Legal Question in Personal Injury in California
I was hit in my car from behind by the company I work for. I hired a lawyered in the same city( santa monica california). My lawyer was hired on 1-03-2011 and has yet to file a complaint against my company. Is it to late for me to fire this lawyer? Is it normal practice not to file immedately? How can I fire my lawyer with out my lawyer putting a lein on my case?
6 Answers from Attorneys
Yes, you can fire him immediately. It depends on the type of case, I do not always file all my cases immediately. You are welcome to call me at your convenience, I handle cases throughout the state.
Have you attempted to contact the lawyer? It is not at all unusual for a lawyer to spend some time investigating the applicable law and attempting to settle out of court. However, you do have the absolute right to fire your lawyer at any time, and to demand the return of your file.
It is your case and the attorney should realize that and clearly communicate with you. If you have left phone messages with no response why not e-mail? Explain your concerns. However, immediately filing a lawsuit is not necessarily the best approach. If you are still treating you should focus on recovering first. Legal fees and costs increase with litigation and until the attorney has hasd an opportunity to see the doctor's final medical report with a diagnosis and prognosis (lisitng any future or long term problems that you might have) to determine the value of your case. That being said, as noted above, you can terminate the attorney-client relationship any time kyou become dissatisfied or lose confidence in your attorney. YOUR file would just need to be transferred from the old attorney to your new attorney. The fired attorney would be entitled to any out-of pocket-legal expenses and the value of the documented time put in the case but that sould come out of the settlement proceeds and not your pocket. I hope this helps. Bob (818) 222-2433
My firm handles car accident cases all over the State of California. You may call me for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 x. 1.
My website is located at www.thepersonalinjury.com .
You potentially have a worker's compensation claim as well if your purpose for driving was work-related, because your question suggested that your injury was job-related. Feel free to call us at 213.388.7070 for a free consultation.
We understand your situation and we believe that your case should be given a more thorough evaluation in order to be sure that you get the maximum relief, granted your situation. Accordingly, we would be willing to discuss your case and give you a free consultation to make sure that you are aware of all the important facts surrounding your case, as well as all your legal options to pursue your claim. Feel free to call us at (310) 826-6300. You may also visit our website at www.mesrianilaw.com for our firm�s background information.