Hiring a personal injury lawyer is a big step after an accident. Now you can focus on healing while an experienced attorney searches for evidence to use in your case and begins analyzing the law. By simply hiring a lawyer, you’ve dramatically increased your chances of receiving a fair settlement for all injuries.
How often should you hear from your lawyer? Most firms are eager to get you in the door for a free consultation, but then they ignore you after you’ve signed an engagement letter to hire them.
At Larson & Gallivan Law, our lawyers realize how important client communication is for a healthy attorney-client relationship. Unfortunately, other firms keep their clients in the dark for the entire process, sometimes going a full year or more without hearing a peep from their attorney. We follow a different approach. Below, ourpersonal injury attorney in Vermont looks at how regularly you should hear from your legal team.
A Lawyer Should Provide Regular Updates on Your Case
Lawyers have an ethical obligation to keep their clients updated on key events in their case. This does not mean a lawyer needs to call you every week just to chat—lawyers are too busy for that. But they should let you know the status of your case when something important happens.
For example, your attorney should discuss how much they will try to obtain in settlement negotiations before they start. You can then talk about how much you are willing to settle for.
A lawyer should also let you know the status of settlement negotiations. If the other side digs in and refuses to reach an agreement, then you might end up going to trial. Your attorney should tell you that fact.
You Must Approve a Settlement Offer Before We Accept
Lawyers also cannot accept a settlement without your approval. For example, the other side might only agree to pay you $40,000 for your car accident claim. The lawyer can’t approve that and then turn around and tell you. Instead, the lawyer needs to ask whether you agree to the settlement.
You can also give your attorney permission ahead of time to accept a settlement on your behalf provided it is above a certain threshold. For example, you could agree that your attorney should accept a settlement provided it is at least $100,000. Your lawyer will try to get as much as possible, but if $100,000 is the final amount, she’ll accept it on your behalf. However, in this example, you have given permission ahead of time. A lawyer can’t accept a settlement based only on what they think is an acceptable amount.
Your Law Firm Should Return Your Calls
Maybe you called the office with questions. Some lawyers completely ignore their clients, for months at a time, which is unacceptable. You call and call but never hear back. When the lawyer finally reaches out, he claims he’s been “busy.”
A lawyer should answer your questions. If the lawyer can’t talk, a case manager or someone else should return your call or respond to an email. That’s how lawyers keep their clients informed.
Of course, a lawyer is not a therapist. Over the years, a few clients have called daily, seeking emotional support as they struggle to recover from disabling injuries. At Larson & Gallivan, we treat our clients like family, but we aren’t trained mental health professionals. If you need a professional to help you deal with post-traumatic stress, depression, or anxiety, we can point you in the direction of a professional.
You Must Make Critical Decisions in Your Case
At our firm, we settle more than 90% of our Vermont personal injury cases. However, some cases can’t settle and, in those situations, the only way to get compensation is to file a lawsuit.
As the injury victim, you will need to decide whether to go to court. That’s a decision only you can make. We can talk it over with you to ensure you make an informed decision about what’s right for your case.
A Lawyer Should Keep Your Confidences
A free flow of information is essential to the attorney-client relationship. You should feel comfortable sharing any concerns that you have or issues you are dealing with after an accident.
As an attorney, we cannot share your confidences without your permission. That means we can’t see a lawyer at the courthouse and start blabbing about your case. We can only share whatever is public knowledge or what you approve.
To negotiate a settlement, of course, we’ll need to share details about how the accident has affected you. We’ll need to disclose information about your case when it’s to your advantage. Still, you decide what we share and what we don’t share.
Communication Styles Differ
We have worked with hundreds of clients, and we realize not everyone communicates the same. That’s why we’re open to different methods of communication—email, phone, what have you. Everyone is different.
Some older clients don’t have email, so we can still call over the phone or mail a letter with important information. At a consultation, make clear your communication preferences. That will help us get off on the right foot as we represent you.
Speak with a Seasoned Vermont Personal Injury Lawyer
Injured victims and their families have many questions after an accident—and few people are eager to provide answers. Call Larson & Gallivan Law. Our firm is committed to ensuring our clients are always in the loop on what is happening. When communication is open, our clients end up happier with the process and feel as if their voices were heard.
We have won many cases that other firms declined to accept, obtaining millions of dollars for our clients. We believe in our skills, and we are happy to offer personal injury representation to people injured in Vermont accidents. Our consultations are free, and our phone lines are open to take your call.
