If you’re in a car accident, it’s important that you speak to a professional, experienced personal injury lawyer. Even a seemingly minor accident can lead to expensive repair costs and even injuries. Car accident cases are not as simple as we often think they are.

What happens, however, if you hire an attorney and then as you get into your case, you start to think you’ve hired the wrong person?

You can fire your personal injury lawyer, and the following are some signs that might be the right move.

Lack of Communication

A lack of communication is one of the big reasons clients fire not just personal injury attorneys, but attorneys of all types. If you’re emailing or leaving repeated messages and getting no response, then that’s a problem, and you’re right to be concerned.

With that being said, good lawyers are incredibly busy and you aren’t their only client. With that in mind, give them a few hours or maybe even a day or two to respond. If there becomes a pattern of miscommunication, then you might consider finding someone else.

You Don’t Know the Status of Your Case

Again, this can go hand-in-hand with a lack of communication, but your lawyer should keep you regularly updated on what’s going on with your case. You should know where things stand at any given moment, and what the next steps are. If you haven’t heard from your attorney in a while, it could be an indicator he or she isn’t working on your case at all.

If your lawyer is working toward resolving your case, then they’ll probably be in fairly regular contact with your let you know when you can expect to hear from them again.

You’re Always Talking to Someone New When You Call the Office

If someone new answers the phone every time you call the office at your lawyer’s firm, it should potentially be a red flag. This might mean the turnover rate is high at the office which can in turn mean it’s a bad or unprofessional work environment. That’s not a good indicator of the quality of the attorney you’re working with.

Also, every time you call the office, you should feel like the people you’re speaking with at least have a general idea of who you are and what the details of your case are. You don’t want a case getting lost among all the others.

Your Lawyer Is Rude

There’s no reason for a lawyer ever to be rude. They work for you, and you should be treated as such. Of course, you also need to treat your lawyer with respect, but if you’re being treated poorly and you think it’s unwarranted, it may be time to find someone else to represent you.

You Don’t Feel Confident In Your Lawyer’s Abilities

If you don’t feel confident in your lawyer’s abilities, that’s a red flag, and sometimes you need to follow your gut. You may think you’re overreacting, but really evaluate what you’re seeing and hearing from your attorney. Sometimes, that gut feeling is right. In fact, it often is.

If you also disagree with many aspects of your case, you have to ask yourself if it could be your inexperience or emotionality, or perhaps a true issue with the attorney.

How Do You Fire a Personal Injury Attorney?

If you decide that you want to fire your attorney, there are a few things to do.

First, you’ll need to go over your contract and see what it stipulates as far as the attorney-client relationship.

If there’s a procedure outlined there regarding how you should fire the attorney, follow that.

Then, you need to fire a new attorney. You should do that sooner rather than later, because you don’t want to delay your case at all or have to handle any of the issues that may arise on your own.

Next, you should write a formal letter and send it by certified mail to your personal injury lawyer, letting them know you’re ending the relationship. Be concise and not emotional.

You should request that your old attorney send all of your files to your new attorney, and you should provide the contact information for the person you’ve hired.

If you paid any advances, which isn’t common with personal injury, you should request a refund of the remaining balance.

Finally, you will also need to let the court know if it’s a pending case. If you have a new lawyer, they should file a motion of substitution of counsel on your behalf.