Lawyer not doing job

What is the name of your state? MA

I'm at my witts end. I've been trying to purchase a home from a family member when I found out in December that there was going to be a probate issue.

The problem is that not all the heirs entiltled to a stake in the sale of the house are still living. The two that have died did not probate their estates and they have children. I've talked with everyone involved and everyone has agreed to sell me the house. My Uncle, one of the heirs to the house is the Executor for the sale of the house and has paid a lawyer to probate the estates of his two dead siblings for the purpose of selling the house.

My Uncle hired a law firm back in January to handle this case and has pre-paid them. To date they have not filed anything with the courts and are very very slow to respond to request for updates.

Are there any options open to us to "encourage" them to move on this???

Any advice would be helpful.

My response:

. . . and, of course, your file is the ONLY file that the attorney has in his office, and you think that yours should garner all of his attention, and right now.

Oh, please. Cool your jets.

IAAL

I expect at the very least a response.

Debt said:

I expect at the very least a response.

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My response:

And you received one.

IAAL

I'm sorry but i'm sure I asked for advice and not opinon.

Are you trying to tell me that it's not unusal for something like this to take this long, which would be more helpfull than what you actually written.

Debt said:

I'm sorry but i'm sure I asked for advice and not opinon.

Are you trying to tell me that it's not unusal for something like this to take this long, which would be more helpfull than what you actually written.

Click to expand...

My response:

I gave you advice - - "cool your jets".

First, you're not the client, your Uncle is the client. Therefore, the attorney doesn't have a duty to communicate with you. If you want to know something, ask your Uncle.

Second, you never mentioned the date your Uncle hired the attorney. But, I'm going to presume that it was sometime toward the end of January 2004. That leaves all of February, and we're now in the middle of March. That means, the attorney has had just a little over a month and one half at this point.

There may, in fact, be "work" he's done on the file, but is waiting for further information before a court filing can take place.

Third, like I said, your Uncles file is NOT the only file the attorney has in his office. Since there's no Statute of Limitations problem, there's no rush to work on the file at this point. He has other files that are in far greater need of work than your Uncle's file.

IAAL

It took over a year my my mother's estate to clear probate. Sound this this one is just getting started.

My response:

Racer, do I always have to remind you to take your stuttering pills each morning?

IAAL

My Uncle has asked that the lawyer respond to me as well and since I have purchased all on the necessary documents needed, death certificate etc I have help the lawyer do his job.

The lawyer himself told me in January that it shouldn't take long since it's not being contested. He actually got the case on January 16th so it has been a full two months.

I've heard nightmare stories of this kind of stuff taking for every but the lawyer stated that because it's not being contested it shouldn't take that long just a couple of months.

My response:

Figure on 4 to 6 months. If the attorney, in fact, said "couple" then that's what "couple" means in "legal speak".

IAAL