Switching Virginia (VA) Personal Injury Lawyers

Often in our Virginia injury law practice, we get a call from a client who is unhappy with the Virginia injury lawyer they have hired to handle their insurance claim arising from a car wreck injury.

There are many reasons why a client might be unhappy with a Virginia personal injury lawyer they first selected to handle their case. Some of the most common reasons that we hear for wanting to change attorneys are:

1. They have never met or heard from the attorney, but have only met with a paralegal or an investigator;

2. The attorney sounds too busy or too self-important to be responsive to phone calls and answering basic questions about the claim;

3.As the client learns more about the attorney or his law firm, the injured person comes to realize that the lawyer has not really handled this kind of serious injury lawsuit before or otherwise are not as experienced and knowledgeable as the client would like; and

4. The client, upon further reflection or recommendation of a doctor, family member or friend, realizes that they haven't chosen the best lawyer for the job.

All of these top reasons to want to fire your lawyer are potentially valid ones. The important thing for the client to know is they have an absolute right to change lawyers at anytime. All the injured person has to do is tell the attorney that their services are no longer required. The one thing to realize is that sooner is better than later. The fired attorney may have a claim for their time spent on the case multiplied times a reasonable hourly rate for a lawyer of their experience in the community.

The more time that has passed from hiring the lawyer to firing them can result in this claimed attorney fee lien beinghigher. Depending upon how big a case it is, the new Virginia injury lawyer that you hire may be willing to absorb some or all of that cost by paying it out of what would otherwise be their fee on the matter.

Also, the new Virginia injury lawyer can negotiate with your old Virginia personal injury attorney to get them to accept less than what they are claiming to resolve the payback. In any event, the money would not normally be owed until after the case is completed, meaning that there is no immediate cost to firing your old car or truck accident lawyer if you are not happy with the work they are doing.

We often receive calls from people who realize they made a mistake in the hiring of a lawyer at a different firm to handle their car crash/injury case. Typically we begin by encouraging the client to go back to the old attorney and try to solve the problem by communicating with them about what the client's needs are and the reason for their unhappiness.

Often, however, the relationship is so broken that the client no longer trusts the old Virginia personal injury attorney to properly handle their case. In those situations we will often agree to accept representation, particularly in the more serious injury or wrongful death cases.

If you or a loved one is dissatisfied with your current Virginia car accident injury lawyer, please don't hesitate to call us to discuss your legal options.

We realize that clients are often dissatisfied because they have chosen a factory-type law firm that treats them like a number, have chosen a lawyer who really doesn't specialize in personal injury cases, or have an attorney who is just not the right fit because they are always unavailable and not caring enough in the way they treat their clients.

Our Virginia injury law firm strives to have every Virginia accident client feel well informed, well cared for, and well pleased with our legal services.

    

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia (VA) injury law firm whose attorneys focus exclusively on personal injury and accident law. We have a proven track record in the court room, and you can review our case results to see for yourself. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in VA if you've been seriously hurt by the carelessness of another person or company.

Virginia injury lawyers Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Shapiro and Lewis have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. Rick, Jim and Randy have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law (Jim since '06, Rick since '10, and Randy since '12). This is a prestigious recognition that only 5 percent of lawyers receive.

We were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our Virginia Beach accident injury firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill. 

We also offer free special reports and edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard blog sites as a public information service.

Our attorneys have deep roots in Virginia and handle cases throughout the commonwealth including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton and Suffolk, VA. 

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential consultations, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to the high call volume, please leave a voicemail and we will get back to you shortly.