Depending on the case filed, your personal injury attorney’s failure to communicate for 2 months can be a cause of distress. However, you need to understand that it may take several months for a case to make significant developments and for the personal injury lawyer to see the need to contact you. The justice system has its own timeline in arriving at decisions, depending on the nature of the case filed in the courts. Personal injury cases, for example, take up more than two months to arrive at any major development. Furthermore, the number of cases filed in a court at one time can slow down the progress of your case. During this waiting period, your personal injury lawyer cannot do anything but wait for the court’s decisions or motions.
More often than not, personal injury lawyers handle other cases aside from yours. They may be very busy with these cases and may not have enough time to update you about your case. Their failure to communicate does not necessarily mean that they are neglecting your case. It is highly possible that in two months time, there are still no major developments in your case. If you really want to know more about your case, you can set up an appointment with your personal injury lawyer. They are more than willing to inform you everything that you need to know about your case. Most personal injury lawyers, however, will not wait for their clients to make an appointment; they immediately inform clients as to the progress of their case.
Lawyers and attorneys are among the busiest professionals. Their day can be divided into many roles. It can be a mediation day, an office day, a deposition day, a combination of these tasks or just about any other tasks of this nature. Because of such hectic schedules, it is not uncommon for lawyers to fail in updating their clients.
Some law firms have set ways of getting in touch with their clients. Case managers and office clerks are tasked to periodically update clients about the cases they are handling despite its inactivity. But sadly, there are some bad apples in the law field. While such lawyers are rare, it would be best to act on it immediately or it could affect your claim. If you suspect your personal injury lawyer is neglecting his or her duty, especially in terms of communication, you should consider arranging a meeting with them.
Begin with a phone call. Feel free to inquire with staff as to the schedule of your personal injury lawyer or what may be preventing him from handling your queries. If the lawyer’s schedule permits, you should set up an appointment with him at the nearest possible time. If not, you can just leave a message and always include your contact details. If you urgently need to speak with your personal injury attorney, you can set a deadline for him to reply. However, you need to structure your message in a non-offensive manner, as this is where conflicts start to set in.
Always remember that urgent or emergency meetings are recommended only when they are absolutely necessary. If your lawyer doesn’t respond to your initiatives, the last resort would be to find a new lawyer. To best prevent such issues, the lawyer and the client must set mutually satisfying expectations that includes effective communication. This way both parties will have a clear picture of what to expect out of their partnership.