Getting a divorce is an important matter that needs to be handled by the right people. When you hire an attorney you expect them to do their job and get you the results you desire and inform you of all the things you need to know about your divorce. There may be a time when you have to fire your attorney because they’re doing a bad job. It is important to be able to assess how good of a job your attorney is doing. Here is a list of 6 reasons why you should fire your divorce lawyer.
1.Your Attorney Refuses To Answer and/or Return Your Phone Calls
There is virtually nothing more important to an attorney-client relationship than proper communication. Not only does the lack of it hinder the success of a legal case, but it is also fundamentally disrespectful to the client. Even if the attorney misses the call for some reason they should attempt to get into contact with you as soon as possible. If they continue to ignore your calls and refuse to remedy this when called out on it, then you need to find someone new. Communication is key when it comes to the divorce process if you don’t know what is happening with your case and what your attorney is doing. That is when you should look for another attorney.
2. A Lack of Updates Has Caused You to Miss an Important date/deadline
Handling your case is literally your attorney’s job. Furthermore, the court and opposing counsel are likely communicating relevant details with your client rather than you. As such, nobody should be more aware of events in your case and any relevant deadlines than your attorney. Under no circumstances should your lawyer’s negligence cause you to miss a hearing or any other important date/deadline, then you need to find someone else. If you have had to inform/remind your attorney about an event or deadline they should have already known about, then that is the first and only sign that you need to fire them.
Even if they show a willingness to follow up and communicate, it is completely pointless if you yourself are not comfortable communicating with them. You need to be able to ask questions in order for your case to be successful. It is also important for attorneys to take steps to ensure their client’s peace of mind.
3. Your Attorney Has Lied To You or Otherwise Mislead You
There is no excuse for this. As the client of your legal case, you are entitled to nothing short of the truth. No matter how inconvenient or upsetting that truth might be, your attorney should never be telling you things he knows are not true. Details may suddenly emerge, law might be changed or repealed, and situations can alter drastically. You should be informed immediately of such detail or if your attorney is altering his or her strategy in any way. If they have ever withheld such information or have ever intentionally misled you, then you need new representation immediately. How can you work with someone that tells you lies, hire someone with good reviews and a trustworthy track record.
4. Your Attorney Has Demonstrated a Consistent Lack of Compatibility
Your attorney may have no idea what they’re doing and just lead you to more debt and issues. Legal cases are complex and nuanced. They depend heavily on the small facts which vary with the circumstances. A competent attorney usually only grasp these nuances by understanding their client and their needs. If your attorney just isn’t forming that connection with you, and clearly isn’t understanding your situation, then perhaps you should consider finding one that can. Just be sure that your expectations are reasonable. You don’t hire a mechanic with no experience to work on your car, you would want someone with many years of experience and extraordinary skill. The same goes for a divorce attorney, you want someone with experience and skill
5. Your Attorney Has Demonstrated a Repeated Lack of Knowledge of the Law
People hire attorneys because of their knowledge of the law and the fact that they are trained to apply that law to that law to facts. You are paying substantial amounts of money based on the belief that your attorney is competent enough to give you the best chance of success with your legal issue.
It should also be noted that legal questions are often complex and nuanced enough there you could argue several different answers or positions for a given legal question. However, if you find that your lawyer has demonstrated clear ignorance or mistaken understanding of an issue of law, or has failed to understand the specific facts of your case; then maybe you aren’t getting the legal service that you paid for
6. Your Attorney Charges Unreasonable Fees
In the same vein as the previous red flag, any legal fees or costs should be reasonable. Even if the attorney in question is competent, and has avoided any of the other misconduct on this list, they should still only be charging fees that are fair and reasonable for the service they are providing. This is such a major issue in the legal profession that there are court-enforced ethical rules which require that all lawyers must charge fees that are reasonable.
An attorney who charges unreasonable fees can be sanctioned and could even lose their license to practice law. If you suspect that you are being charged too much, don’t be afraid to check prices at other firms, and don’t hesitate to report an unscrupulous lawyer to the state bar of Michigan. Don’t pay more than you need to, make sure you do your research online.
Conclusion
The best way to see if you need to let go of your divorce attorney is if you are not getting the results you want and the process isn’t going well. Be alert and make sure you are well informed, in most cases attorneys are on your side and will help you every step of the way but there are times when that isn’t how it goes.
If you need more information on Divorce in The State of Michigan contact Goldman and Associates Law Firm. At Goldman and Associates, our attorneys are experts in family law and they will thoroughly examine all aspects of your divorce. With the best lawyers in Michigan, Goldman and Associates takes each and every case very seriously and gives you the outcome you desire.
For more information on divorce in the State of Michigan watch the video below and check out the Goldman and Associates YouTube channel for more videos on everything relating to law in Michigan. Make sure to give our attorneys a call if you have any questions.
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Resources
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