How to keep your lawyer on track

Most people who hire a lawyer aren't worried that the lawyer is bad. They're worried because weeks go by, nothing seems to happen, and they don't know whether that's normal. Keeping a lawyer on track is mostly about keeping your own side of the matter organized, so that every conversation is short and every open question has an owner.

Know whose turn it is

At any point in a matter, someone owes the next step. Sometimes it's your lawyer (a draft, a filing, a call to the other side). Sometimes it's you (documents, a signature, a decision). Sometimes it's the other side or a court. Writing down who owes what, and by when after every call or email turns a vague feeling of "nothing is happening" into a simple question you can ask.

Keep one running record

Put every call, email, meeting and deadline in one place, with the date. When you check in, you can say "On the 3rd you said the draft would be ready this week; is that still the plan?" instead of starting from memory. It also helps you see whether the quiet stretch is long for this matter or just feels long.

Ask for the plan, not just updates

A useful question early on: "What happens next, roughly when, and what do you need from me?" The answer gives you checkpoints. If a checkpoint passes, a short, polite follow-up is reasonable.

Make your follow-ups easy to answer

Keep check-ins short and specific: one or two questions, the date of the last thing you heard, and anything you're sending. A message that can be answered in two lines usually gets answered sooner.

When to raise a concern

If deadlines pass without explanation, or you can't get a reply after a couple of polite follow-ups, it's fair to ask directly for a call about communication. Rules on what lawyers owe their clients vary by state; your state bar's website is a good place to read about them. This page is not legal advice.