a lawyer and his or her clients does not aid in the satisfactory resolution of legal matters. If you find yourself wondering why your attorney has not contacted you for quite some time, it is time to look into the matter and find out what is going on. Call or email your attorney, and simply let him or her know that you are looking for an update on your case. If your attempts to communicate with your attorney go unanswered, contact the firm again and ask to meet with them. If your lawyer ignores your request, you may wish to look into the possibility of whether you should being a disciplinary action for failing to communicate with you.
If your lawyer’s failure to communicate with you has affected the outcome of your case in a negative way, the Tennessee legal malpractice attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC may be able to help you. To learn more about legal malpractice, call us at 901-680-9777 to schedule a time to discuss your case.
Since graduating magna cum laude in 2005 from the University of Memphis School of Law, Thomas has helped make a difference in the lives of victims of serious personal injury, wrongful death, and professional negligence. Thomas has extensive trial experience in both state and federal court. Among other victories in the courtroom, Thomas obtained several impressive jury verdicts and settlements
Read more about Thomas R. Greer