Q: I retained my lawyer 3 weeks ago after my consult, and I have yet to receive any followup communication. is this normal?

A: It is important for a lawyer and his or her client to discuss expectations regarding communications and the preferred method of communication. In general, lawyers communicate with clients when it is necessary to the purpose of representation. Some lawyers and clients prefer e-mail, some prefer telephone calls, and some will use text. Because a client has paid the lawyer a considerable amount of money, some clients expect daily, weekly or frequent status updates from the lawyer. That is not really what most lawyers do, or how they efficiently spend their limited time. Most successful lawyers have a large number of clients with active cases. The lawyers' activities are determined according to a scale of priorities. The lawyers are meeting deadlines, appearing at required court appearances, and giving priority to matters that demand priority. Some clients just enjoy talking with their chosen counsel, but that is not really practical. As an example, if a lawyer has 30 active cases, the lawyer would have to spend 2 and 1/2 hours to have an unnecessary 5 minute chat with each client for an update. Thirty phone calls from clients means thirty interruptions from work that must be done according to a schedule. Some matters require intense concentration and an absence of distractions.

You should e-mail and call your lawyer to discuss preferred methods of communication and where your case stands in the order of priority of other matters.