How to Fire Your Lawyer for the Camp Lejeune Lawsuit

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  • Last Updated: December 10th, 2024
Published By:
Jessie Paluch
Jessie Paluch

Attorney Jessie Paluch, founder of TruLaw, has over 25 years of experience as a personal injury and mass tort attorney, and previously worked as an international tax attorney at Deloitte. Jessie collaborates with attorneys nationwide — enabling her to share reliable, up-to-date legal information with our readers.

This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy and clarity by the team of writers and legal experts at TruLaw and is as accurate as possible. This content should not be taken as legal advice from an attorney. If you would like to learn more about our owner and experienced injury lawyer, Jessie Paluch, you can do so here.

TruLaw does everything possible to make sure the information in this article is up to date and accurate. If you need specific legal advice about your case, contact us by using the chat on the bottom of this page. This article should not be taken as advice from an attorney.

An Overview of How to Fire Your Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Lawyer

Clients are free to hire and fire lawyers at will.

Before you go down this road, it’s important that you understand a few key points that could ultimately end up impacting your claim or lawsuit.

On this page, we’ll discuss an overview of how to fire your lawyer for the Camp Lejeune Lawsuit, steps to take after firing your lawyer, how dual representation can harm your case, and much more.

Understanding Your Rights as a Client

As a client, you have the right to terminate your lawyer’s services at any point.

This might be due to dissatisfaction with their performance, a breakdown in communication, or simply a feeling that another lawyer might better handle your case.

It’s crucial to exercise this right wisely to avoid complications in your lawsuit.

How to Fire Your Lawyer for the Camp Lejeune Lawsuit

Staying Informed Without Signing Anything

It is likely that at some point in the Camp Lejeune litigation you will follow an advertisement or read a blog with the intent of updating yourself on the status of your claim.

Keeping up to date on the litigation is a good idea, but DON’T SIGN ANYTHING.

Marketing firms are aggressively advertising Camp Lejeune settlements to attract potential clients, often pushing them to sign up quickly, which can lead to dual representations and complicate their cases.

If you are ever asked to sign something to get a status update or information on settlements, this is likely a trick to get you to sign another fee agreement resulting in “dual representation.”

Dual representation slows down settlements and it can harm your case.

Table of Contents

How Dual Representation Can Harm Your Case

Dual representation occurs when a plaintiff is represented by two (or more) different lawyers or law firms simultaneously.

This situation can lead to conflicts of interest, as the lawyers may have differing strategies or priorities.

It can also slow down the settlement process because the involved parties need to coordinate and communicate more, potentially causing delays.

Dual representation can complicate fee arrangements and reduce the overall effectiveness of legal representation, ultimately harming the plaintiff’s case.

The Factor of a Lawyer Filing Your Camp Lejeune Claim in Court

The settlement of a Camp Lejeune claim is currently a one-way street to resolution.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act requires that you file an administrative claim before you file a claim in the courts.

Once you file a claim in the courts, you can’t move backwards into the administrative phase.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act does not require that you go to court, ever.

The majority of Camp Lejeune plaintiffs will find resolution of their claim without ever continuing down the path to court.

Once a lawyer files your claim with the court, your only option is with the DOJ/Court, and there is nothing any lawyer can do to retract this filing.

Steps to Take Before Firing Your Lawyer

In personal injury cases, it is better for all parties if you first provide a notice to terminate representation to your current lawyer.

Give notice of your intent to terminate representation (see below) to the law firm you are dissatisfied with before hiring a new lawyer.

Providing Notice of Termination

While there is no restriction against seeking a second opinion, lawyers walk a tightrope between giving advice to someone who has an attorney and conflict of interest.

Most ethical personal injury law firms will avoid all appearance of impropriety and they will refuse to talk to you until you terminate your current lawyer.

An Outline of a Notice of Termination

We recommend you protect yourself by sending both an email with a “read receipt” and a certified letter that clearly states the following information:

1. Date of the letter

It’s important that you include a clear date on the letter you send the lawyer / law firm currently representing you.

2. Address the Letter to ALL Attorneys Named in your Fee Agreement.

Address this letter to ALL of the attorneys that are named in your fee agreement (if more than one (1) attorney).

If you don’t have a copy of the fee agreement you signed previously:

  1. Find an email from the law firm / marketing firm and ask them to send you a copy.
  2. After you receive this data, ask the marketing firm / law firm to remove you from their email/text/call list.

3. State your intention to terminate the representation clearly.

It’s important that you CLEARLY state your intention to terminate their representation for your Camp Lejeune Lawsuit claim.

For example:

  • “I am writing to notify you that I am terminating your legal service effective immediately”.

4. Consider adding the reason why you are terminating legal services.

This is not required, but it’s helpful to the firm to understand how they did not meet your expectations.

5. Revoke Authorization, clearly.

It’s important that you CLEARLY revoke their authorization for your Camp Lejeune Lawsuit claim.

For example:

  • “Effective immediately, you no longer have the authority to represent or act on my behalf in any matter related to (case/matter name).”

6. Request all information gathered by the law firm for your case

Request all information filed and/or obtained by the law firm on your behalf.

This information includes, but is not limited to:

  • A copy of any / all administrative filings and/or complaints filed on your behalf; and
  • Medical Records obtained on your behalf.

7. If Hiring A New Law Firm (Important)

If you are hiring a new law firm to take over your Camp Lejeune Lawsuit claim:

  • Request an accounting of all the costs incurred by your old law firm on your behalf; and
  • Inform the old law firm of the name of the new law firm taking over your claim.

8. Express Appreciation (Optional)

Despite the fact that this law firm did not meet your expectations, it is likely they did their best — it is a lot of work to prepare a case for litigation.

A note as simple as this can go a long way in showing your gratitude for the effort they did put in while working with you:

  • “Thank you for your services up to this point.”

9. Provide This If Hiring a New Lawyer / Law Firm for Your Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Claim

If you are hiring another lawyer for your Camp Lejeune Lawsuit claim, provide them with:

  • A copy of your termination letter; and
  • Proof of delivery of that termination letter to that lawyer / law firm previously working on your claim.

Steps to Take After Firing Your Lawyer: Moving Forward with Your Claim

IMPORTANT:

  • The deadline to file a Camp Lejeune claim is August 10th, 2024
  • This is two (2) years from the date the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was signed into law.

If you have fired your Camp Lejeune Lawyer correctly, it is essential that you retain a new lawyer or personal strategy to resolve your Camp Lejeune claim.

To do so you can:

  • Contact a new lawyer / law firm that specializes in Camp Lejeune Lawsuits to help you through the process and analyze all potential legal options;
  • Schedule a consultation with the new lawyer to discuss your case and provide them with all relevant information and documents; and
  • Communicate clearly about your expectations and any previous issues you had with your former lawyer.

An experienced lawyer will help you through the Camp Lejeune claims process correctly and efficiently.

They will ensure all necessary documents are filed promptly and accurately, preventing any delays or issues that could harm your case.

With the right legal support, you can focus on your health and trust that your claim is in the right hands.

Contact TruLaw for Help with Your Camp Lejeune Lawsuit

If you have any questions about the Camp Lejeune claims process, hiring a lawyer for the Camp Lejeune Lawsuit, or more, reach out to TruLaw.

Contact us for a free consultation, or use the chatbot on this page to find out if you qualify for the Camp Lejeune Lawsuit.

Published By:
Jessie Paluch
Jessie Paluch

Experienced Attorney & Legal SaaS CEO

With over 25 years of legal experience, Jessie is an Illinois lawyer, a CPA, and a mother of three.  She spent the first decade of her career working as an international tax attorney at Deloitte.

In 2009, Jessie co-founded her own law firm with her husband – which has scaled to over 30 employees since its conception.

In 2016, Jessie founded TruLaw, which allows her to collaborate with attorneys and legal experts across the United States on a daily basis. This hypervaluable network of experts is what enables her to share reliable legal information with her readers!

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