You hope you make the right choice when you choose an injury attorney in Lafayette to handle your personal injury claim. But sometimes you may wish you had chosen differently.
Fortunately, you can usually switch personal injury lawyers during the middle of your case. There are rare circumstances in which a judge may not approve your request to substitute attorneys, such as if changing lawyers would delay your trial or prejudice the other parties.
Reasons You May Want to Switch Personal Injury Lawyers Mid-Case
There are numerous reasons you may wish to switch lawyers mid-case, including:
- Your attorney does not communicate well with you or does not return your phone calls and emails.
- You have lost faith in your attorney’s ability to help you recover the compensation you deserve.
- Your case is dragging on far longer than expected, and your attorney has not given you a valid reason for the delay.
- You no longer trust your attorney.
- Your attorney has missed important court deadlines in your case.
- You believe your attorney may have a conflict of interest.
- Your attorney does something that makes you question their ethics.
- You and your attorney disagree on strategy or the value of your claim.
You may be able to clear up some of these issues by having a frank conversation with your attorney. However, if you believe the attorney-client relationship is beyond repair, or if for any reason you are not comfortable continuing with the attorney’s representation, look for another lawyer.
Will Changing Lawyers Hurt My Case?
Whether changing your lawyer mid-case harms your claim depends on several factors. For example, if you switch lawyers just before a trial and your new lawyer does not have time to prepare and get up to speed adequately, you could hurt your case.
Additionally, if you make a bad choice when choosing a new lawyer, it can negatively impact your case. To help make a better choice, consider all the things you wish you had asked your original attorney, and be sure to ask them when choosing a new one. Some questions you may want to ask a potential new lawyer are:
- How many personal injury cases similar to mine have you handled?
- What do you believe my claim is worth, and how did you arrive at that value?
- Have you handled other cases in which the client has switched lawyers mid-case?
- What is your strategy for handling personal injury cases like mine?
- How often will you provide updates on my case? Will I usually communicate with you or another member of your team?
- What is your trial success rate with personal injury cases similar to mine?
- Do you feel comfortable handling my case? Do you have any concerns about taking over my case?
- Do you work on a contingency fee basis, and what percentage of my compensation will you be paid for your services?
Be sure you ask all the questions you have and don’t hesitate to ask the attorney you are interviewing to elaborate or explain in greater detail if you do not understand something.
Schedule a Free Consultation with An Anderson Blanda & Saltzman Personal Injury Lawyer Today
If you have been injured in an accident caused by another party, you may have the right to recover compensation for your damages. However, insurance companies will work to deny or devalue your claim, hoping to pay you as little as possible. You need the help of an experienced Louisiana personal injury attorney to protect your rights and help you secure maximum compensation.
Choosing an attorney to represent you is an important decision. Meet with the experienced personal injury attorneys at Anderson Blanda & Saltzman and see for yourself why injury clients trust us when it matters most. Our compassionate and experienced attorneys possess the skills, knowledge, and resources to help you recover every dollar to which you are entitled. Let us help you.
Call (337) 233-3366 or visit our contact page and schedule a free consultation to discuss your claim.