Can You Change Your Personal Injury Attorney in Colorado?
When people are injured in car crashes in Colorado, it is often due to the negligence of other parties. Negligence can vary but typically includes speeding, drunk driving, distracted driving, and more. Victims sometimes have reasons to seek compensation for their losses. They then hire a personal injury attorney to represent them and recover damages. But what if you hire people who don’t work very well? Can you change your attorney in a personal injury case? The answer is yes, you can substitute a lawyer during a car accident claim. So don’t worry if the professional’s personality doesn’t match yours or has other issues. Instead, follow the steps below to change attorneys if needed.
How To Change Your Personal Injury Attorney in Colorado:
Find a new lawyer
Of course, finding a professional is not enough. You will also need to meet with him or her to discuss the move. TV attorneys often delegate your case to associates or paralegals and communication may be lacking. You should have your attorney’s cell phone and expect a response within 24-hours. If you haven’t received a prompt response from your personal injury lawyer, it may be time to change attorneys.
You’ve located another personal injury attorney you want to hire. Now what? In the meantime, what about the new agreement? You will need to execute a new fee agreement and disclosure statement with your new attorney. The new attorney will remit correspondence to your prior counsel to advise of the change in representation and coordinate the production of your entire file with your prior attorney. Your prior lawyer may assert a charging lien or a retaining lien. A lien represents an attorney’s right to recover money from the proceeds of a particular lawsuit or settlement to which he is a party. However, attorneys must take specific steps to properly enforce a lien.
In Colorado, attorney’s lien collection and enforcement requirements are codified in Colorado Revised Statutes (“C.R.S.”) § 12-5-119. There are two types of liens – changing liens and retaining liens. A charging lien is a type of attorney’s lien under which a lawyer acquires an interest in a judgment awarded to the client. Like charging liens, retaining liens allow an attorney to retain a client’s papers until paid for any outstanding services rendered. Like charging liens, retaining liens are also statutory in Colorado under C.R.S. § 12-5-120. Your new attorney will negotiate and address any charging lien or retaining lien with your old lawyer.
Some Final Thoughts
To serve your best interests, don’t forget to be open and honest about the claim. Also, make it a point to give the lawyer everything that’s been collected to date. Now that you know how to change your personal injury attorney, what are you waiting for?
Our firm offers free case evaluations, and you won’t owe any fees unless compensation is recovered. Our reviews speak for themselves. However, you probably shouldn’t be surprised if the team surpasses your expectations in other ways. Contact Mandelaris Law today and schedule a free initial consultation with our highly skilled Denver attorneys. Call us: (303) 357-9757.