Communication Norms | Hemmat Law Group

Attorney Communication Norms

What is reasonable to expect when working with an attorney?

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Communications are a vital part of the attorney client relationship. Particularly for clients in high-stakes situations. But what are reasonable communication timelines in a legal environment? It can vary, but here are some good rules of thumb:

From your attorney:

It is reasonable to expect a response from your legal team within 24 hours. Depending on the complexity of the issue, it may not be a fully substantive response, but at minimum you should be given a timeline for when to expect one.

From the court:

Expect little. The court operates on its own timeline and does not hold itself accountable to parties even when they incur delays and expenses because of the court’s direct mistake. Your attorney will do what they can to get your information, but prepare to be disappointed.

From the opposing party:

This will depend on context, but negotiations are delicate and time consuming. You often have more levers to pull to illicit responses from the other side but be aware that you may burn bridges if you play hardball too often.

Reminder that sometimes your legal team needs to research the issue before they can get back to you.

How you can communicate with Hemmat law:

Call us

Text Us

Via App

By Email

How we work with our clients.

We assign a paralegal and attorney to every legal matter to ensure you always have clear lines of communication.

We also commit to meeting about your case weekly to ensure no matter is ever forgotten and everyone knows about the status of your case.

We have a dedicated client care team that can take your messages and concerns to the legal team. Even if your legal team isn’t immediately available to speak or substantively respond, you’ll always be able to ensure your message is received.

John Avi Socha

Chief Operating Officer

In general:

For substantive and detailed analysis that you need to refer to later, we trend towards email.
We sometimes call you to clear up any confusion with the analysis we provided you, usually via appointment scheduled in advance.
For moderately lengthy communication and document collaboration, we trend towards Clio for Clients.
And for quick and accessible comms (like when you are at work) we text.

But ultimately, how you communicate with us is up to you.

Are you struggling to communicate with your current attorney?

The Rules of Professional Conduct mandate that firms communicate promptly with their clients, and keep them informed of happenings in their case.

Sadly, communication issues are the #1 cause for complaints to the Washington State Bar – and it has been this way for a long time. Communication problems are extremely common, and we wanted this page to speak to those of you who many not feel cared for by your current legal team.