Posted in Personal Injury on January 10, 2023
If you’ve been injured due to the negligence of another individual and are working to recover compensation through a lawsuit, there is a good chance you have a lawyer by your side already. These claims can be difficult, and having an attorney assisting you through the process is crucial. However, will you be able to switch lawyers in the middle of your case?
There may be various reasons why a person needs to change personal injury lawyers while their case is ongoing, but this could lead to some issues.
Switching Lawyers Could Lead to Delays
There is nothing wrong with changing your mind about working with somebody. There may be various reasons why a person wants to switch personal injury lawyers during the middle of a claim. This could be due to personality differences between a client and their attorney or an injury victim noticing or thinking that their attorney is not doing everything they can to recover a maximum settlement.
Regardless of the reason for switching attorneys, injury victims should be mindful that this may lead to delays in their claims. However, the court could stop a person from switching an attorney if a delay seems imminent. Sometimes, a court will prevent a late attorney switch because there are individuals who switch lawyers just to delay their cases. Any individual thinking about switching their lawyers needs to do so right away. The sooner a person changes their lawyer, the less chance that the court will say no.
You also need to be sure that the new attorney you want to work with does not have a conflict of interest in the case. For example, if the lawyer you wish to work with represents one of the other parties and any other way, this would represent a conflict of interest. The lawyer could have a conflict with the judge overseeing the case, which would mean you would be unable to switch to that lawyer.
The Importance of Vetting Your Personal Injury Lawyer
You have the right to choose your own attorney when it comes to civil personal injury claims. However, it is essential that you try and make the right choice for the first time. Personal injury cases will operate much smoother if you have one lawyer examining and handling the case from the beginning. These cases can become incredibly complex, and switching lawyers in the middle of a case would mean that a new attorney has to start from scratch and relearn everything that the other attorney already knows.
We encourage you to take advantage of free consultations with multiple personal injury lawyers in your area before making a decision about who you want to work with. At Harting Simkins & Ryan, LLP, we firmly believe in a client’s right to recover compensation from other parties who have caused them harm. Contact our Long beach personal injury attorneys for guidance.
We offer free consultations, and we take injury claims on a contingency fee basis. This means that clients pay no legal fees until after we successfully recover the compensation they are entitled to. We believe, as any personal injury firm should, that individuals should have access to their attorney to ask any questions or concerns while their case is ongoing. We want to make this process as comfortable as possible for our clients.