LegalReader.com  ·  Legal News, Analysis, & Commentary

Lawsuits & Litigation

Why Does an Attorney Refers You to a Different Legal Firm?


— September 10, 2020

If you go to an attorney and that attorney refers you elsewhere, trust that the attorney is trying to get you the best possible result. Oftentimes, a referral is the best way for them to do so.


If you go through some sort of legal trouble and decide to seek out an attorney, you may find that the attorney refers you to another legal firm. It’s common for people not to really understand why an attorney might refer them somewhere else. There are many potential reasons for an attorney referral, but these are some of the most common ones.

The Wrong Legal Specialty

Every area of law has a number of different specialties inside it. For example, just because you have a personal injury case, that doesn’t necessarily mean that every personal injury attorney can help. Some are more skilled in auto accidents, medical malpractice, or other areas of personal injury law. If you’re looking for help with a specific case, an attorney may refer you to a firm that specializes in those cases.

Complex Elements of Your Case

According to Hughey Law Firm, many complex and catastrophic cases come to the legal firm through attorneys in the South Carolina area. If you have an uncommonly complex case, your attorney may choose to refer you to another legal team that can handle the complexities that come with your case more efficiently.

Too Many Cases

Graphic depicting lawyer holding smartphone, various legal symbols in the air before the the lawyer. Graphic by Mohamed Hassan, via Pixabay.com.
Graphic depicting lawyer holding smartphone, various legal symbols in the air before the the lawyer. Graphic by Mohamed Hassan, via Pixabay.com.

An attorney needs to make sure they’re not overloading themselves with too many cases. When you go to an attorney, you want to be sure that you’re getting the care and attention your case deserves. After all, with only around 30% of a lawyer’s time spent on billable hours, they really need to do the most with their time. A referral ensures that each person, including you and the attorney’s other clients, gets their necessary care.

Certain Elements of Your Case

Each case is unique. Even cases that may seem identical on the surface, like a car hitting a pedestrian, can be extremely unique in other ways. If an attorney doesn’t have a lot of experience with certain elements of your case, that attorney may choose to refer you to a legal firm that does have experience with those elements. In doing so, they’ll ensure that you have the highest chances of winning your case or receiving a settlement that adequately covers your expenses.

A Very Time-Consuming Case

Sometimes, a case is just more time-consuming than many other cases in the same arena. This may be for a variety of reasons. Your case may be more complex, up against a heavy hitter in the industry, or extremely serious. If an individual attorney doesn’t think they’ll be able to handle your case on their own, they may refer you to a full legal firm that can divide your case among the different attorneys on the team.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many reasons an attorney may refer you to a different law firm. If you go to an attorney and that attorney refers you elsewhere, trust that the attorney is trying to get you the best possible result. Oftentimes, a referral is the best way for them to do so.

Join the conversation!