When you hire an attorney, you want results. It’s why you hire them in the first place. But, what happens when you’re paying all this money to an attorney and don’t hear anything for days or even over a week? You might think “Is my attorney even doing anything?”
The answer is likely yes, your attorney is absolutely taking steps to handle your case and move toward a just resolution on your behalf. What’s important to understand is that there are numerous tactics an attorney can and will employ to win your case or get the best possible deal out of the prosecution.
So, what does silence from your attorney mean?
Information Gathering
Attorneys need information. It’s how cases are built. Without the facts, there is no case and you are left with an attorney grasping at straws.
Early on in a case and anytime new evidence comes to light, your attorney will be verifying information, checking sources, and researching what the facts mean for your case. You might not hear from your attorney during this time because, frankly, there’s nothing to hear yet.
Information gathering is often like completing a puzzle. You can’t put one piece into play until you’re able to find the other piece. This means your attorney might be waiting for days on one piece of information before proceeding with the rest of your puzzle.
Our duty to you is to know as much about your case before coming up with a strategy or to support a theory or strategy.
Cooling the “Heat” of Your Case
Sometimes silence is a strategy. You are being accused of a crime and the prosecution comes on strong. They want to throw the book at you and put a win on their belt as a legal professional. Some attorneys might aggressively fight back and really push the buttons of the prosecution and the court, but this isn’t always the most effective strategy.
Instead, your attorney may motion to postpone hearings and essentially go silent to allow things to cool down. Emotion makes us do a lot of things, and prosecutors are not immune to this.
Actions trigger counteractions. Experienced attorneys understand how to use silence and time to their advantage.
Your Attorney Isn’t Doing Their Job
Let’s address this one transparently. Yes, it is possible the silence means your attorney is not actively doing their job and not working in your best interests. This won’t happen with our firm, but we can’t speak for every firm.
Before you call up another law firm and fire your last one, be transparent with your current law firm. Give them a call and ask them what the latest is on your case and what they’re actively doing to win your case. Transparency is necessary to preserve your case because you don’t want to fire your attorney just to find out they were on the brink of securing a vital piece of information in your favor.
A lot of clients get antsy when they have a plea deal on the table, the deadline is in three days, and they haven’t heard from their attorney. How did that plea deal come to be? By your attorney taking action. Chances are, if you haven’t heard from your attorney – they’re doing the legal work that they’re trained and educated to handle on your behalf.
Burke Brown Attorneys
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