how long to wait for response from attorney

Full Answer

How long does it take for a lawyer to respond?

I emailed my lawyer specific questions and its been over 2 weeks. I don't live in the area, so email is the best way to communicate. I only contact her on the most specific of matters (Probate) not just to visit! Ask a lawyer - it's free! 2 weeks is a while. Most lawyers try to respond much more quickly.

What if my attorney does not respond within a business day?

If your attorney does not respond within a business day, he or she should provide you with a reason why they were unable to answer your question (typically, if your lawyer is working on multiple cases, he or she may be tied down in court on some days).

How long can a lawyer Keep you Waiting for a return-call?

This is a question that despite its simplicity touches on many aspects of your relationship to your lawyer. A simple answer is that it is discourteous for lawyers to keep you waiting for a return call for more than 24 hours. But the question also relates to the way that lawyer or law firm manages communication with clients.

Do you have to respond to a lawyer letter?

It’s always best to have an attorney respond, on your behalf, to a “lawyer letter,” or a phone call from a lawyer. If that’s not an option for you, though, make sure that you send a typed, written response to the attorney (by e-mail or mail), and keep a copy for yourself.

How often should I hear from my attorney?

There is no set formula for how often you will hear from your attorney. However, the key to a successful attorney client relationship is communication. Whenever there is an important occurrence in your case you will be contacted or notified.

Is it normal not to hear from your attorney?

Throughout the process of getting your financial settlement after becoming injured, there may be periods of time that you do not hear from your attorney. Although this can be unnerving, it is a normal part of the legal process.

Is it normal for lawyers not to respond?

Sometimes, lawyers take a bit longer than usual to respond because they are away from their office or traveling for business. If you have not heard back from your lawyer within 48 hours of sending them an important email, you should send another email just asking if there is any news or status about your case.

What do you do when a lawyer won't respond?

If your lawyer does not return your call, send them a letter and keep a copy. In the letter, describe what is bothering you and what you need. Suggest meeting with the lawyer face-to-face.

Is no news good news from your lawyer?

The bottom line is that this is generally one of those cases where “no news is good news” because it means your attorney is working on your case. The only time you should get concerned is if you need to speak to your attorney and you cannot get through nor have you received a return call.

How do you know if your lawyer is working for you?

Check your lawyer on legal sites such as Avvo or nolo, as well as on general sites like Google Places and Yelp! to see what other clients have to say. Search peer-review online databases such as martindale.com to see comments and opinions from other lawyers. 5. Get another lawyer's opinion.

Why do attorneys take so long to respond?

Once a case gets filed in court, things can really slow down. Common reasons why a case will take longer than one would hope can include: Trouble getting the defendant or respondent served. The case cannot proceed until the defendant on the case has been formally served with the court papers.

Why do lawyers drag out cases?

Their goal is to drag the case on and pay out as little as possible. This earns more money for the attorney, who gets paid by the hour, and also can help frustrate the plaintiff into making a better settlement for them out of desperation.

What should you not say to a lawyer?

Five things not to say to a lawyer (if you want them to take you..."The Judge is biased against me" Is it possible that the Judge is "biased" against you? ... "Everyone is out to get me" ... "It's the principle that counts" ... "I don't have the money to pay you" ... Waiting until after the fact.

Why do lawyers not return phone calls?

Returning a client's phone call is not an efficient use of their time. Often, if you get a return call at all it is a paralegal assigned to the case, and often this paralegal cannot answer many of the legal questions you may have.

What to do when your lawyer stops communicating with you?

If you have called your attorney, left messages, sent emails, and you still haven't heard a response, the best course of action is to send a certified letter to his or her office questioning the failure to communicate and informing them that you are prepared to find a new lawyer if the situation does not improve.

What is the most common complaint against lawyers?

Perhaps the most common kinds of complaints against lawyers involve delay or neglect. This doesn't mean that occasionally you've had to wait for a phone call to be returned. It means there has been a pattern of the lawyer's failing to respond or to take action over a period of months.

Jennifer L. Ellis

If your attorney is anything like me, she gets 160 emails a day. I understand your inquiry is important but not urgent, resend it with a return receipt request to be sure it is opened. If it gets urgent, resend it as a fex and call staff to ask for a prompt reply. More

Anthony Bettencourt Cameron

It is definitely not a good sign that you are posting this to strangers and not her. Two weeks sounds unreasonable but perhaps they are on vacation or the message was forgotten so follow up on same.

Eliot M. Wolf

This is a judgment call, and depends very much on your situation and its urgency. If you've got a hearing or a deadline coming up and you're trying to make a decision, then your situation may be very urgent, and that might justify following up more quickly, and more insistently, than otherwise...

William J. Dyer

The best way to communicate is the way that you and your lawyer have agreed to in advance. A lawyer is responsible to be communicative with a client, in fact, failing to do so is a serious ethical breach--but there is no hard and fast requirement in any state I am...

What happens if my attorney doesn't respond to my question?

If your attorney does not respond within a business day, he or she should provide you with a reason why they were unable to answer your question (typically, if your lawyer is working on multiple cases, he or she may be tied down in court on some days).

How to communicate with a lawyer?

Lawyer communication, competency, ethics, and fees are important aspects of an attorney-client relationship. As a summary you can expect your lawyer to do the following: 1 Give you advice about your legal situation 2 Keep you informed about your case 3 Tell you what he or she thinks will happen in your case 4 Allow you to make the important decisions regarding your case 5 Give you an estimate about what your case should cost 6 Assist you in any cost-benefit analyses that you may need 7 Keep in communication with you 8 Inform you of any changes, delays or setbacks 9 Give you the information you need to make good decisions, and 10 Prepare you for your case, including deposition and trial preparation.

What is lawyer communication?

Lawyer communication refers to the correspondence and communication between a client and his/her attorney. If you have a lawyer communication problem, you may be wondering if you have a bad attorney or if he or she is doing a poor job on your case. You should know that many states have laws regarding when and how a lawyer must communicate with clients.

What is billing at an attorney's rate?

Billing at an attorney's rate for work done by a paralegal or legal secretary. Complaints regarding over-charging for time spent on a case. The first thing that you should do upon finding and hiring the right lawyer for your case is to make sure that you get the fee agreement in writing that you can understand.

What are the most common problems lawyers have with their clients?

Fees. Disputes regarding attorneys' fees are perhaps the most common problem that clients have with their lawyers. Fee disputes typically arise for many reasons, but the following are the most common: Complaints about bills being too high. Disagreements over what kinds of fees would be charged to the client.

What is competency in law?

In addition to lawyer communication problems, you may also have problems with the competency of your lawyer's work. Competency relates to the core knowledge and expertise of an attorney in handling a client's legal issue. You should remember that lawyers are not machines and they are just as capable of making a mistake as anyone else ...

How long is the response time for a court case?

Usually the lower end of the response time is 7-days, and the upper end of the response time is 30-days. The other side can also request an extension of time, pushing the response date out even further. Until the response time has run, the judge shouldn’t make a ruling.

How long does it take for a judge to hear a motion?

In the states and federal courts I am familiar with, the lawyer files a motion and sets it for hearing about six weeks later, more or less, depending on the court’s docket.

How long does it take for a court to decide a typ?

Or the court may take the matter under submission and review the papers and argument before deciding. And that can take days, weeks, or sometimes months. A lot of this will be affected by the typ.

How long does it take to get to the jury in a lemon case?

It can take over a year for even a simple lemon law case to actually get to the jury trial point. (Let alone more complex litigation.) Generally speaking (there are a few exceptions), the other side gets an opportunity to respond to any motion.

Can a judge rule on a motion?

And occasionally, judges never rule on a motion. (If a judge doesn’t rule, the motion is considered denied.) There is little your attorney can do if the judge is sitting on a motion.

If you shoot a cop exactly when when they break in your home with a "no knock warrant", without you realising that they are cops, and then you surrender, will you be charged for attemped murder? If so, why?

If you shoot a cop exactly when when they break in your home with a "no knock warrant", without you realising that they are cops, and then you surrender, will you be charged for attemped murder? If so, why?

Why doesn't 'In God We Trust' violate 1A according to Engel v Vitale?

For disclaimer I'm a non-American so I apologise in advance for being completely ignorant.

If you find abandoned property in the wilderness, can you keep it?

Say you are out for an evening hike and you spot what appears to be an abandoned item - a backpack for example. You ignore the backpack and continue on your hike. The next day, it's still there.

Is it legal to make servers pay for their mistakes?

Many family owned restaurants require servers (and bartenders) to pay for their mistakes. This includes ringing food in wrong, customer walkouts, and sometimes even broken dishes. Is this legal?

What does the new Reddit user agreement and privacy policy basically change?

Can someone who has read through it breakdown the key updates that take effect Sept 12? From what I gather the site will collect everything you post. Has that always been the case?

Do you have a right to a trial if you are accused of committing a crime while in prison?

Some in another subreddit claimed prisoners don't get trials and can have years added to a sentence without trial. Is that true? How does that square with the right to be tried by your peers?

Divorce to avoid debt

Can you divorce a spouse that is likely to die to avoid medical debt if that debt was incurred while married?

Is litigation a complicated process?

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!

Do attorneys mind after hours calls?

Just like they don’t mind after-hours calls. Sometimes it’s necessary for you to volunteer. You’ll be surprised how receptive your attorney is to your assistance. Believe it or not, the amount of attorney’s fees is usually not a major complaint.

Can an army of marching attorneys help some clients?

We know that every case is not a winner. An army of marching attorneys can’t help some clients. The key is to be able to focus on the relevant law and facts immediately, so you don’t waste the client’s money and your time. If the attorney isn’t prosecuting your case, this probably wasn’t done. You can help.

Do lawyers have egos?

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.

What to do if mediation doesn't work?

If mediation doesn’t work, they can take their case before an arbiter, and agree, in writing, to abide by whatever decision the arbiter makes in arbitration. If you have received a “lawyer letter,” consider ADR as a next step for conflict resolution.

How to be reasonable in a conversation?

Be reasonable. This involves taking positions that you feel others can relate to, understand, or agree with. Being reasonable also involves giving others the benefit of the doubt, when possible.