I’m Considering Firing My Personal Injury Attorney
If you’re considering firing your personal injury attorney, there are a few things you need to know. We know it’s frustrating when your personal injury claim takes long, and we speak to individuals every day who want to fire their personal injury attorney. We try to be objective during those conversations, as the goal is to help individuals make decisions that will benefit them most.
Can I Fire My Personal Injury Attorney?
Generally, yes, you can fire your personal injury attorney. The language in your letter of representation will govern that decision, together with the state bar rules surrounding the attorney-client relationship. If you choose to fire your personal injury attorney, you may owe them money depending upon the status of your claim or case. In most cases, personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee. This means that “We don’t get paid unless you get paid.” However, if your lawyer has procured an offer or a personal injury settlement for you, they may have earned a fee that will need to be paid if you fire the lawyer and reach the same settlement on your own without the lawyer.
In most cases, when a client wants to fire a lawyer, you will find the lawyer or law firm will terminate the lawyer-client relationship and peacefully turn over the client file to the new law firm, at the client’s request. Usually, there is no fee for doing so—lawyers understand there are times when a client simply decides they want to use another lawyer or law firm.
Why Do People Fire Their Personal Injury Attorney?
In our experience, the number one reason why someone wants to fire their personal injury attorney is a lack of communication. Quite honestly, the law firm may be working diligently on the file. But, when the lawyer fails to communicate the progress to the client, the client feels as if no work is being done. When you combine this poor communication with a failure to return a few phone calls from the client, the client starts to wonder whether the lawyer cares about them at all. You can read NC State Bar Disciplinary Orders here, to see the various reasons lawyers are disciplined.
Can My Personal Injury Attorney Relationship Be Saved?
When a client calls us complaining about another lawyer or law firm, we are sure to ask a few pertinent questions. The goal is to help the client understand their options, while also ensuring the client makes a well-considered choice. Often, we encourage the client to call their lawyer to ask for an update and give the lawyer a set amount of time to provide a meaningful response. Again, it could be the firm is working hard on the file and just failing to communicate that hard work to the client.
We also point out to clients that when you switch law firms, even if the old firm forwards the file over to us, it’s like starting over. Because of that, the client may be better of patching things up with their current personal injury attorney—especially if they are close to reaching a settlement.
Speak With A Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you would like to speak with a personal injury attorney today about a car accident or grocery store slip and fall, call us at 704.749.7747 or click for a FREE CASE EVALUATION and we will reach out to you shortly. If you’re concerned about your relationship with another attorney, we are happy to discuss that with you as well. We will strongly encourage you to work things out with your existing attorney, and we can give you some helpful tips on how to take the next steps to accomplish that goal.