Good communication is the cornerstone of any good relationship. Communication at home, in the workplace, and in professional settings makes it possible to accomplish more than would otherwise be possible.

1. Staying In Touch With Your Attorney
Good communication is the cornerstone of any good relationship. Communication at home, in the
workplace, and in professional settings makes it possible to accomplish more than would otherwise be
possible. It is especially important to have good communication with your lawyer. Legal issues can be
complicated and time-consuming; it might take several weeks before the legal process you’re engaged
in is completed. Many people are surprised to discover just how much waiting goes on in between the
time that a legal process is begun and when it concludes. It’s frustrating and even disheartening to feel
like nothing is happening at all. You might be trying to complete a complicated divorce or waiting to
have your case heard by a judge in court. In the meantime, you are waiting to hear back from your
lawyer. If your attorney won’t return phone call you’re probably feeling concerned – and
understandably so. When you haven’t heard from your lawyer in a while you might be wondering
what’s going on and worried about whether or not the case is moving in a positive direction.
When this happens, it is important to stay cool. Remain calm; there’s no reason to assume that your
lawyer isn’t hard at work on your case. In fact, there’s a good chance that your attorney is also waiting
for people to return his or her calls! People are sometimes very reluctant to speak to lawyers and so
don’t readily return phone messages. This is especially true when a lawyer’s client is pursuing a lawsuit
against an individual or an organization. Your lawyer won’t give up trying to communicate with the
other party but the reality is that communication doesn’t always happen quickly. It might be the case
that your lawyer is waiting until something happens before speaking with you again. Since some
lawyers will bill their clients for the time spent discussing their case over the phone, this small delay can
actually save the client some money.
If you find that your attorney won’t return phone call, there are a couple other things you can do. You
can ask to speak with your attorney’s secretary and ask if there has been any new progress made on
your case. The secretary will be able to let you know what your case’s current status is. This is a good
way to track the smaller developments taking place. Another way to check on your case’s progress is to
write a letter to your lawyer. A simple typed note asking for an update is all that’s necessary. Ask to be
informed of what’s going on and be sure to include your return mailing address.
If you are still unable to contact your lawyer and if he or she has not responded to either phone calls or
letters, you can take your file and find attorney that will. The file that has been created over the course
of your case actually belongs to you; you can request a copy at any time. If you do choose to collect
your file, this means that the attorney you’ve been working with will stop working on your case. You’ll
have to start over from the beginning with a new lawyer, so only take this step if you’re certain that your
current lawyer is neglecting your case.