So you lost a case and you thought it was a sure winner. The results of many cases are decided on the day you hire a lawyer. It is thus necessary for you to know the attributes of a good and a bad lawyer.
If you are looking for a good Rockland County appeals attorney, there are a few points you should keep in mind so that you don’t end up hiring a bad lawyer and consequently losing the case.
Here are some of the attributes of a bad lawyer:
- Bad work habits: An unresponsive lawyer is the very first thing that you will notice in a bad lawyer. If he doesn’t return your calls and doesn’t answer your emails, it’s a clear sign that the lawyer is not all that interested in you. If the lawyer is unresponsive, this means he has some other case/cases in priority or simply bad work habits. This is a bad news since this means the lawyer is not taking your case seriously enough for you to rely on his ability to use his best efforts on your behalf.
- Missing deadlines: Missing a deadline can have adverse repercussions on your case. One reason why this can happen is, lack of good calendaring system. If your lawyer is consistently missing a deadline you should not waste your time and get a new lawyer immediately.
- Refusal to provide references: You can ask the lawyer to provide the contacts of some of his past clients. Knowing their satisfaction with the lawyer and the extent of their satisfaction is very important.
- Disorderly and unorganized workplace:If the workplace looks unkempt and disheveled, it is a sign of an inefficient organization. A lawyer cannot afford to lose a paper and every paper is important for him. If the office space is not in good condition and needs repair, it can be a sign of some financial trouble.
Also, if the lawyer has a backlog of unopened mail, this means that the staff or the lawyer is too lazy and unorganized. If you see these things in the office of the lawyer, it is in your best interest that you red-flag the lawyer.
- Unhappy staff:If you notice that most of the staff members are unhappy, this means there is a lack of communication between them or there is some problem in the cases that the lawyer is handling, neither of the two is desirable for you.
If the office has high attrition rate, this means that the employees are not willing to work for the firm which is a bad sign for any firm. Also, it will be difficult for the new employee to understand the details and start working on it.
- Bad Billing Practice: There are many bad billing practices performed by unethical lawyers, these include, overbilling, vague billing, surcharges on legal expenses and putting hidden expenses. If such kind of billing practice is done, you should start looking for a new lawyer immediately.
The above-mentioned attributes should be identified at an early stage. It is important that you notice these things before it’s too late and you lose a case, along with the legal fees.