What to Do When You're Mad at Your Lawyer

Most lawyers care about their clients and want to ensure they're satisfied, and you know your lawyer is working hard for you when you feel heard and believe your lawyer is doing what you ask. But problems can arise, and it is frustrating when you are dissatisfied with your lawyer or her work, especially if you don't know what to do about it. Here are some strategies for dealing with common problems that arise during legal representation.

The Lawyer Won't Communicate

This distressingly common problem doesn't have an easy solution. A lawyer who doesn't return phone calls or communicate with you for an extended period of time might be guilty of abandoning you, which would be a violation of attorneys' ethical obligations. But that's for a bar association to determine after you register a complaint, and it won't do you much good in the short term.

If your lawyer doesn't seem to be working on your case, sending a polite but firm letter expressing your concerns should get your lawyer's attention. Don't threaten to file a malpractice lawsuit or complain to the bar association; such threats will probably make your lawyer angry and defensive, not attentive.

If your lawyer does not respond, or subsequent meetings or conversations are not fruitful, consider suggesting mediation to work out your communication problems if you still want this lawyer to represent you. A bad deskside manner doesn't mean the lawyer isn't an excellent lawyer, and it can be difficult to find a new one in the middle of a case.

If you conclude that you simply can't work with your lawyer anymore, fire your lawyer and find someone new. You may also want a second lawyer to evaluate your first lawyer's actions and advise you about paying (or refusing to pay) any bill you receive, filing a complaint with your state lawyer discipline agency, or suing the lawyer for malpractice.

Find out what you should expect from a lawyer.

The Lawyer Is Dishonest or Incompetent

If your lawyer has stolen from you or acted with gross incompetence, the authorities disciplining lawyers in your state should show some interest.

File a Complaint With Your State's Lawyer Discipline Agency

Every state has an agency responsible for licensing and disciplining lawyers. In most states, it's the bar association. In others, the state Supreme Court. The agency is most likely to take action if your lawyer has failed to pay you money that you won in a settlement or lawsuit, made some egregious error such as failing to show up in court, didn't do legal work you paid for, committed a crime, or has a drug or alcohol abuse problem.

Unfortunately, these state agencies are famous for moving slowly, not vigorously pursuing complaints, and communicating poorly with people who file complaints. Still, it is important to report problems with legal professionals. Many agencies wait for several similar complaints about a particular attorney before taking action.

Getting Compensated

State bar associations are primarily concerned with punishing lawyers rather than compensating clients. But all states except Maine, New Mexico, and Tennessee have funds from which they reimburse clients whose attorneys stole from them.

If You're Concerned About the Lawyer's Work

It's often hard for a client to know whether or not a lawyer is doing a good job. But if you think your lawyer's ability leaves something to be desired, investigate before it's too late.

Communicate

If your lawyer doesn't seem to be working on your case, talk to your lawyer and explain your concerns.

Get Your File

If you can't find out what has been done, you should get hold of your file. You can read it in your lawyer's office or ask them to send you copies of all correspondence and pleadings filed with the court or recorded with a government agency.

If you've already ended your relationship with the lawyer, you need your file as soon as possible to ensure all deadlines, such as statutes of limitations, are met, mistakes are repaired, and the matter keeps moving. If the lawyer is unresponsive and the matter involves a lawsuit, go to the courthouse and look at your case file, which contains all the papers that have actually been filed with the court.

If you've hired a new lawyer, ask her for help getting your file. Also, ask your state bar association for assistance.

Research

If you're not satisfied with your lawyer's strategy decisions or with the arguments the lawyer has been making on your behalf, consider going to the law library and educating yourself about your legal problem.

Get a Second Opinion

See a second attorney if you've got serious doubts about how your case is handled. They're often very valuable in helping you decide whether to stay with your current lawyer or change to someone better suited to the task. Also, second opinions are relatively inexpensive. It will likely cost an hour or two of a lawyer's time plus any time spent reviewing papers.

The more you can tell and show the second lawyer about your case, the better advice you will get about whether your case is being handled correctly and what might be done differently. Remember, though, that no two lawyers handle a case exactly the same way and that a second opinion is usually a cursory review, not a comprehensive analysis.

Learn how to find an excellent lawyer.

Fire Your Lawyer

It's your absolute right to fire your lawyer for any reason. Give it serious consideration if you're convinced the lawyer is doing a bad job or if your relationship with the lawyer has become intolerable.

But dumping a bad lawyer can be expensive. If you hire a new lawyer, you must pay for a new case review. If the first lawyer hasn't done much, this shouldn't cost a lot. But if you have a trial scheduled for three weeks from now, your new lawyer will have a monumental and time-consuming job.

Sue for Malpractice

If you lost money because of how your lawyer handled your case, consider suing for malpractice. Know, however, that it is not an easy task. You must prove that your lawyer messed up and you would have won your case otherwise.

It's not enough to show that your lawyer made a mistake. You must show that the mistake caused you financial loss that you would not have suffered if your lawyer had handled your case properly in the first place.

If you want to sue for legal malpractice, do it quickly. A common defense raised by attorneys sued for malpractice is that the client waited too long to sue. And because this area of the law can be surprisingly complicated and confusing, there's often plenty of room for argument.

Legal malpractice cases are expensive to pursue, so investigate before diving in. There's no point in suing if the lawyer doesn't have either malpractice insurance or valuable assets from which to pay you if you win.

Find out more about suing a lawyer for malpractice.