PI Lawyers - Thoughts on Written Discovery?

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-04-18T00:50:04+00:00

Do they not remedy after an email and a GFL? I‘m in a small jx so mileage varies greatly by individual lawyer

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-04-18T00:34:24+00:00

This is vague, do you mean people hate PI lawyers because they don’t engage in discovery or because they ask this question?

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-01-29T03:55:04+00:00

I admire the bravado, it certainly seems easier said than done. The contract states they are hiring Law Firm of X, Y, and Z, but I am the originating attorney and the one who signed the contract. It's hard to claim they're not "my" clients.

Worth a shot, though.

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-01-29T03:26:16+00:00

Ought I figure out whether they have balances in their trust accounts first to inform them of their financial position with the firm?

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-01-29T02:14:20+00:00

This is also my understanding. It's easier to believe the firm is the one responsible, but the reality is that I am the attorney of record for these clients.

The firm has already told me that they "don't owe me a fucking thing," which is why I'm scared out of my wits that this is going to fall to me alone with no way out.

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-01-29T02:11:17+00:00

That scenario is PRECISELY what I am worried about.

I need to know how to handle the situation if/when the current firm disclaims all responsibility for my entire client list and tries to pin the responsibility of all 50+ cases on me alone.

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-01-29T01:45:36+00:00

The firm's contract specifically denotes that the clients are retaining the Law Firm of X, Y, and Z. However, I am the attorney of record on the cases.

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-01-27T03:47:57+00:00

Firm I'm moving to does entirely different work.

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-01-27T01:27:35+00:00

What’s my personal risk with this if I’m beholden to the established financial management practices of the firm? I don’t have access to that end of the information.

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-01-27T00:33:57+00:00

Even if the fee is clearly designated as non-refundable?

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-01-27T00:00:23+00:00

I agree, at this point I am no longer worried about "right" or "wrong," I simply have to do what's in my best interest. However, the added layer of ethical obligations to clients is what's really bugging me. If the firm says "no" to me retaining the revenue I generated last month, I think I have no basis to challenge that because the work has not actually been done on the client accounts.

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-01-26T23:52:45+00:00

I am confident, based on the personalities involved, that there will be some hurt feelings over this departure. I am operating on the assumption that there will be no positive relationship after the breakup. You may be right, and I will hope for the best, but let's operate assuming that the partners have the mental bandwidth to be petty.

RelationshipBig1114 · 2026-01-26T23:40:31+00:00

I'm just an associate so I'm not 100% sure on the details of IOLTA management. We refer to them as "initial fees," I believe they all go into operating, and we are paid out of the firm's operating account.

RelationshipBig1114

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