Three times in the last month, an injured worker has come to me and said in so many words:
It’s been over a year since I have heard from my lawyer.
This is obviously a huge red flag for the lawyer and their firm. At the very least they should be emailing you every three months after the status call on your case as a check in and to update you as to when the next status date will be.
Quite honestly, this type of check in is the minimum and can be done with little to no effort.
If you are having trouble on your case, meaning you aren’t being paid benefits, medical treatment isn’t approved, you have medical bills that haven’t been paid, etc., your lawyer not getting in touch is a very bad sign. In fact it tells you that you should seek out a new law firm.
On the other hand if everything is going ok with your case, them not checking in at least every few months is still a red flag. But at least you haven’t suffered from it as a result.
When callers tell me this is happening, the first thing I ask them is have you reached out to the lawyer. If the answer is no, then I tell them to do that first. I’ve seen cases where someone has moved and didn’t tell their attorney, doesn’t check their junk mail and got a new phone number. You can’t blame a lawyer for trying to reach you and not being able to. It is your job to make your attorney aware of any problems you are having. Be your own best advocate.
On the other hand, I’ve also seen a bunch of cases, including a bunch with one particularly awful Chicago work comp law firm, where clients call and email multiple times and never hear back from an attorney. If they do get lucky enough to be contacted back, it’s usually a secretary or paralegal that calls. That isn’t good enough when you need actual legal advice.
What Can You Do When You Don’t Hear From Your Lawyer?
If this is happening to you, you have a few options:
- Keep calling them.
- Show up in person to their office.
- Get a new lawyer (you can call us any time for free and in confidence at 888-706-1766).
- Eat the shit sandwich and let them keep walking all over you.
Obviously the last option is not a good one. You would be surprised how many people do this even though it costs them nothing to switch firms and will likely result in a better outcome for their case. Maybe it is like switching banks or leaving an abusive spouse. It’s a lot easier to say than do for some people.
We can’t guarantee a result, but we do promise customer service. This includes being accessible and explaining what is happening on your case. All of the lawyers we work with on cases operate that way. It is the only way to be.
