A great attorney can make all the difference in your case, but a bad one can ruin you. If you keep your eyes peeled to your attorney’s behavior and work, you will know quickly whether you have found someone amazing to represent you or whether you are stuck with a lemon of an attorney. Watch for these 5 telltale signs, and if you see any of these exhibited, you’ll know you need to find a new attorney.
- Misses Hearings or Is Tardy. If your attorney is late for court appearances or misses them altogether, his or her behavior is not only unprofessional, but could likely impact your case. One of your attorney’s main responsibilities is to calendar the dates, keep track of deadlines, file documents on time, and be in court punctually to represent you. Failure on your attorney’s part to follow through may be grounds for a Bar Complaint, but at the very least, you should look for someone more dependable.
- Treats You With Disrespect. Your attorney will hopefully be very knowledgeable and experiences, and you should give him or her your respect. However, your counsel should also treat you with courtesy and professionalism. If your attorney ever calls you names, dismisses your input, or makes you feel badly about yourself, you should look into hiring someone new.
- Offends the Judge or Court Staff. If you notice that the judge or the judge’s staff is bristling at your attorney’s demeanor or if it is obvious that the judge just doesn’t like your attorney, you may want to find someone with better people skills. The judge’s perspective on your attorney may influence his or her decision on your case. You may think that the way your attorney treats the staff is not important, but often the staff will tattle to the judge behind closed doors if your attorney acts out of line with them. You want an attorney who is aggressive enough to go to bat for you, but not one who burns bridges with those who decide your fate.
- Ignores Your Phone Calls or Fails to Answer Emails. A common complaint among clients is that that their attorney either fails to respond via phone or writing to their inquiries. If you have questions that are going unanswered or important communications that your attorney is ignoring, you may want to look elsewhere. Failure to give you attention can be for many reasons, from too large a client load to just general disinterest. Whatever the reason, the result is that the proper communication channels have broken down, which gives you grounds to find someone who is a more effective communicator.
- Is Out of His/Her League. Some cases require more sophistication than others. A felony is often more difficult to defend than a misdemeanor. Some divorce cases are more complex or involve more assets than others. If your attorney tells you he or she is not experienced enough or does not have time for a case of your complexity, then you should find someone with the requisite experience. If you can see from your counsel’s representation of you that he or she is really in too deep of water, you should find someone else. Your liberty, money, assets, children, or whatever the case is about is your first priority, and you should not be concerned with firing an attorney who isn’t the best for you and your case.
