When you hire a South Carolina personal injury lawyer, he or she works for you—not the other way around. Because you are paying for their services, you are under no obligation to stay with a lawyer you are dissatisfied with.
While a sudden change of legal strategy in the middle of a personal injury case is unusual, you have the right to a second opinion or to select another attorney if you are not happy with your current representation.
If you are unsure when to call a personal injury lawyer due to concerns over your current attorney, we recommend that you act as swiftly as possible. You want to bring a new, better-positioned, and more qualified legal team up to speed with your case to avoid delays in the legal process.
Why You Might Change Your Attorney
The crucial aspect of any lawyer and client relationship is that everyone is focused on your requirements, objectives, and aspirations. If you are unhappy or unsatisfied with your lawyer for any reason, you are allowed to change who is representing you at any time.
Relationships, rapport, and support are central to the way we work. Regardless of the glowing recommendations, you may simply not be compatible with your attorney’s communications style or feel that they don’t have the knowledge necessary for your case.
Common Causes for Seeking New Counsel
Often clients become dissatisfied with their attorney due to the lawyer’s management style rather than their legal acumen. You’re not going to feel confident your case is getting the attention it deserves if the attorney is not returning calls or you’re being referred to a different person with each call, or your queries always go straight to voicemail.
Another typical cause of concern is when you find your personal injury law firm circulates cases among its lawyers, so that each time you call you speak with a different person who is unfamiliar with your case.
In any of these circumstances, you can fire your lawyer and redirect your case to a more suitable team. However, the best resolution is to ensure you conduct sufficient research before hiring an attorney to avoid the stress and added time it will take to change firms.
At What Point Can I Switch Lawyers?
Trust and communication are key in any professional relationship. You have the right to retain a new attorney at any stage, whether you have been working together for day one or it is just before a court appearance.
We believe that you and your lawyer must work in partnership, establishing key goals, aspirations, targets, and outcomes. A breakdown in trust, communication, or respect can be detrimental to every aspect of your case.
Firing a lawyer is not a decision we suggest you take lightly. In most cases doing so will not necessarily cost more if you have the option of dividing the attorney fees between representative firms using a quantum meruit method.
In essence, the system splits work undertaken between the lawyers to ensure each is paid based on services rendered for their share of the case if you opt to change lawyers midway through a personal injury case.
You are welcome to get in touch with Strom Law at any time if you want to switch lawyers or lack confidence in your current attorney. We can also explore whether this proportionate charging basis applies in your case.
How Difficult Is it to Transition a Case to a New Law Firm?
Although switching from one lawyer to another isn’t an ideal scenario, there is no reason you shouldn’t expect to achieve a favorable outcome. A skilled attorney will be comfortable picking up a case with preexisting evidence and documentation.
The transition may be more complex if your first lawyer completed the majority of the work, leaving very little for a new attorney to do. Still, in most cases, a capable lawyer will be happy to take on the case and see it through to a successful conclusion.
In Conclusion
A lot may depend on the potential value of the claim. A significant personal injury case is well worth pursuing from every perspective, regardless of the stage you chose to change your legal representation.
Experienced personal injury lawyers will always be prepared to evaluate your case and the likelihood of a favorable resolution, advise on the workload required to take over the matter, and ensure that you receive the right legal representation until the issue is resolved.
