Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Drop Your Case?

When a Phoenix car accident lawyer takes on a case, they are committed to getting the best possible outcome for their client. However, there are occasions when a personal injury attorney might decide to withdraw from a case, such as insufficient evidence to support a claim, or if the attorney and client aren’t working well together.

Reasons Why an Attorney Might Drop Your Case

After learning more about your case, your attorney may decide that there is not enough evidence to support your claim and establish liability. They may also discover new evidence that the accident was at least partially your fault, or that the expected compensation is not enough to cover the time and effort needed to win. Another reason an attorney might drop a case is if there is a conflict of interest with an at-fault party they were not aware of before. 

Other grounds for withdrawing include if the client:

• Disagrees with or ignores their lawyer’s advice

• Acts in a way that jeopardizes the case or is illegal

• Doesn’t get medical attention to assess their injuries

• Doesn’t provide necessary documentation about the accident

• Has unrealistic expectations
• Doesn’t answer or respond to attorney’s requests

The attorney-client relationship may deteriorate to the point that you and your attorney cannot work together. At this point, it may be time to learn how to find a new personal injury lawyer in Phoenix.

Next Steps After Losing Your Lawyer

Just because one attorney turns down or drops your case doesn’t mean another competent attorney won’t represent you. It’s important to recognize the need for a change and when to get a new personal injury lawyer. Honestly assess what went wrong with the first attorney so that the same mistake isn’t repeated.

Depending on the circumstances and terms of the retainer agreement, your first attorney may be entitled to a percentage of the award that is eventually won or settled. Share all information and details with your new attorney. They can help you determine if you need to pay your previous attorney any money so there are no surprises down the road. 

Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis and only get paid when they win or settle a case. You need to make sure your attorney has as much information as possible so that they don’t waste valuable time and resources pursuing strategies that are destined to fail. 

In Conclusion

In most cases, it is easier for an attorney to drop a case earlier in the process. Once the case goes to court, the request to withdraw needs to be reviewed and approved by the court. 

If this happens, you can still pursue your claim against another party by getting a new lawyer. Do this as quickly as possible, as there are legal deadlines that need to be met. If you miss certain deadlines because of delays while changing attorneys, you jeopardize being compensated for your injuries and getting the justice you deserve.

Choose an attorney you trust from the Gage Mathers Law Firm. We have decades of experience handling difficult cases and will aggressively pursue the most amount of compensation possible, which will give you the time and energy to focus on recovery!

About the Author

Joseph D'Aguanno

Guided by the belief that being a highly skilled specialist in a narrow field is better than being ordinary in everything, Joseph “JD” D’Aguanno leads Arizona’s best personal injury law firm in Phoenix, AZ. Having extensive cross-training in pre-litigation negotiations and trial lawyer skills, with decades of experience, JD strives to provide clients with the most valuable legal services a personal injury lawyer can provide. Under his direction, Gage Mathers Law Group is an award-winning personal injury law firm providing aggressive representation to victims of a car accident, medical malpractice, dog bite, motorcycle accident, and other injurious events. Gage Mathers is trusted by thousands of lawyers and clients throughout the country because of their reputation for getting clients the maximum compensation they deserve.

Years of experience: Over 23 years
Bar number: 020421
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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