What are the most common complaints clients have about attorneys?
Frequent Client Complaints
- Rude or intimidating behavior
- Name-calling and threats
- Use of profanity
- Hanging up on a client
- Pressuring client
- Withdrawing or threatening to withdraw at critical time
- All communications through paralegal or other staff
- Not notifying client when attorney leaves law firm
- Sexual advances
- Not licensed in Texas, Attorney disappeared
- Lying to client
- Substance abuse
- Abusive litigation tactics
- Missing appointments or cancelling appointments with clients
- Grammatical and spelling errors in documents
Fees, Statements & Settlements:
- Not providing an itemized statement
- Statement is difficult to read
- Errors or over-charges in bills
- Quoting one fee but billing at a higher rate
- Not accounting for retainer or payments on account
- Failing to deliver orders to third parties for distribution of funds
- Making settlement offers or settling case without consulting client or obtaining consent
Confidences:
- Disclosing client confidences to opponent
- Talking about client’s case with third parties
Neglect & Competence:
- Not completing case by filing final orders, decrees, etc.
- Not appearing in court or being late to hearings
- Not prepared at hearings
- Missing filing deadlines
- Failing to put on evidence at hearings
- Failing to supervise work of subordinates
- Failing to research legal issues
- Failing to include causes of action in petition
- Failing to file suit within statute of limitations
- Filing wrong orders
- Not having file at meetings with client
- Not providing copies of documents on an on-going basis
- Not returning phone calls
- Failing to keep client informed of hearings and case deadlines
- Failing to explain litigation, legal strategies and issues, etc.
- Failing to schedule depositions or hearing in a timely manner
- Failing to correct substantive errors in orders, decrees, or pleadings
Safeguarding Client Property:
- Mismanagement of trust account funds
- Mismanagement of estate funds
- Not returning original documents or files to client
- Losing file or documents
- Not returning unused retainer
- Not paying expert witnesses or paying medical providers out of funds withheld from settlements
- Cashing settlement check and keeping client’s money