Karon Law Blog

How Soon Should Your Lawyer Return Your Phone Call?

By Jonathan A. Karon

Surveys repeatedly show that the most common reason lawyers get fired is not returning their clients’ phone calls.  That’s as it should be.  Frankly, if your lawyer won’t return your phone calls or respond to your emails, you should probably get a new lawyer.  At my firm, our goal is to return all client calls within 24 hours.   Of course, if you call on a weekend, it’s going to take longer.  Also, sometimes I’m on trial or there are other special circumstances where we can’t get back to you as quickly as we’d like. But under normal circumstances it’s reasonable to expect your lawyer to respond to you within a day. 

Clients deserve to have their calls returned promptly because one of the most valuable services a lawyer provides is explaining the legal process and answering client questions.  No honest trial lawyer can guarantee a particular result but we all can make sure our clients understand what to expect and how their case is being handled.  From a trial lawyer’s perspective, keeping in touch with clients also helps us do a better job.  Trial lawyers need to know their clients to effectively present their case to a jury.   

I’ve recently become aware of a related problem that really surprised me. Some people who’ve retained other law firms don’t even know what lawyer is assigned to their case.  That’s not how it’s done at most personal injury firms, but it seems like it’s happening more frequently these days. Over the years I’ve worked with a number of very good paralegals and law clerks and sometimes that’s the right person for a client to speak with.  But there needs to be a lawyer supervising your case and if you don’t know who that is and the law firm you hired won’t tell you, you should consider hiring a new lawyer.  

One of the pleasures of my profession is getting to know my clients and one of the obligations of my profession is being available for them.  You’re entitled to a lawyer who is available to you and returns your calls.