Should I Fire My Tampa Car Accident Injury Lawyer?

The decision whether to fire your current Tampa car accident injury lawyer is one that requires you to take into consideration a number of factors that will be unique to your situation.  The decision should not be made without consulting with another injury law firm first and should probably start with your listing what it is about the current auto accident law firm that causes you to think that a change would be appropriate.

You should know that the decision to change law firms is a lot easier to make if it is made early on after the Tampa, St. Petersburg or Clearwater car accident injury lawyer is hired.    Generally that would be within the first six months to a year.   The decision to fire the injury law firm early on the mean the firm will have put in a limited amount of time into your case. As discussed in a previous article, the amount of time put into your auto accident case is one of the various factors that will be used to determine the amount of quantum meruit fee that the car accident Tampa law firm would be owed from any settlement monies.  If you find yourself unhappy with your law firm early on, then there will not be much of an economic impact to you, if any, in firing them.  In fact, staying with that firm may very well result in a settlement that is much less than what you would otherwise deserve. That is because maximizing the settlement value of your case involves many intricate decisions and attention to details. If your Tampa law firm car accident lawyer is not living up to your expectations with regard to providing you service, it is likely that they will also fail to do all the things necessary to maximize the value of your injury claim to be sure that the ultimate settlement is fair and just. 

Many people put up with what are obvious signs that their car accident law firm is not meeting their expectations hoping that the situation will change.   But generally, a zebra doesn’t change its spots and it would not be reasonable to expect that law firms exhibiting various signs of being incapable or uncaring early on in your case would soon change their ways.  In fact, we often here that the problems people experience early on only get worse over time as the injured client gets more involved with the Tampa auto accident lawyer and the law firm.

It is important to recognize that there will likely come a point where you may not be able to leave the car accident Tampa lawyer that you hired, even though you recognize that is exactly what you would prefer to do.  That's because once an insurance company offers any specific settlement amounts, even if it's much less than what you may ultimately receive, your attorney is almost automatically entitled to receive 33% of that amount.  If you feel that this is not the car accident Tampa law firm that you would like to take you all the way to final settlement, at the point where actual dollars have already been offered to reimburse you for your auto accident injuries, it may be very difficult or impossible to find an attorney to represent you at that point.  That is because there just may not be enough money left for you and the new law firm after the fired law firm is paid 33% of the monies that have already been offered.    It can be a very unpleasant feeling when you are “stuck” with a Tampa injury law firm that you know is not competent or looking out for your best interest.

This is why if you discover that your auto accident attorneys whether in Tampa or Clearwater are not satisfying your needs or expectations, you should immediately give consideration to finding another injury law firm.  But before you fire your current Tampa auto accident injury law firm, it makes sense to make sure that the law firm that you are going to is not one that would repeat the same mistakes and problems. One of the best ways to do that is to ask friends and family for referrals to a Tampa auto accident lawyer.   But even then, you should investigate the injury law firm whether in Tampa or St. Petersburg to make sure that you feel comfortable with them. You should spend time interviewing the firm’s car accident lawyers that will be representing you. You should ask questions about the attorneys’ experience handling car accident cases and about the stability and experience of the injury law office’s staff.   You might even ask the auto accident law firm about their motivation for becoming personal injury attorneys.    From these type of detailed questions, you should be able to get a feeling about whether this is an injury law firm that is truly dedicated to serving your needs.   You want to do your best to avoid finding yourself in the same situation that you were in before with the law firm that you fired.  Once you have hired another car accident law firm, it would be unlikely that it’s in your best interest to fire that firm in order to higher yet another one.

If you have concerns about your current Tampa car accident injury lawyer, or any firm located in Tampa Bay or the surrounding communities, and you want a fair assessment of your situation with regard to whether it makes sense for you to hire another law firm, please feel free to give us a call. We will gladly talk to you about your current experience and situation and give you information that will allow you to determine whether your current Tampa car accident law firm is providing you substandard service or care.   And if you were to interview our law firm and ask us about our mission statement, we would tell you that it is to provide caring, competent, aggressive legal representation and exceptional client service to all our personal injury clients in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and throughout Tampa Bay area. We feel that we offer the Tampa Bay community among the very best in personal injury and car accident legal service and would welcome the opportunity to have you consider our law firm for representation.