Positive change, return to ethical law practice, will only occur when people go on record with official complaints against lawyers acting in harmful ways. If a lawyer has done you wrong please consider getting it on their record and maybe you will also win your case against them.
The first step is write to your lawyer and lay out your complaint and demands. Might be helpful to give them a 7 day response deadline and inform them if they do not address your complaint you will be filing a complaint against them with the local law society. Complaints against lawyers can harm their reputation and are treated seriously (make sure you have a legitimate complaint).
The Law Society [B.C.] is committed to ensuring that lawyers practise ethically and competently.
If you have concerns about a lawyer, you may file a complaint. The Law Society reviews all complaints we receive. Before filing a complaint, you may find it helpful to familiarize yourself with the complaints process, the kinds of complaints the Law Society is authorized to investigate, and the limits of what the Law Society can do.
- https://www.lawsociety.bc.ca/complaints-lawyer-discipline-and-public-hearings/complaints-en/
- https://www.lawsociety.bc.ca/complaints-lawyer-discipline-and-public-hearings/
Filing in Small Claims Court is another way to seek remedy, usually after the other two steps are done:
http://www.smallclaimsbc.ca/small-claims-court-5001-35000/notice-of-claim/submit-a-claim
Some ideas regarding what is wrongdoing by an attorney you hired
[sourced from https://www.dolmanlaw.com/attorney-screwed-casewhat-rights/]:
four basic things needed to win a malpractice case against your attorney:
- Duty- the attorney owed you their duty to act properly like a licensed professional
- Breach- the attorney breached their duty towards you by being negligent, made a mistake or did not do what they were contracted to do
- Causation- this behavior by the attorney caused you damages, and
- Damages- the costs suffered resulted in a financial loss to you.
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What are your Rights?
Some basic rights that you are entitled to include proper and effective communication/ correspondence between a client and his or her attorney, the competency of the attorney to know the core knowledge and expertise of a client’s legal issue, the work was completed ethically and the agreement of fees is followed. As a summary, you can and should expect your lawyer to do the following:
- Give you guidance regarding your legal circumstance
- Keep you up to date about your case
- Tell you what he or she thinks will transpire in your case
- Allow you to make the vital judgements concerning your case
- Give you an assessment about what your case ought to cost
- Help you in any cost-benefit evaluation that you may need
- Keep in communication with you
- Inform you of any changes, delays or setbacks
- Give you the information you need to make educated decisions, and
- Prepare you for your case, including disposition and trail preparation.
