Hiring an attorney means putting your trust in a professional who you expect to behave ethically. You don’t expect them to commit legal malpractice when handling your case. Even if you trust your lawyer, you should still keep an eye out for these signs of malpractice.
Lawyers are expected to work with their clients. If you don’t have access to your attorney, there might be a problem. Some are pretty busy, so you might not be able to get in touch with them right away. They should still respond to you within a reasonable amount of time.
It isn’t enough for them to stay in contact with you. They also need to include you in the decision-making. They shouldn’t make choices about your case without speaking to you first unless you’ve already laid out a plan for specific circumstances and they’re acting on those.
Your attorney should also understand procedures and terminology in the courts. If they get these things wrong, you might have an ineffective counsel. Having a competent lawyer is necessary, so don’t skirt around this issue if you happen to notice it.
Many components of a legal case are time-sensitive. If your lawyer is filing things late, you might need to find a new one. It might not be a huge deal if this only happens once, but it is inexcusable if it happens often.
You do have options if you’re dealing with legal malpractice. Learning how you might handle your case is beneficial, but make sure you don’t wait too long. There are time limits in these cases.