Dismissing Your Lawyer

Most injured workers take the time to carefully research the qualifications of a workers compensation attorney before they hire them. However, things can be hectic after a work injury, and sometimes the Orange County workers compensation lawyer that you hired may not the best fit for you.

Obviously, you don’t know how well the attorney you hired is going to perform until the case progresses. You may then realize that the attorney is not returning calls, not giving you regular status on your case, and does not have an adequate plan for your case.  

In other words, injured workers sometimes choose the first workers’ comp lawyer they find through a Google search, and that can turn out to be a disappointment. If an Orange County workers’ compensation lawyer isn’t meeting your expectations, consider the following:

1. Before You Hire Another Attorney, Try To Repair The Relationship

If you are calling your attorney and he or she is not returning your calls, that can be frustrating, but not necessarily a reason to fire your lawyer. It may be that the attorney IS working on your case, but not communicating the work is being done. In these situations, you may want to send the lawyer a letter requesting specific information regarding the status of your case.

In the event that the lawyer ignores your letter requesting status, or provides an unsatisfactory answer, then you may want to consider further options, as discussed below.

2. Interview other lawyers BEFORE dismissing your current lawyer

While it is your right to represent yourself, the workers’ compensation system is complex, which is why you probably hired a lawyer in the first place. Consider interviewing qualified lawyers BEFORE you decide to dismiss your current attorney. You don’t want to end up navigating legal proceedings on your own while searching for a new lawyer.

3. If You Find Another Lawyer To Represent You Let Them Handle The Paperwork

In the event that you find another lawyer to take over your case, they will know what paperwork to file so they can take over your case.   

4. If Your Decide To Represent Yourself, Consider Having A State Of California Specialist Assist You

The State of California provides free assistance to dismiss your attorney and answer your questions about processing your workers’ compensation claim. You can find help here:

https://www.dir.ca.gov/dwc/ianda.html