I love getting great questions from readers. One contacted me and was very to the point which I also appreciate. He right away asked, “How do you know when to change lawyers?”
Couple of points first. 1. It costs nothing to change law firms. Attorney fees can never exceed 20% total. 2. While the ideal situation is to hire the right attorney first and we encourage injured Illinois workers to try and work things out when they can, if you wait too long you could cause serious harm to your case that can’t be fixed.
So when is the right time?
It really depends on the case of course. Let’s first talk about when it’s too late. If your case has gone to trial, it’s too late. If there is a big settlement offer, it’s probably too late. If all of the depositions have been done, it might be too late.
The right time to switch is when you realize your lawyer doesn’t really have a lot of work comp experience.
The right time is when you discover that your attorney doesn’t call you back.
The right time is when you learn that your lawyer isn’t following through on the things they say they will do.
It’s the proper time to switch when your lawyer mocks your concerns about not having any money since your TTD got cut off or in general shows no empathy.
You should get a new lawyer when it’s apparent that there is a lot of turnover at the firm you’ve hired and they have to keep re-assigning your case.
I’d get a new lawyer if my attorney was screaming at me or belittling me.
The right time to get a new lawyer is when you catch yours in a lie.
The right time to get a new law firm for your Illinois work comp case is when they insist that your medical care be with the doctor that they recommend.
It’s time for a new lawyer when you are advised that yours is spending the winter in Florida.
You should probably get a new work comp attorney if yours gets very sick and doesn’t have experienced partners to take over your case.
I’d get a new lawyer if you learn that your attorney lied about the value of your case just to get you to sign up.
I could go on and on, but the point I’m really trying to make is that when you see red flags, they are warnings that you made the wrong decision with the firm you hired. One red flag is a bad sign which mean you should consider changing. Two or more means you should run for the hills. The last thing you want to do is have your case finish and be stuck with medical bills or know that if you’d gotten a different, more reliable firm you’d have a bunch more money in your pocket.
I’m unique in that if you call me to discuss your case, I’ll tell you if I think that you have a good lawyer or not and tell you if I think they are doing a good job or not. And I’m honest about it. There are a couple law firms that do a bad job on so many cases that just having them is a red flag. Others usually do a good job but maybe aren’t communicating well with you. Whatever it is, I’ll give you my honest opinion. You can call us any time at 312-346-5578.
