Five things not to say to a lawyer (if you want them to take you seriously)
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Jan 15, 2010 · Five things not to say to a lawyer (if you want them to take you seriously) "The Judge is biased against me" Is it possible that the Judge is "biased" against you? I suppose it's POSSIBLE, but the... "Everyone is out to get me" It may FEEL like everyone is out to get you, but the chances that this ...
It’s difficult to be totally honest because the issues are personal and can be embarrassing. Even when you know conversations with your attorney are confidential, some things make you feel ashamed so you are reluctant to be totally open about them. For example, suppose you have slapped or spanked your child or you are having an affair. You may be tempted to omit these details – but that’s dangerous because if your attorney doesn’t know about the potential problem, it may damage your case.
It’s difficult to be totally honest because the issues are personal and can be embarrassing. Even when you know conversations with your attorney are confidential, some things make you feel ashamed so you are reluctant to be totally open about ...
Bringing a friend to the meetings with your attorney may destroy attorney-client privilege. Being in a hurry will put you at a disadvantage and may increase the cost of your divorce. Never say never, because you will likely have to change your mind during the course of the divorce process.
A collaborative divorce is a cooperative process where an experienced team guides you through your divorce with minimal stress and expense. Litigation is an adversarial approach to divorce and involves going to court, presenting evidence, ...
Making a marriage work can be challenging, especially when one spouse is considering divorce. It takes time and effort to rebuilt a relationship, but if both spouses are committed to making the marriage work, reconciliation is possible. 1.
He has over twenty years experience resolving disputes involving divorce, probate, wills, and trusts. Harry was an adjunct law professor at the University of Texas and St. Mary’s University. He has published several textbooks and over forty psychological and legal articles. Harry has been a forensic psychology expert, a licensed psychologist and a litigator.
If you're not satisfied with your lawyer's strategy decisions or with the arguments the lawyer has been making on your behalf, you may even want to go to the law library and do some reading to educate yourself about your legal problem.
If that doesn't work, as a last resort you may need to sue your lawyer in small claims court, asking the court for money to compensate you for what you've spent on redoing work in the file or trying to get the file.
If you lost money because of the way your lawyer handled your case, consider suing for malpractice. Know, however, that it is not an easy task. You must prove two things:
Every state has an agency responsible for licensing and disciplining lawyers. In most states, it's the bar association; in others, the state supreme court. The agency is most likely to take action if your lawyer has failed to pay you money that you won in a settlement or lawsuit, made some egregious error such as failing to show up in court, didn't do legal work you paid for, committed a crime, or has a drug or alcohol abuse problem.
If you want to sue for legal malpractice, do it as quickly as possible. A common defense raised by attorneys sued for malpractice is that the client waited too long to sue. And because this area of the law can be surprisingly complicated and confusing, there's often plenty of room for argument.
But all states except Maine, New Mexico, and Tennessee do have funds from which they may reimburse clients whose attorneys stole from them.
Prevent insurance fraud — make sure you’re not outright lying. Settle claims for a low amount. Settle claims quickly. Often, insurance adjusters deal with 100 claims per month. They have a lot on their plate, and they don’t necessarily have specialized medical or legal training.
Car accidents are very frightening. At the end of the day, you feel grateful to still be living and breathing. Combined with adrenaline, this feeling can make your injuries seem less consequential. But often, a report comes back, stating your injury is more serious than you originally thought.
Avoid giving a lot of details about the injury. Car accidents are very frightening. At the end of the day, you feel grateful to still be living and breathing. Combined with adrenaline, this feeling can make your injuries seem less consequential.
Naturally, gathering evidence isn’t at the top of your priorities — you just want to make sure everyone is safe. But just a couple days after a car accident, you’ll get a call from an insurance claims adjuster. You need to be very careful what you say — you’d be surprised ...
Lack of communication is a big problem for some law firm clients. Yes, legal practices are very busy. They have lots of clients — not just you. However, before a lawyer signs on to take your case, they need to know if the firm has the capacity to handle it.
Yes, legal practice s are very busy. They have lots of clients — not just you. However, before a lawyer signs on to take your case, they need to know if the firm has the capacity to handle it. There’s no excuse for not returning phone calls or emails within a reasonable amount of time.
Reason #1: Your lawyer isn’t returning your calls. Lack of communication is a big problem for some law firm clients. Yes, legal practices are very busy. They have lots of clients — not just you. However, before a lawyer signs on to take your case, they need to know if the firm has the capacity to handle it. There’s no excuse for not returning phone ...
Before you hire an attorney, you’ll sign a contract that sets forth the lawyer’s fees. Most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency basis, which means they get paid a percentage of the damages you receive. However, they’re also going to charge you for additional expenses that come up while the case is in process.
Your lawyer has a duty to pursue your legal action with zealous representation. That’s legal-speak for the concept that the lawyer should do everything that’s reasonably feasible to advocate for, or represent, their client.
Your lawyer has a duty to pursue your legal action with zealous representation. That’s legal-speak for the concept that the lawyer should do everything that’s reasonably feasible to advocate for, or represent, their client. Almost every law student is taught about zealous representation in law school, but some might forget or become less motivated as the years go by.
So even though it’s a killer, it’s a sure-fire attention-getter. In fact, it’s so reliable that if the attorney doesn’t respond, you’re probably better off with another.
Litigation is a slow, complicated, unpredictable, expensive process. To the extent your lawyer can expedite, simplify, win, and reduce the fees, he’s the one for you . I hope you don’ t need to get the attention of your attorney. But if you do, this should help. Good luck!
You don’t have to write the Gettysburg Address. Just confirm the status of the case, fee or whatever else was discussed. State the next step that must be done, who is going to do it, and when it will be completed.
Chapter 52 in The Placement Strategy Handbook is entitled “How to Select an Attorney.” Still, we receive many calls from placers ranging from inquiries to insurrection about the way an attorney is handling a case. This doesn’t mean the clients are right. But it does mean the attorney-client relationship has been damaged.
When you hire an attorney to handle a particular legal matter, you are creating a relationship that comes with certain rights and responsibilities. If you feel your rights have been violated by the attorney you hired to represent you, you may be able to write a letter or file a complaint against that attorney. Steps.
Before you file your complaint make sure you are sending it to the correct entity. Not only do you have to worry about whether to make a complaint to the bar association or to the district attorney, you also need to make sure you make the complaint to the correct office.
Include as much information as possible, including times, dates, and places. A request for relief.
These time limitations will vary by state, but in general it is a period of years. For example, in Florida, you have six years from the time the matter giving rise to the complaint is discovered.
Wait for an initial response. After you send in your formal complaint, you should hear back in a matter of weeks. The initial response you receive will be based on a review of the information you submitted. In general, the response will let you know whether the state bar is:
Ultimately, a number of factors will determine the sentence you receive. This mostly includes the crime itself, your previous criminal record, the details surrounding your case, and how your case may have impacted others. However, in many situations, a good sentencing statement can make a big difference.
Following a guilty plea, a defendant is usually given a formal chance to address the court to show regret and explain personal circumstances that may be taken into account at their sentencing. This is an allocution statement.
Many people are unaware of how important their statement is. They assume that the evidence against them is the only thing that matters in their sentencing. The truth is, while the evidence does play a big role in the grand scheme of sentencing, so does the defendant’s behavior.
While this post provides a good basis for what you should do and say (and NOT say) at a sentencing hearing, it is best to speak with an experienced defense lawyer who can offer more personalized advice based on the facts of your case.