Attorney Communication Norms

What is reasonable to expect when working with an attorney?

In a nutshell:

This page is here to help you understand hat to expect from communicating with your attorney, and how Hemmat Law will communicate with you.

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.

It’s important to remember 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

Email

Practice Areas

Whether clients are involved in a hotly contested divorce, dealing with narcissistic conflict cases, navigating an emotionally wrenching custody battle, administering the estate of a loved one, or wrangling over a contract, our determination and experience have achieved the best results for our clients. Trust us to guide you through the legal process and achieve the best possible outcome for your family.

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Family Law

Divorce

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Custody and Support

Protection Orders

How we work with our clients.

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Paralegal

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

Learn More

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Meetings

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.

Learn More

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.

John Avi Socha

Chief Operating Officer

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.

About John

Trends Report

Hemmat Law conducted the biggest Family Law secret shop ever performed in Washington, assessing 400 organizations to create the most comprehensive look into the state of the Washington family law landscape.

See the full report here

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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.

Learn more about what it looks like to transition away from your current attorney.

Contact Us