5 Signs Your Attorney Is NOT Doing a Good Job
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This episode covers five signs that your attorney is not doing a good job for you. If you see these signs, you will need to think long and hard about ways to improve your relationship with your attorney. You may need to change attorneys, but you can hopefully find ways to deal with these issues, since changing attorneys is far from ideal. However, poor attorneys can do a lot of harm, so watch out for these signs: 1) Your attorney does not return phone calls or emails in a timely fashion. When you are going through a divorce, it can be extremely frustrating. Ideally, your attorney should respond to you within a few hours (24 hours at the most). If you find yourself repeatedly contacting your attorney over a week or two to get a response on an important issue, that is unacceptable. 2) Your attorney does not tell you what is going on. Your attorney should keep you apprised of correspondence they have received from your spouse or your spouse’s attorney, as well as upcoming court dates or mediation sessions. At a minimum, you should be updated about your case on a weekly basis. When there is an important deadline approaching, you may even need daily contact. If you are not being regularly updated about your case, it is a big problem. 3) Your attorney bills you irregularly. After you pay your attorney’s retainer, you should receive bills every few weeks, which tell you how much of the retainer was used and how that time was spent. The items on the bill should make sense to you. Does your attorney bill you irregularly, or are there items that do not make sense? If so, you should address those issues with your attorney as soon as possible. 4) Your attorney is not prepared for important dates. If there is an important appointment approaching (i.e., a court date, a mediation session, or a settlement negotiation), your attorney should be prepared with all the facts about your case. They should know which issues are important or unimportant to you. Some attorneys simply do not adequately prepare for these very important meetings, and it can make it difficult to get what you deserve. 5) Your attorney does not advocate for you. Your attorney should fight for what is in your best interest. You are paying a lot of money for your attorney to get the best possible outcome. If your attorney is not advocating for you, you may end up regretting it for the rest of your life. These five signs are very concerning, so if you see them in your attorney, be sure to address them. In extreme cases, you may need to change attorneys. If you do not realize that these things are going on until it is too late, it could affect you for the rest of your life. Thank you for listening to the Divorce and Your Money Show. Visit us at www.divorceandyourmoney.com for 1-on-1 coaching. If you enjoyed the show, please take a moment to leave a review on iTunes, as it will help other people discover this free advice.
Mine told me that my spouse would probably win if we went to court, even though I had documented emotional, verbal, and mental abuse toward my kids and me. She waited and waited to work on my affidavit. It still isn’t ready. She never gave me copies of all of the paperwork from my husband’s side, so I haven’t even seen his financial declaration yet. I know he’s probably hiding money and assets. He has misrepresented himself on his taxes and put money into accounts to avoid paying taxes, etc. Every time I don’t receive an email, she blames it on her email or tells me it’s probably in my spam folder. She has told me to just accept his terms, even though the support he’s willing to pay is extremely low. He quit his job just before serving me with papers, and she waited until it was too late to even subpoena documents from his latest job. 🙄 So frustrating! I’m going to cut her loose. It’s good that my siblings are willing to help me out, because otherwise I’m broke!
Lawyers can give you a flat rate! This by the hour is BS! I don’t want to pay for the car repair bill, house payment, vacation, etc.! Something needs to be done to get the lawyers back in line!
Yes Didnt Sign any Settlement Papers Horrible Actions!!!
My attorney dose all of this I am very frustrated my court day is soon and she is not even answering my calls emails or text 😞
Excellent You Hit All Cylinders He’s a Joke and Didn’t tell me about my Settlement offer While in the Chambers We already Rejected 15,000 Dollars Terrible and There After Never Told me About the 275,000 Settlement Offer only to find out more damage was done to my Injury Now he wanted to Withdraw from Case at the End Needed to know if he Did some Under the Table Deal by Stealing my Money I want him Arrested if that so!!!
Always avoid the lawyers who have ex clients who want to kill them. Also avoid lawyers who will not accept Russian gangster clients. Avoid lawyers that have no pupils- just black hole eyes to hell. Immediately leave prospctive lawyers who ask how much money you have in liquid assets. Any lawyer who has checked out your home or business property online (he’s going to take it). A lawyer that persuaded you to litigate when you’re actually trying to settle privately but with a court order. At 5 minutes passed the free interview, if your prospective lawyer wants to now charge the full 35minutes then simply leave, don’t look back. If you’ve engaged a lawyer but he calls you everyday painting the worst horrific scenario whilst charging £50 for 4 mins then feel lucky and cancel his retainer immediately. A bad lawyer will crucify your soul & undermine any good character because they like to make everyone evil like themselves so they can feel normal. Avoid lawyers named ‘McLinden’- he will call in your very soul.
I hired attorney, paid upfront cost to have him sue CPS for guardianship of granddaughter. It’s been 7 months and he hasn’t done any filing. We had a couple of meetings, phone calls in the beginning which gave hope, but will not return my calls. He has basically ruined any chance at all to get my granddaughter returned and worse yet, I found out he use to work along side the family court system as a court appointed attorney. My only hope now is to turn him into the BAR Assn.
The most beautiful voice i’ve ever heard 🙂
🌈🙏💜thank you for the information & your kindness
Thank you for this video I’m sure it will help many who are stuck with a toxic lawyer
Im in a custody modification dispute and I’m having every single one of these issues with my attorney. I don’t even have his email, he has me go through his legal assistant and I’m at a loss for what to do. Familiar with any of that?
That billing thing is exactly what my attorney did. He also said we owe him an extra 1100 dollars. The thing is all we had him do was file i believe two motion with the court and we paid him a 5000 dollar retainer. And he also didn’t put what I wanted in an agreement he had drawn up. I was in favor with the agreement as long as the thing I wanted was in the agreement and written exactly as it needed to be to make sure I was very clear. This agreement was what my ex gave my attorney. So he really didn’t do any work there besides type up what my ex wrote. I’m not to happy about this. Its been over 4 year and I’m still nowhere closer to the goal being accomplished.
Do your attorneys tell you what they want? We had no prep for mediation.
My attorney is a joke
Sure wish this video came out a few years earlier. Would have helped my ‘worse nightmare’ NOT to come true 🙁 This information should help many others if they find it! I would love to sue my former lawyer, who was exactly as explained here…and then some! Mentally/emotionally I’m not sure I could make it thru the process. She put a major fear of court in me! And it all cost me dearly and I’m not just talking about money. All the best to those getting ready to go thru the process!!
Thank You! Thank You!
My attorney does all the above, I never hear from him till he wants money, if he cannot get me on the phone in one day he threatens to drop my case. I am 25.000.00 into this case. He took my case Dec. 2016. He recently told me were going to do depositions be prepared to spend a lot of money, I had questions but he had to let me go to take another phone call. I have paid very well until recently, because I have questions i want answered. Can he just drop me?? I am devastated!
So what do you do when they aren’t doing well and you can’t afford another one ? In fact won’t even talk to you?
I am having the same problem right now , my attorney does all these things. He took a retainer of 5000 dollars that was exhausted within 2 months, there was nothing to back up those invoices. I don’t get response to my email or text I sent for months, he is non productive, he sent me invoices on a regular but won’t answer my calls , emails or text. Whenever my spouse lawyer sent over important response to him , he delayed in sending them to me, matter of fact he doesn’t sent them until I reach out. I m completely disappointed and I am considering getting a new lawyer.
My attorney hasn’t returned my calls ever 😡and then randomly send me a check with no explanation. 🤷🏽♀️🤔
My case is not a divorce, it’s a civil franchise business matter in Fort Worth, Texas.. I just happened to come across this and was so tuned in to it I love the way you explain things. Plus you describe my Attorney to a "T". I have minus zero confidence in my Attorney. His paralegal just recently told me there is no such thing as a "franchise lawyer" ???? I wanted to cry thinking they really do not know what they are doing, as I have spoke with "Franchise Attorneys." I have never been so stressed and full of anxiety.
Our divorce wasn’t resolved and attorny told me he would write it up days later! I filled out an email asking my soon to be ex what the hell happened? Apparently they settled?? No One contacted me? We go to court in month and they are pressuring me? What can you do then?
How to get your files from upset attorney
You are correct. Not getting your telephone calls or emails returned in a timely fashion is unacceptable and a potential red flag.
My lawyer would not do nothing I asked him during my divorce then he stopped representing me and refuse to sign the final divorce paper but yet he wants his 4,000 which when i signed on I told them my wife and I have nothing they said it would be 2,000 only
I have the worst attorneys imaginable… one stopped helping the other jumped on 3 months ago and really doesn’t know all. My ex is getting away with murder .. hasn’t paid me n thr boys anything, moved in wth his mistress .. bought an Audi.. went on 4 vacations with her, hiding money… saying he’s only making $15 ..an hour..
He’s attorneys are dirty mean and devious…
Im drained.. mentally and emotionally. . And my attorneys are not helping me, they’re doing just the opposite..
I even asked is my ex paying you to help him and not me, if so, I get half… ughhh
Can’t get another attorney because I don’t have money.
He makes the money and is still in charge of it still…
My attorneys have given up, honestly don’t think they even started…
So now my life is fcked
😪😖🙁
😪 😖🔫
My Life In a Settlement Action Not Married But the Ugly Actions are Similar Good Info!!!
I’m Very Productive EXACTLY Not Acceptable !!!!
Took a week to respond
I’m so grateful that you distilled this important topic into specific points. I would like to know how to address an attorney who is clearly doing damaging to their client’s case.
Many did get these to client
What must I do if I had a poor attorney.
I feel so insanely screwed by my attorney its going to start raining.
Thank you