Poor Communication

[mking]

What is the name of your state? Florida

My 68 year old mother was arrested in Florida on a criminal charge. She made a poor hiring decision and the attorney she hired is extremely difficult to communicate with (she can only get him on the cell phone). He has been so condescending and rude to her that she is now afraid to call him and he does not respond to emails that either she or I send to him. My worry now is that the trial is just over 2 weeks away and he has discussed NOTHING about strategy with her. The depositions were cancelled due to weather and we don't even know if they have been rescheduled - obviously we do not want to go into trial without having done depositions. Is this behavior normal? And if not, what can I do about it? He does not charge hourly, but by task. I'd love to fire him immediately but don't want to lose the money that we have already given to him for trial. Thanks in advance for the advice.

[stephenk]

what charge/s is mom facing?

[mtpockets]

If your attorney is doing a poor job, and you don't replace him, you or your mother may lose more than his fee. Concentrate on finding a replacement who will properly represent your mother. You can always try to get a refund later.

[mking]

The good news is that since posting, I have heard from the attorney and the depositions have been rescheduled (for 5 days before trial, including weekend). He told me he was busy arguing a death row case, like I care. My guess is that he thinks that the prosecution has very little evidence, plus doesn't see the need to discuss anything before depositions, so maybe I jumped the gun on this one.

The charge was for felony child abuse without great harm. Long story short, kid was running around, his mom wasn't paying attention, he was about to run into a potted plant, my mom stopped him with her arm and he fell on his padded, diapered butt. SERIOUSLY. I can't wait to see the prosecutor's face (who won't plead this out) when the church lady posse shows up at trial.

Does anyone know if medical records have to be included in discovery? The kid's mom claimed she took him to a hospital but I didn't see any copies of hospital records or any pictures of any injuries in my mother's copies of the discovery. Someone told me that they might not be due to privacy restrictions.

[philtinner]

poor communication is a course that all lawyers take in their first year in law school and is a requirement for graduation