Can You Replace Your Lawyer?

Can You Replace Your Lawyer?

lawyer and clientImagine this scenario: you were in an accident that caused serious injuries. Stressed about mounting medical bills and losing work, you picked the first lawyer whose name you came across in the phone book (or online). But it just isn’t working out for you. What can you do?

There are many reasons why a relationship between a client and lawyer may not work. It may be as simple as a personality clash, or perhaps the lawyer is not as diligent as he or she should be in returning calls or communicating about the case. Whatever the reason, it isn’t unusual for a client to want to switch attorneys.

The question for many clients is how to go about doing this. Do you need a particular reason to fire your lawyer?  Will you have to pay extra fees? What do you have to do to make it happen? Read on to learn more about replacing your lawyer from an experienced Long Island personal injury attorney.

When You Can Change Your Lawyer

Here is the good news:  you can replace your lawyer at any time, and for any reason. If you feel that your attorney is not doing a good job, that she is not representing your interests well, or you simply want to hire a different Long Island personal injury attorney, you can make that decision.

There are no rules governing when you, as the client, can replace your lawyer. If you are not happy with your lawyer, then you can terminate his or her services without notice for any reason. Ideally, you should have a new Long Island personal injury attorney ready to take on the case so that no deadlines are missed and that your case does not lapse while you look for a new lawyer.

As the client, you are in charge. While your attorney has the legal knowledge, he or she works for you. You have the right to change lawyers if you are not satisfied with his or her representation.

What Do You Have to Pay?

In personal injury cases, it is standard for lawyers to work on a contingency fee basis. This type of fee arrangement means that you do not pay any fees upfront. Instead, you sign an agreement with your attorney whereby he or she receives a percentage of your settlement or award if you receive a settlement or an award. If you do not recover any money, then your attorney is not entitled to a fee.

For this reason, you will generally not have to pay your new lawyer a fee. Instead, all attorneys who have worked on your case will share the fee between them, if they are entitled to a fee. For example, assume that your case settles for $90,000 and the contingency fee arrangement is 30%. If there were no expenses, then the two lawyers would come to an agreement on how to share the $30,000 fee, or a court will make a decision on how the fee would be split.

Steps to Take to Replace Your Lawyer

If you decide to replace your attorney, you do not have to fire him or her again. Once you have consulted with a Long Island personal injury attorney and decided to retain him or her, your new lawyer can speak directly to your former attorney. The new lawyer will typically send your old attorney a letter. From there, the two should be able to work out an arrangement for getting your files transferred.

Generally, there should not be a delay in your case when you change lawyers. All attorneys operate under a code of professional responsibility, and have certain ethical obligations. Both your new attorney and your former lawyer should be able to come to an agreement so that your case can move forward and you can get the money that you deserve for your injuries.

How a Long Island Personal Injury Attorney Can Help

If you are dissatisfied with your current lawyer for any reason, know that you have the power to make a change. You are in control of the situation, and you have every right to find a new Long Island personal injury attorney who will better meet your needs. Whether your attorney is not advocating for you aggressively enough or is simply not a good match for your personality, replacing your lawyer is a straightforward process that can help make the legal process less stressful for you.

At Siler & Ingber, we pride ourselves on working collaboratively with our clients, forming a strong relationship with each individual. By working together, we can help you achieve your goals for your personal injury case. To learn more or to schedule a free initial consultation, contact us today at 877-718-6079, or online anytime. We never charge a fee unless we recover money for you.

Share this post

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

PROMOTION PERIOD: The Siler & Ingber Mineola MegaStar Contest begins on March 20, 2023 at 12:00 am ET and
ends on May 1, 2023 at 11:59 PM ET.

ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible, a MegaStar must be a legal U.S. resident at least 16 years of age as of date of
Nomination. A Mineola MegaStar is defined as a person who lives or works in Mineola and is admired or idealized for their courage, dedication, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. By participating, Entrants agree to be
bound by the official rules. Sponsors reserve the right to verify and determine eligibility in their sole discretion.

TO PARTICIPATE: During the Promotion Period, Siler & Ingber will accept from the members of the public (herein, the “Nominators”) nominations of Eligible Entrants (Mineola Megastars) who live or works in Mineola. Nominations may be entered by visiting www.nylawnet.com/mineolamegastar and completing the online form and essay submission or by emailing photo and essay to marketing@nylawnet.com during the Promotion Period to receive one (1) entry. Essay must not exceed 500 words. Acceptable essay formats are word documents or pdf ONLY. Nominations submitted without all required information or after the Promotion Period will be disregarded.
Online submissions must be received by May 1, 2023 at 11:59 PM ET to be eligible. All entries become the exclusive property of Siler & Ingber and will not be acknowledged or returned.

ESSAY: During the promotion period, an Entrant can nominate a Mineola MegaStar for the contest by submitting a
photo and essay. The essay must describe why the individual should be chosen as the award winner, including how the individual demonstrates some or all of the following qualifications:

1) an inspiring example to others by helping make Mineola a better place to live (through volunteerism, extra-curricular actives, special projects, giving back, etc.)

2) going above and beyond to aid a friend, family member, stranger or community in a time of need; and/or

3) love of profession and desire, determination and diligence to help outside of normal job responsibilities. The essay must be in English and no more than 500 words. All information provided must be truthful, accurate and complete. An Entrant cannot nominate more than one Hero.

Submitted Materials: Each essay must satisfy all the following submission requirements the Submission


Requirements:

· The essay must be the original creation of Entrant.

· The essay must not portray any recognizable individual without their prior consent, including consent from the
Hero.

· Entrant must either own all rights to the essay or otherwise have the right to submit the essay in the contest and to provide the rights to Sage Surfaces as set forth herein.

· The essay must not infringe any third party’s intellectual property rights.

· The essay may not contain illegal, indecent, obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit content, or otherwise offensive material or inappropriate content such as aberrational behavior, graphic violence, drug abuse, or nudity.

· The essay must not promote bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age.

· The essay must be non-defamatory and must not invade any third party’s right of privacy or publicity.

· The essay must otherwise be appropriate for publication or broadcast or display on a general interest website.

By submitting an essay, each Entrant represents and warrants that the essay meets all of the submission
requirements and that the distribution, reproduction, display and any other uses of any part of the essay by Siler & Ingber as permitted herein will not infringe any third-party rights. Each Entrant further agrees to indemnify and hold Siler & Ingber harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, damages, costs, liabilities and causes of action of whatsoever nature that are based upon or arise out of any breach by such Entrant of such warranties or representations made by contestant or of these official rules.

By submitting an essay, Entrant grants to Siler & Ingber a non-exclusive, perpetual, world-wide, royalty-free license (and waives all moral rights in and to the essay) to display or otherwise use the essay in connection with this promotion and as set forth herein. If Siler & Ingber determines, in its sole discretion and at any time during the promotion period, that any nomination violates the submission requirements, is otherwise unsuitable, offensive, or in poor taste, or violates these official rules, Siler & Ingber reserves the right to remove and disqualify the essay. Siler & Ingber retains sole
discretion as to whether any nomination satisfies the submission requirements and the official rules.

WINNER SELECTION: For the entry period, a panel of judges will select potential Mineola Megastar finalists based on the compelling nature of the essay based on the criteria set forth herein. Top 5 entries will be announced on May 10, 2023. We will post the top 5 on social media. Final winner announced May 15, 2023. Award Ceremony for Mineola MegaStar will take place on May 19, 2023.


WINNER NOTIFICATION AND RELEASES: We will attempt to notify potential winners via telephone and/or email. If a potential winner: (a) does not respond within 48 hours of initial notification attempt; (b) is not in compliance with these official rules, (c) does not meet the eligibility requirements, (d) declines the prize, he or she will be disqualified, and an alternate winner will be selected by applying the criteria set forth above.
PRIZES: There is 1 Mineola MegaStar. Winner will receive a $500 Cash Prize.

PUBLICITY AND MARKETING: Submission of a nomination in the contest constitutes permission to Siler & Ingber to use Entrants name, identity, title, likeness, distinctive appearance, physical likeness, image, portrait, picture, photograph (whether still or moving), screen persona, voice, vocal style, statements, gesture, mannerism, personality, performance characteristic, biographical data, signature, social media handles and identities, and any other indicia or imitation of identity or likeness for purposes of advertising and trade, in any medium, without further notice, approval, or compensation, unless prohibited by law.

PRIZE RESTRICTIONS: No transfer, assignment, sale, duplication, cash redemption or substitution of Prize (or portion of Prize) is permitted, except by Sponsors, which reserve the right to substitute a Prize (or applicable portion of Prize) with one of comparable or greater value, as determined by Sponsors. Sponsors are not responsible for and will not replace a lost or stolen Prize or any component thereof. All Prize details are at Sponsors’ sole and absolute discretion. Non-compliance with these Official Rules may result in disqualification and, at Sponsors’ sole discretion, the awarding of Prize to an alternate winner.

VERIFICATION OF OFFICIAL WINNER: ALL PRIZE WINNERS ARE SUBJECT TO ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION BY SPONSORS, WHOSE DECISIONS ARE FINAL AND BINDING IN ALL MATTERS RELATED TO THE CONTEST.

Do I Have A Case

    Skip to content