What can I do about this?

Question

I gave a retainer to a bankruptcy lawyer about a month ago. Since then he has not returned any calls nor has his phone been answered. He is a legitimate attorney because he has 2 pages in the yellow pages and 4 office locations. I think he's just bad at returning or answering calls. The retainer was only 50 dollars so I'm sure he didn't run off to mexico. Can I report him to any agencies? The BAR? All of the things he asked me to do were done, now I'm waiting on him.

I can't demand to speak with him because All I get is an answering machine. One phone number for all 4 offices. The only time I spoke to him was the initial meeting

Answer 1

get a new lawyer

Answer 2

You should take a look at the options you can find at: CREDIT-AND-FINANCE.COM-

RE What can I do about this?

I gave a retainer to a bankruptcy lawyer about a month ago. Since then he has not returned any calls nor has his phone been answered. He is a legitimate attorney because he has 2 pages in the yellow pages and 4 office locations. I think he's just bad at returning or answering calls. The retainer was only 50 dollars so I'm sure he didn't run off to mexico. Can I report him to any agencies? The BAR? All of the things he asked me to do were done, now I'm waiting on him.

Answer 3

Before you report him to the bar (1) call again and demand that you speak with him, and (2) write him a letter informing him that you're not happy, that you're waiting on him, and that you're unsure about the status of your case.

Oftentimes, there's just miscommunication, or there's just a waiting period in legal proceedings where little happens. Bankruptcy attorneys have to handle hundreds of cases at a time to be profitable, and are always away from the office, and once in a while one may fall through the cracks.

If you're still not happy with the response, call and write, telling him that he is fired, demand your money back (if, in fact, he has done no work on your case), get another lawyer, and then report him to the disciplinary commission of your state bar (or of the Supreme Court... some states the bar handles discipline, some states it's an independent agency run by the Courts themselves).

I'm not trying to be an appologist, but reporting him to the bar won't get you anywhere, and simply not returning phone calls for a while won't be the basis of any severe discipline (and, depending upon his side of the story, may not warrant discipline at all).

Get it in writing first.

Answer 4

Waiting is about all you can do unless his being spread too thin causes you irreparable damage. An attorney I'd retained a while back failed to file some papers in time for me to collect from an insolvent customer, lost me $4K. If that does happen you can lodge a complaint with your state's bar association. Whether someone has 2 pages in the phone book or 4 offices doesn't make them legit. Also, check with the state bar for their valid registration number.

Answer 5

Call every hour and leave messages. Stop by the office as often as possible. Sometimes people only respond when they are completely sick of hearing from you. I've found this to be the most results-effective method!

Answer 6

call all of the offices and leave messages with them. also you can check if he filed your case with the courts. Feel free to contact the Bar if you still have problems with him.
You can also send a letter certified with return receipt, if he does not answer that then go after him for breach of contract.

Answer 7

You can report him to the local bar of your state. You could also leave him a message asking him for the name of his malpractice insurance carrier. That usually makes them jump.

Answer 8

Try physically visiting their office before escalating to the next step...

Answer 9

Maybe he's filing for bankruptcy.