We know that lawyers in general have a bad reputation. But that does not mean that working with a lawyer should be a bad experience. In fact, we believe working with a lawyer to resolve your car accident, construction injury, medical malpractice, or other injury-related case should actually be a positive experience. The relief that comes from placing some of your worries onto the shoulders of someone who has been through this before, and whose job it is to worry about paperwork and pursuing your claim while you focus on healing, can hardly be described.

If working with your lawyer is not a positive experience, it might be time to consider changing attorneys.

Perhaps your attorney is hard to get a hold of when you have questions. Maybe he or she doesn’t seem to take your questions seriously. Or you are always speaking to a secretary a paralegal or a junior associate, and never your attorney. These communication issues are signs that it is time to start looking for a new attorney who is more in tune with your needs.

Here are a few more signs that it may be time to look for a new attorney to represent you:

• Does your attorney take more than 48 hours to get back to you when you try to get in touch? If it takes more than two days for your attorney to return your calls or emails, you are obviously not a top priority.
• Have you been asked to provide your attorney with copies of documents that you have already provided? Or fill out forms that you have already filled out? This could be a sign of not treating your case with proper care and of disorganization.
• How many times has your attorney called off meetings at the last minute or asked the court for an extension because of an “emergency?" Or even missed a deadline? These could be signs that your attorney is not keeping up with the work required.
• Does it seem as if your case is dragging on forever for no good reason? Legal actions take time, but if there appears to be no progress being made at all, something is amiss.
• Do you have a gut feeling that your attorney just doesn’t know what he or she is doing? Trust your gut. Just because someone is an attorney doesn’t mean he or she knows how to handle a personal injury case such as yours.

It is very easy to change attorneys in a personal injury case. Court approval is not required, and you don’t have to justify your decision to switch to anyone.

Switching attorneys will not cost you any money and although your case might be delayed, the delay is probably negligible compared with the benefit you will get from working with an attorney you actually trust. You can also read our article “Can I Change My Lawyer If I Have A Personal Injury Case Pending?" for more information about changing lawyers.

If you are ready to begin the search for a new attorney for your personal injury case, contact the experienced team at Jaroslawicz & Jaros, PLLC, today.

If you or a loved one was injured and needs legal assistance, call Jaroslawicz & Jaros at 212.227.2780 or submit an online questionnaire.The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary recovery. In many cases, a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. Please call to ensure that you do not waive your right to compensation. Or you can email us at ajaros@lawjaros.com.