Is it normal for attorneys of a law firm who have taken on your case to never return your calls regarding any questions, concerns, or updates that you have regarding your case?
For many lawyers and law firms, yes, shamefully yes!
And often it depends upon what kind of lawyer or law firm. It is highly likely that if 1) you do not choose carefully who your divorce or child custody lawyer is and 2) fail to pay your lawyer well to have your lawyer do the job well, you will end up hiring a bad one. “Bad” meaning, among other things, an attorney that does not take or timely return your calls and who avoids providing you with answers to questions, reassurance in response to concerns, and with periodic updates as to the status and progress of your case.
If your lawyer is nonresponsive, meaning that your lawyer does not timely return your phone calls and emails and text messages, and your lawyer does not take the time to answer your questions and assuage your concerns to the extent that the attorney reasonably can, that is almost certain proof that your lawyer is incompetent and a clear indication that you need to get a better lawyer, and fast.
Now it is unfair of you to expect your lawyer to take your call every time you call the office. Attorneys are often on the phone throughout the day and are often already on the phone when a client calls, which prevents them from being able to take that call. So be understanding in that regard. But if your lawyer does not return your call, or at least have a member of his or her staff return your call (in the event that your attorney is away from the office for a period of a day or two on business) within 24 business hours, odds are you have a lousy lawyer who is not going to get any better.
If you have an attorney that responds to your questions with “you just have to trust that I know what I’m doing,” or “that’s the way the law works and I don’t expect you to understand,” odds are you have a lousy lawyer. If you have a lawyer that does not keep you apprised of developments in the case, even if the only thing to give you notice of is that nothing is happened lately and/or nothing is expected to happen anytime soon, odds are you have a lousy lawyer.
Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277