Getting Along with Your Lawyer
- Oct 10, 2017
- 2 min read
Facing criminal charges is stressful. The restrictions on your liberty, as a result strict bail conditions can be a serious restriction on your liberty and the potential ramifications of a finding of guilt can impact your employment opportunities for many years. This is one of the main reasons why it is so important that you feel like you get along with your lawyer. The additional stress that can result from mistrust or misunderstandings is not something you want to deal with on top of the outstanding criminal charges.
As a result, it is of utmost importance that everyone sets their expectations right at the beginning of the relationship. These are some tips to preserving the solicitor client relationship.
#1: Make sure your trust your lawyer
This is of utmost importance. Your lawyer is supposed to advise you through the whole process. You must have trust and confidence in the advice they are providing in order to have a healthy relationship with your lawyer. If trust is becoming and issue, make sure to address it immediately with your lawyer. If it's something that can be fixed, then those steps need to be taken as soon as possible. If it's a situation where it cannot be fixed, it may be time to look elsewhere for legal representation.
#2: Realistic expectations with regard to communication
Understandably, clients will have a lot of questions for their lawyers when it comes to how to address their criminal charges. However, it must always be remembered that lawyers have more that one client. In criminal defence work, this means lawyers are in court almost on a daily basis and are frequently preparing for important steps in the criminal process for a number of clients. Given that, it's important to set expectations on how quickly, frequently and when your lawyer will be able to communicate with you. That way, there are no misunderstandings about communication.
#3: Clear understanding of retainer
Be sure you understand exactly what the retainer is and how much it covers. A clear retainer agreement or a full and frank discussion of what the amount of money you provided covers is often helpful.
#4: Voice your concerns early
If there is something that is bothering you about the way your lawyer has been proceeding, voice those concerns early. It's always best to correct problems than to let them percolate and increase without being addressed.
#5: Respect
Mutual respect is the cornerstone of any successful relationship. No matter how upset you are about a particular issue, it is of utmost importance that you address your lawyer with respect. On the same token, your lawyer should always treat you with respect. Your lawyer should not talk down to you or degrade you. If this happens, you should bring it up with your lawyer right away.
Those are some quick tips to getting along with your lawyer. Of course, each relationship is going to be different and different concerns will arise. But this provides some tips on how to get started on the right foot.
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