subject: Work Habit Red Flags For Criminal Lawyers [print this page] It is often the quality of a legal team that plays a huge role in whether a case has a successful conclusion or not. It would be wonderful if all criminal lawyers were equally competent, skilled, trustworthy and ethical. Unfortunately, that is not the case. It is not always easy to know exactly how to go about selecting a good lawyer and how to steer clear of a bad one. You must learn to trust your instincts and to watch out for the work habit red flags identified below.
All criminal lawyers have their own work habits. For the client, these work habits can signal a competent legal provider or in other cases, could be warning signs that the time has come to look for legal representation elsewhere.
Phone calls that do not get returned or take far too long to be returned are red flags that you should not ignore. An attorney who does not get back to a client in a timely fashion is someone who does not make client services a top priority. He might have so many cases on the go that he is too busy for you or he may be ignoring you for other reasons.
Unanswered e-mails can be as frustrating as calls that go unanswered. Waiting on an e-mail that does not get a reply could indicate that the legal practitioner is stressed, busy, not available or is so overwhelmed by work that your case has been given little priority.
All criminal lawyers have deadlines they have to meet when it comes to the cases they are defending. Missing deadlines, such as court filings is not good. It has the potential to seriously harm your case. If you hire a defense attorney who misses one deadline, that is one thing, but consistently missing them is a very bad sign. You need to end the relationship and find new counsel.
Speaking of missed deadlines, attorneys need to have a reliable and organized calendaring system in order to perform their legal duties properly. This is critical for making sure that all deadlines are met, as well as for booking appointments and setting priorities for their clients. It can be disastrous and can lead to inefficiency if a defense attorney is ill prepared for practically everything on his work schedule.
A bad attitude displayed by your legal representation is a sign that you need to take your business to different criminal lawyers. If you are working with an individual who is rude to you, condescending or impatient, you need to terminate what you have. The same can be said if the person is difficult, argues or gets angry with you, is uncommunicative, moody or generally uncooperative. A poor relationship between an attorney and client may lead to a tug of war situation, as well as conflicts, tension and a whole lot of headaches that neither one of you wants or needs.
