Dh skipped the country

[Sculptor]

Greetings!

I'm asking this for a friend. We're in Maryland.

Her dh abandoned her and her son, after cleaning out all accounts, and left the country. His family, living in VA, knows where he is-even helped him get there over a year ago. She emails him regularly, yet hasn't been able to have him served with divorce/custody papers, as his address is *unknown* (his family isn't talking).

She found a lawyer who would accept payments as she could send them. However, she is frustrated by her lawyer's lack of response until she threatens to find someone else. The receptionist told her they were waiting for her to do something, but it'd been 2 months and they hadn't returned her calls to tell her what that something is!! Yesterday, she threatened to dump them, and her lawyer called(!) to say a letter had been put in the mail to her. Not before yesterday it hadn't!

Two questions: is this rudeness unacceptable for any lawyer, or must we make allowances for a busy schedule?
And: What is considered a *reasonable* attempt to serve papers to her dh, when it's been tried 2-3 times since December (and he knows she's tried), before she can file a default motion?

Thanks.

 

[LegalBeagle]

Greetings!

I'm asking this for a friend. We're in Maryland.

Her dh abandoned her and her son, after cleaning out all accounts, and left the country. His family, living in VA, knows where he is-even helped him get there over a year ago. She emails him regularly, yet hasn't been able to have him served with divorce/custody papers, as his address is *unknown* (his family isn't talking).

She found a lawyer who would accept payments as she could send them. However, she is frustrated by her lawyer's lack of response until she threatens to find someone else. The receptionist told her they were waiting for her to do something, but it'd been 2 months and they hadn't returned her calls to tell her what that something is!! Yesterday, she threatened to dump them, and her lawyer called(!) to say a letter had been put in the mail to her. Not before yesterday it hadn't!

Two questions: is this rudeness unacceptable for any lawyer, or must we make allowances for a busy schedule?
And: What is considered a *reasonable* attempt to serve papers to her dh, when it's been tried 2-3 times since December (and he knows she's tried), before she can file a default motion?

Thanks.

Unless you are calling every day, then an attorney should return any call back within 48 hours. However, you get what you pay for and if you are not paying him much, then expect a response in kind.

If you have no known address, then you do not have to serve him. The attorney should be advising you about notifying him via a news paper publication that covers his last known address.