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Don't wait until the last minute
Don't wait until the last minute to hire an attorney, or to call the one you have if a problem arises. If you've been served with documents, you usually have 30 days to respond. Don't wait until Day 27 to start calling around for help. This creates desperation on your part, and often, incomplete or poorly drafted responses by the attorney, who has only a few hours to file papers that would otherwise take days to prepare. If you have an emergency situation, the last-minute calls cannot be helped; attorneys are used to that. But, putting out fires is not effective litigation,and your lawyer can't always respond to you at the last minute in order to rescue you from a problem that could have been resolved through good communication beforehand. Remember that this is a relationship, and your attorney is not a mind-reader. Ongoing communication and cooperation throughout your case will keep costs down, diffuse problems, and get you to settlement more quickly (we hope!).
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