An attorney has enough trouble in his area of concentration without visiting new areas of law. You are most comfortable doing what you know, and least comfortable doing something for the first time. That's why I stay out of family court, criminal matters and estate matters, except for appeals of those matters, and post-conviction and habeas corpus. I have developed guidelines for my office that make me easy to work with and refer to.
First, I insist on being available to counsel, clients and prospective clients. When I am away from the office, calls are forwarded directly to me. If I am unable to take a call, it goes to voice mail. All voice-mail messages are forwarded to me by internet, in print. It's no trouble; that how I like it. Your client will not complain to you that I do not take or return calls.
Second, I follow a practice that every attorney should follow: The client receives a copy of each document that enters or leaves this office concerning his case, including pleadings, orders and letters.
Third, no brief or petition is submitted for filing until the client has expressly authorized me to submit it. It should never be otherwise, but I hear many complaints, especially in criminal cases, about unauthorized filing of briefs. Clients become very upset about unauthorized filings, and rightly so.
Fourth, trial counsel is still in the loop after I enter the case. Copies of letters, pleadings and orders - everything that enters or leaves this office on the case -- are forwarded to trial counsel. Drafts of proposed briefs go to trial counsel in advance of filing. Trial counsel is involved to the extent that trial counsel wants to be involved. Some trial counsel like to discuss details; some like to refer the appeal and forget about it. I am comfortable with either extreme and with anything in between.
Fifth, after the appeal the client will come back to you. After the appeal, I'm out of the case. If further proceedings are required, I send the client back to trial counsel. If, as sometimes happens, trial counsel does not want the client back, I will arrange an appropriate referral to other counsel.
