After a year of closed courts, canceled trials, and other delays, our justice system is left with a national backlog of cases, unlike anything we have seen before. The challenge is accurate, and it is affecting every aspect of our judicial system. For our judges, court administrators, law firms, and clients, it is an overwhelming task.
In a recent Law.com article, Judge Inna Klein of the 214th District Court of Corpus Christi, Texas, stated her court's backlog is "tremendous" and "keeps her up at night." Judge Klein further opined it might take "between two and four years" to clear the backlog of cases, based on both the current and projected numbers.
Many civil cases have been on hold for months due to a lack of pressure to get a fair settlement. As stated by Robert Storace of Law.com, this "emboldened defendants to hold out for as long as possible on making settlement offers and then lowballing plaintiffs when they do." Many of our Advocate Capital, Inc. clients have echoed the same sentiment.
A second Law.com article addresses additional issues; How does the backlog affect the lawyer-client relationship? Paris Eliades stated court delays "exacerbates" the issues of the case, leading to trust issues with your client. Without trust, "your relationship deteriorates." This is particularly hard on clients with personal injury claims. Craig Aronow stated the following:
"When you get people who are not able to work because they are injured, you've got the pandemic compounding their personal situations, and their case keeps getting pushed down the road, people get frustrated."
How do we even begin to get everything moving again? Martin Luther King said it best:
"You don't have to see the whole staircase; just take the first step."
In this case, the first step is transparent communication with your client. They want to hear honest expectations from their attorneys, which reassures them they are still fighting for their justice.
Advocate Capital, Inc. is proud of our clients' integrity and compassion as they fight for their client’s 7th Amendment rights.
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