When you need legal advice in Pennsylvania, finding an attorney that you can trust to seek valuable advice can be challenging. This is because a lot of legal professionals may engage in malpractice and not offer the advice that works best for your situation. Instead, they might have an interest in the outcome of your decision-making and show bias.
When an attorney or some other legal professional breaks your trust, it is known as negligence. Legal negligence can have adverse effects on your life, changing the outcome of your case and potentially undermining your rights and opportunities for justice. However, not everyone may be able to spot the signs of negligence in legal practice.
Generally, if you suspect that something is wrong, you should seek a second opinion. If you believe that your attorney has engaged in negligence in your legal representation, take action immediately. Get guidance from someone at a reputed law firm, such as the Quinn Law Group, LLC. Meanwhile, read this blog to know the signs of legal negligence.
Signs of negligence in legal practices
There are various signs of negligence in legal practices that most clients are not aware of. This is mostly due to their lack of legal knowledge. Here are some of the common ones:
1. Poor communication.
If your attorney is not communicating properly, it is usually a red flag. Even though attorneys have to handle various clients at once, it is their job to respond to each client on time. Not picking up calls for days and not responding to emails can create a barrier to communication. Clients may start feeling ignored and uninformed about their cases.
Additionally, not providing a complete explanation about what is going on or the legal steps involved in the case also counts as negligence. Clients are not equipped with legal knowledge and rely on their attorneys for clear information. Therefore, attorneys have the duty to fulfill their requirements.
2. Missing important deadlines.
When it comes to legal cases, every deadline is important, and missing even one of them can change the outcome of your case. Missing critical deadlines, such as filing motions or responses, can weaken your case. Attorneys are professionals and are expected to manage these deadlines in a professional manner.
Missing deadlines can result in your case being dismissed or other negative outcomes. Not being informed about the deadlines or not remembering them can also indicate their disregard for the client’s best interests.
3. Insufficient legal research or preparation.
If your attorney has not done enough legal research and preparation for your case, it is clearly a case of negligence. Attorneys should conduct thorough research and be up-to-date with current updates to be able to provide their clients with sound advice. Negligent attorneys may ignore relevant laws that can compromise the outcome of your case.
Another error is providing outdated or incorrect advice or information. This often happens when your attorney has limited knowledge.
4. Conflicts of interest.
Conflict of interest is a serious ethical concern in legal practices and many other fields. Your attorney should represent you with your best interests in consideration. If the attorney starts putting their own interests above yours, it creates a conflict of interests and changes the outcome of the case. This breaches the duty of loyalty owed to the client.
In such cases, you may still win the case. However, you may not obtain the best possible outcome you might have achieved if you worked with an attorney. Unfortunately, conflict of interest is very relevant in the legal profession, which makes it all the more difficult to choose the right attorney.
Don’t let legal negligence compromise your case!
There is a phrase that says, “A bad attorney is worse than having no attorney at all.” If you suspect that your attorney’s negligent actions have ruined the outcome of your case, seek a second opinion from a reputed professional negligence attorney today!