Why Won't My Attorney Return My Calls!?

As a Los Angeles accident lawyer, sometimes I'm asked this question by individuals who hired another attorney to represent them in their case.  [Yeah, I know, first mistake!]The question presents a serious issue.  My law school ethics professor told us that an attorney's failure to communicate is the chief complaint clients make to the State Bar of California.California has strict rules in place to make sure attorneys stay in communication with their clients.For example, Rule 3-500 of the Rules of Professional Conduct requires attorneys to keep clients "reasonably informed about significant developments relating to the representation."Rule 3-510 requires an attorney to promptly communicate to a client all amounts, terms, and conditions of any settlement offer made to the client.Recently, a friend of a client called my office.  He was in an accident nearly two years ago, and hadn't heard from his attorney since last summer.  No excuse for this kind of sloppiness.In this day and age when we're all glued to our phones, there's no excuse for an attorney who doesn't communicate with his or her clients.My practice is to email, text, Whatsapp, or even send Facebook messages to my clients.  I try and give updates as often as I can.If I were the client, I'd want to know what's going on.  I try and afford the same courtesy to my clients.Your attorney should stay in communication with you and keep you informed about the case.  Anything less is unacceptable.For questions about your Los Angeles accident case, the Rabbi Lawyer is ready to assist, 24/6!