When you hire an attorney to represent you in a car accident claim, you try to make a wise choice. However, if you become dissatisfied with your first choice, you may wonder if you can switch lawyers.
In most cases, you can choose another Oklahoma City personal injury lawyer to take over your case. In rare cases, however, the judge may not approve of an attorney substitution. A judge is most likely to deny a substitution of counsel if a trial is pending and a new attorney would not have time to prepare.
Why You Might Want to Switch Oklahoma City Injury Lawyers Mid-Case
There are several reasons you may wish to switch lawyers mid-case, including:
- Your attorney does not communicate well with you or does not return your phone calls and emails.
- You have lost faith in your attorney’s ability to help you recover the compensation you deserve.
- Your case is dragging on far longer than expected and your attorney has not given you a valid reason for the delay.
- You no longer trust your attorney.
- Your attorney has missed important court deadlines in your case.
- You believe your attorney may have a conflict of interest.
- Your attorney does something that makes you question their ethics.
- You and your attorney disagree on strategy or the value of your claim.
Some of these issues can be resolved by discussing your concerns with your attorney. If you still feel uncomfortable with continuing the attorney-client relationship, you should respect your instinct and consult another attorney.
Can Switching Lawyers Hurt My Case?
Depending on the stage of your claim, switching Oklahoma City car accident lawyers may have a negative impact on your case. If you insist on hiring a new attorney just before trial, the judge may not agree to your change or may order that the new attorney must be prepared to try the case on the scheduled trial date.
If your new attorney does not have sufficient time due to the statute of limitations, changing lawyers could hurt your case.
In some cases, changing lawyers may also change the timeline of your case to allow your new attorney to get up to speed or to complete work that was not handled properly by your first attorney.
Switching lawyers may also hurt your case if you choose unwisely when hiring a new lawyer. To help make a better choice, make a list of questions to ask the attorney you are considering. Some helpful questions may include:
- How many car accident claims similar to mine have you handled?
- What do you believe my claim is worth, and how did you arrive at that value?
- Have you handled other cases in which the client has switched lawyers mid-case?
- What is your strategy for handling my case?
- How will you communicate with me?
- What is your trial success rate with car accident claims similar to mine?
- Do you feel comfortable handling my case?
- Do you believe you can help me recover maximum compensation for my damages?
Ask all questions you have and follow up on them if you do not understand or they lead to additional questions. You want to be confident in your choice.
Choosing the Right Car Accident Lawyer
You need to feel confident in your choice of car accident lawyer. At Warhawk Legal, our car accident attorneys offer free consultations to discuss your claim. We will listen to you, answer your questions, and explain your rights. If we represent you, we will fight tirelessly to help you recover every dollar you deserve.
Schedule a free consultation today by calling (405) 294-1243 or completing the short form on our contact page.