REASONS WHY YOUR LAWYER MAY NOT CONTACT YOUR PROMPTLY
As you progress through your divorce process, you will have chosen a family lawyer to assist you on your journey. From time to time to time, there may be a ‘spike’ in your process – you may be feeling incredibly anxious, have serious concerns, are upset about something your ex-spouse said or did – and you want to talk to your lawyer. Let’s say you have a concern and leave a message for your lawyer to call you back. You wait patiently for 2 hours… 4 hours passes and still no return call. You go to bed that evening, feeling unsettled because your lawyer hasn’t called and you aren’t sure what to do and feel that they need to know something important. Perhaps another day goes by and you become frustrated with your lawyer … then you get their call!
Rachael Scharrer, Separation Strategist and Life Change Counsellor, explains that there are a few things that you need to realise with your lawyer to fully appreciate what your lawyer does and is doing. Keep in mind:
• You are not the only client that your lawyer has
• Your lawyer has between 40 and 60 clients at any one point in time and each client is at a different stage in their journey
• Your lawyer has a lot to remember and can’t remember every specific detail in your case on demand
• You may feel that your case is the most important case because to you it is, however, to your lawyer, they are juggling over 40 other clients with the same perspective
• Your lawyer has to prioritise all of their clients – starting with urgent orders, final hearings, interim hearings and mentions
• After being at Court or mediation, your lawyer will at some point be in the office and able to return your call or email
• More often than not, by this time, what you deemed to be so important isn’t quite as important as you thought
Your lawyer will give you the time and attention that your case requires – it just may not be at the exact moment that you would like them to be available. When you are approaching your final hearing or interim hearing, you will want your lawyer’s undivided attention on your case… It may just be a matter of having to be patient and waiting your turn.
My ex-husband used to make veiled threats to my family and I. The threats were not sufficiently severe that I would qualify for police prosecuted Domestic Violence Order. It was incredibly upsetting and knocked me about emotionally for days. Sometimes my lawyer was able to call me back and help to reassure me, other times, my lawyer couldn’t call back for days. I wasn’t aware that she was in a final hearing or had another urgent matter to attend do.
Whatever the reasons for the delay in response, your lawyer will get back to you when they can – in the meantime, remember that you have a full network in your emotional support team and your professional support team. It is these times that it is helpful for you to exercise patience, restraint and understanding.
If you would like additional support, book your Strategy Session today.
