What your lawyer should do for you

Of course, a lawyer should try to get the best result they can for you.
That goes without saying. But, there are more basic things that should be done along the way. Unfortunately, from my view, not all lawyers do these little things, but should.





Your lawyer should:

- keep you updated (you should be informed as to what is going on)
- listen to your concerns and try to solve them for you
- remember that you are the boss, it's your case
- return your phone calls as soon as possible
- treat you with respect (as the saying goes, do unto others as you would want done to yourself)
- be available for meetings with you at your request
- explain what will be happening on your case (and understand this is probably the first time you've ever gone through something like this)
- give you plan of action on your case (there should be a plan for how to accomplish the goals you want

The Truth: Lawsuits declining

You hear it often. Insurance company ads about frivolous lawsuits or too many lawsuits. People who commonly think lawsuit filings are out of control. The facts confirm this isn't true.

The Pittsburgh Business Times, states:

"There were 1,617 med mal cases filed statewide in 2007, compared to 1,693 in 2006 and 2,903 in 2002."

The also confirm that across Pennsylvania, verdicts dropped to 185 from 229 in 2006 and 223 in 2005.
The defense verdicts remained about 82% in medical malpractice cases.

There were 9 verdicts above $10 million between 2000 and 2003 for medical malpractice. From 2004-2008, there were only 5.

"The latest statistics provide additional evidence that the sharp drop in medical malpractice litigation, which began in 2003, was not a temporary correction, but a sustained response to the procedural rule changes adopted by the Supreme Court and the statutory changes enacted by the General Assembly," Chief Justice Ronald Castille said.

Additional statistics from the Supreme Court are expected soon, to confirm the continuation of this trend.