The Rights of the Client

How do you deal with a bad lawyer?

H Have you ever used Google to find a lawyer? You can see there are a lot of positive reviews and advertisements, but complaints or negative reviews are much harder to find. Have you wondered why? So, what should you do if you are not satisfied with your attorney? Even if you post your own experience and opinion online, the post will not last for a long time. It is because lawyers are more than ready to take legal actions as soon as they see something negative about them. They can possibly sue the person for defamation and/or obstruction of business. They remove any negative posts that might harm their reputation or affect their businesses negatively.

Is it realistic to sue a lawyer?

L Let’s say there is a client who lost his or her case and thinks it was because his or her attorney was the problem. Can this client sue his or her former attorney? It will be difficult for the client to do so for various reasons. In order to sue the attorney, this person has to probably hire another attorney and pay all related fees. On the other hand, it is not going to cost any money for the attorney since he or she will represent himself or herself.
Also, the client has to deal with emotional damages from being betrayed by someone who he or she really trusted. Usually, such cases are immediately settled. That’s the reality.

File a Complaint to the Lawyer Discipline Agency

T The client can protect himself or herself from potential damage by understanding his or her own legal rights as a client when hiring an attorney. The best way to deal with legal malpractice of an attorney is to file a complaint to the state lawyer discipline agency. It is probably not so easy to determine if there was malpractice or not. It is better to have a group of professionals and let them decide. Lawyers are much more concerned about keeping their licenses than stopping negative rumors from spreading. The discipline agency has the authority to take away someone’s license. Once a complaint is filed to the agency, usually, more than 9 experts carry their own investigation, cast votes, and come up with a decision. The standards and obligations that they have to follow are very strict. It will be much more effective to post something online after receiving the result from the discipline agency. Then, you don’t have to worry about being legally punished for your post. Also, when you have a dispute with your lawyer, use a third party person to be the messenger between you and your lawyer. Make sure to use someone you can fully trust so that communication can be effective. In many cases, it is more successful to use a third party person because the client is usually emotionally charged.

Always Get the Second or even Third Opinion

T The client does not have to keep the same attorney from the beginning of the lawsuit until it is over. The client has the right to change his or her attorney at any time as long as he or she pays the attorney fees up to date. When you begin to doubt the faithfulness of your attorney, you should consider consulting another attorney. You have the right to demand a detailed explanation regarding the fees and transactions, and the attorneys have the legal obligation to provide such information. Also, it is safer to contract on a flat rate or receive the invoice on a weekly or monthly basis. Keep in mind that it is better to keep all the inquiries in emails or letters so that you can use them as evidence later if necessary. It is important to see whether the attorney did his or her best for the case and answered the client’s questions diligently and faithfully, or not.

Your Legal Rights as a Client

A After a lawsuit begins, the client can freely meet with the other party and try to reach an agreement. There are certain guidelines from the court that you have to follow, but it does not forbid you from communicating with the other party. You don’t have to go through your lawyer all the time. If you use your attorney to talk to the other party, the lawyer is going to ask you to pay by the time spent. It is very important to fully understand your legal rights as a client as well as the obligations of the attorney. Then, the expectations will be clear, and you will be able to keep your best interest before anything else.

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