Below is a picture of a client waiting for their lawyer or mediator to call them back. I was going to edit out their skull to protect their identity, but I guess that is not really necessary. I think they have waited a pretty long time for a call back, perhaps a little too long!
It seems as though almost every week I speak with someone who tells me about a person they know who had a lawyer for something and the lawyer failed to return the client’s telephone calls. Of course, they are not referring to me because I make client communications a top priority! I have been hired because people were unhappy with the client service received from their first attorney. To all of you lawyers with poor client service skills, thanks!
If your attorney will not get back to you in a reasonable amount of time then I think you should consider a new lawyer. Why some folks in my profession find this to be acceptable is difficult for me to comprehend. If the lawyer does a lot of litigation work, then they should have a system in place where a paralegal or other attorney can return calls until your lawyer is out of court or can return your call the next day.
In our hi-tech times, some folks expect an almost instantaneous return call, which may not always be possible. But I think calls should be returned almost always the same day, and if not, then the next day.
Especially in family law cases, clients may be pretty stressed out. If someone has a question or needs to tell me something, I want to be available to that person as quickly as possible. If not, their stress level will increase and that is not good for the client or the attorney (or mediator).
