When you sign a contract with a specific attorney in a law firm, can you be transferred to another attorney?
I signed a contract with a specific attorney in a law firm regarding a disability appeal. I was told that it would take usually 12-14 mths before anything would be heard from Social Security and as soon as they knew something they would contact me. The lawyer I hired as well as the paralegal left that law firm sometime during that time period and my case was then transferred to another attorney without my knowledge, consent or any notification of any kind. I found this out when I called to talk to the attorney I hired. Is this legal??
Answers:
Is it legal? Yes, because in all actuality, you signed into a contract with the law firm, not the specific lawyer. He/she just happened to be the person representing you. However, if you're not satisfied with the performance of the lawyer your case was transferred to, you can put in a request to have it transferred to another lawyer within the firm. The only issue there is, if no one else is available (meaning that they already have full dockets), the case would most likely be returned to the original lawyer.
Now, you can always switch to a different law firm. However, you'd be responsible for paying all the costs and lawyer fees accumulated to that point, plus any "breach of contract" fee that may be in the paperwork. Think of that as your absolute last resort, because that then becomes more of a hassle than it's worth.
Sure it's legal, but if you want to have your file transferred from the firm now handling it to the attorney at his/her new location, call the attorney and tell him/her. It's your case and your choice who handles it.
It depends on what the actual contract says. I would bet that your contractual agreement was between you and the firm, not the individual lawyer.
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