Personal injury lawyers provide critical support to accident victims and their families. Without the right lawyer, it’s much harder to receive full compensation for your losses, such as medical care and pain and suffering. Unfortunately, most people are in the dark about how to find a good attorney. Maybe you hired someone based on the recommendation of a family member or coworker, or possibly you saw an ad on the TV with a request to “Call me.” Months later, you think you might have made a mistake.
Below, we identify signs you hired the wrong lawyer. Contact Ball, Kirk & Holm, P.C., to speak with an Iowa personal injury lawyer at our firm in a free consultation. We can travel to anyone from our offices in Iowa City and Waterloo, where required, because we believe all Iowans deserve an experienced advocate by their side.
#1: Your Lawyer Never Returns Your Calls or Emails
A lawyer should maintain contact with clients. That is not only good practice, but it’s an ethical requirement. Of course, lawyers are busy meeting with clients, going to court, and participating in negotiation. They need to perform legal research and draft letters. Nonetheless, no lawyer is so busy they can’t return a phone call or email—or at least ask a paralegal or other member of the team to return a call. This is a major red flag.
#2: Your Lawyer Accepts a Settlement without Your Permission
This is another serious ethical lapse. As the client, you decide how much to settle for. Of course, you will rely on your lawyer’s advice. An experienced lawyer knows what other accident victims have received for settlements in similar accidents. Nonetheless, it’s up to you to decide whether to accept a settlement offer.
In most cases, your lawyer should call you to discuss the most recent settlement offer. In other situations, you might both agree that the lawyer can accept any settlement over a certain amount, e.g., $50,000. Your input is definitely required, though.
If a lawyer accepts a settlement without any input, they have breached their ethical duties. Please call us. We might need to get a court involved.
#3: Your Lawyer Can’t Answer Your Questions
Not all Iowa lawyers practice personal injury law. You might have hired someone who does mostly criminal or divorce work in the past but is now branching out into accident cases. They might be great lawyers, but they possibly don’t understand personal injury law like an experienced practitioner. This inexperience might show up when you ask them questions about your case.
One reason to schedule a consultation is to get a feel for the lawyer’s experience and knowledge. That way you can choose to go somewhere else if you have doubts. Unfortunately, some people hire the first lawyer recommended without meeting for a consult, or they hire someone after the first consultation.
#4: Your Lawyer Abandons Your Case
This sometimes happens. A lawyer might simply move to a different state or send your case file to you and say they can’t do any work on the case. Younger lawyers often get overextended and then try to give back cases. It’s not okay to be dropped like this by a lawyer. You should call us to speak with an Iowa personal injury lawyer at our office.
#5: You Find Hidden Charges or Fees on a Bill
When agreeing to hire a lawyer, you should receive a detailed fee agreement. This agreement explains how you will be charged for the lawyer’s services. Most personal injury lawyers represent victims on contingency fee agreements. That means the lawyer agrees to accept a percentage of your settlement in exchange for performing work. This agreement removes the risk from the client, putting it squarely on the lawyer’s shoulders.
If you get any kind of unexplained bill or charge, you should proceed carefully. Maybe it was a simple mistake, which sometimes happens. But lawyers should follow the fee agreement you reached at the start of the case.
And if there was no fee agreement? Then that’s a red flag, also. You might have hired the wrong personal injury attorney and need to find someone new.
Can You Switch Personal Injury Lawyers?
At Ball, Kirk & Holm, P.C., we have heard from many people unhappy with their current lawyer. They make many of the complaints listed above and are generally afraid they’ve chosen the wrong person. They wonder if they can hire someone else or if it’s too late.
Generally, you can switch a lawyer if you are unhappy. However, there are certain considerations. For example, you probably owe them for the work they have performed up to this point. You will also need their permission to access your case file.
Sometimes a judge needs to give permission for you to change a lawyer, but that usually happens only if you’re already in court and approaching trial. If it’s early in your case, then a judge will not have any say in who you retain.
We recommend calling our office to speak with an Iowa personal injury lawyer. We’d like to hear more about your case and why you are unhappy with your current legal team. We might be able to represent you, depending on where you are in your case. If you’ve already accepted a settlement, then trying to renege on that is going to be difficult.
Speak with Ball, Kirk & Holm, P.C.
We are an established law firm with thousands of happy clients. Our team has tackled all kinds of personal injury cases—car and truck accidents, slip and falls, dog bites, and medical malpractice. That’s just a small sampling of the services we provide to clients.
Please call our firm. We are eager to help injured victims obtain financial compensation. A lawyer can meet for a free consultation to go over what’s happened to that point in your case. We make ourselves available to our clients 24/7. You will never be left in the dark about where things stand.