{"id":6951,"date":"2012-03-01T12:55:16","date_gmt":"2012-03-01T17:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sidebarforplaintiffs.naomifein.net\/?p=6951"},"modified":"2012-10-17T15:19:28","modified_gmt":"2012-10-17T19:19:28","slug":"what-can-you-do-when-your-lawyer-ignores-you-part-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sidebarforplaintiffs.naomifein.net\/?p=6951","title":{"rendered":"What can you do when your lawyer ignores you? 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

After my February 17 conversation with Dinkes & Schwitzer’s Marc Mauser, during which he told me a copy of my file was ready to be picked up (as I had demanded in a letter to Bill Schwitzer<\/a>), I got very busy with the Skush-O’Brien lawsuit, now in its deposition stage.<\/p>\n

But it was on my mind to remind Marc that in that letter to Schwitzer I had asked to see a draft closing statement. So yesterday, Leap Year Day (I hope this doesn’t prove to be ominous, such as “Oh, let’s just leap right over Naomi again”), I e-mailed Marc:<\/p>\n

Before I set a day with you for picking up my file, I do want to see your settlement cost breakdown, the one you’ll be using to file the OCA statement. You can attach it here, if you like, or mail it, but I do want to see before I pick up the file.<\/em><\/p>\n

This is a mere 24 hours later, so I’m not shocked I haven’t yet heard from Marc. So while we’re waiting, why don’t I explain the references to OCA statements and settlement cost breakdowns?<\/p>\n

The “OCA” is the Office of Court Administration<\/a>. In the remote case that you’ve asked yourself the question, “Does anybody oversee what lawyers do?” the answer is, yes. And the OCA is one of those overseers.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of a case, lawyers are required to file an OCA Retainer Statement<\/a>, and at the end a Closing Statement.<\/a> [The forms I’ve linked to were the ones I had in my hard drive at the law firm; OCA may have tweaked its rules or forms since then, but I’m pretty sure they still require lawyers to file such statements.]<\/p>\n

Although the settlement breakdown that will be used on the Closing Statement can be fairly complex, it won’t be in my straightforward case. So without precise numbers\u2014the ones I’ve asked Marc for\u2014 here’s what I will expect to see in the settlement breakdown:<\/p>\n

Gross amount of settlement: $30,000<\/p>\n

Less lawyers’ costs and expenses:<\/p>\n