Personal Injury Lawyer not responding

[Taxing Matters]

Do I need to tell them or can I just do it? What would the repercussions look like for me, if any?

I'm a Colorado attorney, and you don't need to tell the lawyer ahead of time that you are filing the complaint, you don't have provide a copy of the complaint to the attorney, and you can easily do it online through the link that I provided before (and that quincy helpfully provided again, so I don't need to do it). Depending on the outcome of the investigation you may or may not learn of what discipline was imposed on the attorney.

As quincy noted, the lawyer may not retailiate against you and it would be stupid for a lawyer to do it because that would just add more kindling for the fire. The lawyer will want instead to try to something to make up for the lapses that caused the complaint as that might help minimize what the Colorado Attorney Regulation Counsel and Colorado Supreme Court ultimately decide to do on the complaint.

Should I keep looking for a new attorney in the meantime?

Yes. The firm you have now has been completely inattentive to your case, and having revolving paralegals at the firm tells me that things are not good internally at that firm. You want a firm that will do better. And now that you've moved is a good time to do it because you'll want a local attorney.

As for what else you need to do, quincy has provided much the same answer I would. But I'll add one more thing to this: do it ASAP. I see that the date of your injury was May 21, 2022. The statute of limitation for most personal injury claims is two years from the date the event occurred. You'll want your compliant filed before May 21, 2024 to be sure your case won't get dismissed due to the SOL. If the injury was from an auto accident, the SOL for that in Colorado is now 3 years. Your lawyer will need some time to review the case and prepare the summons and complaint, so if you wait much longer you'll start finding it harder and harder to get a lawyer to take it because they don't want to have to rush the job and end up potentially making an error because of it.

 

[mobbdeep]

I'm a Colorado attorney, and you don't need to tell the lawyer ahead of time that you are filing the complaint, you don't have provide a copy of the complaint to the attorney, and you can easily do it online through the link that I provided before (and that quincy helpfully provided again, so I don't need to do it). Depending on the outcome of the investigation you may or may not learn of what discipline was imposed on the attorney.

As quincy noted, the lawyer may not retailiate against you and it would be stupid for a lawyer to do it because that would just add more kindling for the fire. The lawyer will want instead to try to something to make up for the lapses that caused the complaint as that might help minimize what the Colorado Attorney Regulation Counsel and Colorado Supreme Court ultimately decide to do on the complaint.



Yes. The firm you have now has been completely inattentive to your case, and having revolving paralegals at the firm tells me that things are not good internally at that firm. You want a firm that will do better. And now that you've moved is a good time to do it because you'll want a local attorney.

As for what else you need to do, quincy has provided much the same answer I would. But I'll add one more thing to this: do it ASAP. I see that the date of your injury was May 21, 2022. The statute of limitation for most personal injury claims is two years from the date the event occurred. You'll want your compliant filed before May 21, 2024 to be sure your case won't get dismissed due to the SOL. If the injury was from an auto accident, the SOL for that in Colorado is now 3 years. Your lawyer will need some time to review the case and prepare the summons and complaint, so if you wait much longer you'll start finding it harder and harder to get a lawyer to take it because they don't want to have to rush the job and end up potentially making an error because of it.

Thank you! I went ahead and filed the complaint when Quincy reposted the link. I am going to start looking for a new attorney tomorrow. Just for a peace of mind, I can get one here in Houston locally even though it happened in Denver, correct? Also, this was their lousy response to my email I sent asking for a status which is the same exact response they gave me on August 11th.

Hey Tyler,

Sorry for the delayed response. I am still working on getting your demand done and out. We can resolve any collection issues if we are able to resolve your case. I will let you know once the demand is done prior to sending it out.

They can send me stupid letters boasting about case winning milestones and letters wishing me a Merry Christmas but can't get a demand letter sent out in a year?

 

[quincy]

Thank you! I went ahead and filed the complaint when Quincy reposted the link. I am going to start looking for a new attorney tomorrow. Just for a peace of mind, I can get one here in Houston locally even though it happened in Denver, correct? Also, this was their lousy response to my email I sent asking for a status which is the same exact response they gave me on August 11th.



They can send me stupid letters boasting about case winning milestones and letters wishing me a Merry Christmas but can't get a demand letter sent out in a year?

You can consult with an attorney in Houston but you probably will want an attorney in Denver, if that is where you were injured.

Good luck.

 

[Taxing Matters]

Just for a peace of mind, I can get one here in Houston locally even though it happened in Denver, correct?

You can do that in several different ways. One is to find a large law firm with offices in both and Denver. The attorney in Denver may do the actual litigation and an attorney or paralegal can help you with the things you need to. Another is to find an attorney in Houston who is also licensed in Colorado who actively litigates in Colorado. You could also hire an attorney in Houston and another in Denver have them work together on the case even though they practice in different law firms. Another option is to hire a Houston lawyer who then seeks admission to Colorado only to handle this one case, known as pro hoc vice (pronounced as "pro hawk veechay"). It should be a lawyer familiar with litigation in Colorado. The problem with pro hac vice for you is that it takes time to get approval from the Colorado Supreme Court and you don't have a lot of time to spend doing that sort of thing.

 

[quincy]

A good attorney in Houston should be able to steer you in the direction best for you.

 

[mobbdeep]

Updating here.. I was advised by 2 attorneys that they cannot take on my case as it occurred in another state. One of them was certified for the state of Colorado as well. I then reached out to another one in Colorado who I spoke to a PL and she quickly advised me to work out my indifferences with my current attorney and that she couldn't take on my case either. I also sent over my written statement and all email correspondences to the Attorney Regulation Counsel.

 

[quincy]

Updating here.. I was advised by 2 attorneys that they cannot take on my case as it occurred in another state. One of them was certified for the state of Colorado as well. I then reached out to another one in Colorado who I spoke to a PL and she quickly advised me to work out my indifferences with my current attorney and that she couldn't take on my case either. I also sent over my written statement and all email correspondences to the Attorney Regulation Counsel.

Thank you for the update. With luck, the Attorney Regulation Counsel will be the ones to finally resolve your attorney problems.

 

[quincy]

Dealing with a personal injury lawyer who's not responding can be super frustrating.

That’s true - and your post is a very important addition to this month-old thread.