How To Address Harm after Legal Malpractice
When you hire an attorney to help you with your legal challenges, you expect that your attorney is going to elevate your case with their experience and legal expertise. You likely anticipate your case going much smoother with an attorney than without and that you will improve your chances for securing the most favorable outcome. In general, when people use an attorney, the statistics bear out that they increase their chances for success.
But when your attorney is not serving you well or doing their job effectively and you notice, could there be any remedies or actions for you to take in response? Depending on what your legal challenge is, the outcome could be life-changing which is why you decided to work with an attorney, to begin with. Legal malpractice can have very serious and severe consequences. This is why when you suspect that your lawyer is not providing you with sound and responsive legal services, understanding your rights and options to address the problem is critical.
What to Do If You Are Experiencing Legal Malpractice
There are several problems that can constitute legal malpractice including:
- Unresponsiveness and poor communication with your attorney can keep you in the dark with regard to how your case is progressing and put you at a disadvantage. A lawyer has an ethical standard to abide by which includes communication with their clients and given that there are many different methods to make this happen such as text, calling, email, in-person meetings, and online meetings, there is no reason why your attorney should be absent from communications with you.
- Deceitful actions and lying are inherently improper and could be grounds for filing a suit against your attorney.
- Overbilling and misbilling a client is a problem. You have the right to know what you are being billed for, how your money is being used, and if it is in accordance with your fee agreement. If you are not getting itemized bills, do not pay your attorney until you can get more clarification of where your money is going to ensure it is accurate.
- If your lawyer is not providing you with competent legal counsel that is up to the expected standard any other lawyer would in your same situation, then you should take swift action to address the problem.
The following actions may be suitable for legal malpractice in Ohio:
- Put poor communication issues in writing by sending a letter to your attorney politely asking why they are not responsive and see if you can fix the situation. Or, you can try and set up a mediation with your lawyer to iron out your issues.
- If you are not happy with the services you are receiving you can fire your lawyer.
- Filing a complaint with the state agency responsible for disciplinary actions against negligent attorneys may be the right approach.
- Filing a legal malpractice lawsuit against your attorney may also be appropriate.
Speak to a Cincinnati Legal Malpractice Attorney
You should trust your instincts if you feel like something is not right with the legal representation you are receiving. Because of the serious repercussions that can happen if legal malpractice is not addressed, getting a second opinion of your situation may be in your best interest. For residents of Ohio, the Cincinnati legal malpractice attorney at The Green Law Firm can go over your case with you and discuss what viable options or actions may exist to remedy your situation. Call The Green Law Firm today to schedule a free consultation with an Ohio malpractice lawyer at (513) 769-0840.