Is It Normal for My Lawyer to Not Speak With Me?

This is one of the most common frustrations we hear from people who switch firms: “I haven't spoken to my actual attorney in months.” At most injury firms, attorneys delegate routine communication (status updates, document requests, scheduling) to paralegals or case managers so they can focus on legal strategy, negotiations, and litigation.

• Never having spoken to the attorney handling your case, even once
• Being unable to reach the attorney for major decisions, like whether to accept a settlement offer
• Getting no response for weeks during an active negotiation or before a filing deadline
• Finding out after the fact that a decision was made about your case without your input

• You should know who your attorney is and have met or spoken with them directly, at least at case intake and before any settlement decision.
• Routine updates from a paralegal or case manager are fine, but you should be able to request a call with the attorney and get one within a reasonable time.
• Any decision that affects the outcome of your case (accepting or rejecting an offer, filing a lawsuit, changing strategy) should involve you directly, not just staff.

You're allowed to ask directly for a call with your attorney, ask who is actually working on your file, and, if it continues, consult another firm about your options. Clients are entitled to know what's happening with their own case.

At my law firm, I take it one step further than most. I give every single client my direct phone number — not a call center, not a general office line, but a way to reach me personally, any time of day. If something changes with your case, your health, or your life, you shouldn't have to go through a switchboard to tell me.

I also handle your updates personally. Rather than leaving you to hear about your case secondhand, I make it a priority to call you myself and walk you through where things stand. And early on, I set aside time to actually get to know you — not just the facts of your accident, but who you are as a person and how this has affected your life. That's not a courtesy. It's how I build a case that reflects the full picture of what you've been through, and it's how you know that when you call, you're talking to someone who already knows your story.