Summarize the following:
Lawyers must abide by certain rules when representing clients. These rules are called the Rules of Professional Conduct. If you spot that your attorney has violated an ethics rule, then it may be time to get rid of him or her. To find your state’s Rules of Professional Conduct, follow the link listed under your state on the American Bar Association’s (“ABA”) page. The Rules of Professional Conduct include:  Competence. An attorney must be competent in the area(s) of law required to represent each client. If a lawyer does not possess the knowledge or skills required to represent you, he or she should not take your case or should retain competent co-counsel. Diligence. Lawyers are required to represent each client with reasonable diligence. Reasonable diligence means that the attorney must represent you in spite of personal inconvenience. In fact, the attorney is required to manage his caseload so that he can address your matter competently.  Confidentiality. Certain confidential information you give to your attorney should be kept confidential. Not all information is confidential, however, and there are exceptions to the general rule of confidentiality.  Nevertheless, if your attorney shares information about your case with a third party (such as a spouse or friend), then you should be alarmed. Avoiding conflicts of interest. A lawyer may not represent parties with conflicting interests without written consent from all parties. This written consent must indicate awareness of the conflict and include an express waiver of the party's right to an attorney without a conflict.  Safeguarding property. Any property transferred to an attorney must be kept in a safe place, separate from his or her own. This includes funds, which should be kept in separate trust fund accounts. You may be unhappy with the costs of the litigation. Look over your monthly bills. If you do not have copies, then ask the attorney to provide them to you.  You should not see any charges for clerical support or any unannounced increases in hourly billing.  Your bill should be itemized. It should specify what task was performed and how long it took. Multiple tasks should not be lumped together under vague headings like “work on case.” If your bill is not itemized, request that it be done.  Also look at your engagement letter, which you should have signed at the start of the representation. The engagement letter should have spelled out in detail what type of work would be billed and the hourly rate charged. Your attorney should respond to emails and telephone calls promptly, within a business day. If your attorney takes longer—or never responds—then you may have grounds for dismissing the attorney.  Also assess the quality of the communication. Do you feel comfortable talking to your attorney? Do you trust her judgment, or do you find her evasive? Your attorney should inspire confidence but should also acknowledge when she doesn’t know something. Think about how well you understand your case. Even the busiest attorney should have taken the time to explain the case to you whenever you request it. You should understand where you are in the litigation: at the pleading stage, at the discovery stage, preparing for trial, etc. Slow litigation is frustrating. However, your attorney is not entirely in control of how quickly your case advances. She has to work around the schedules for both the court and opposing counsel. Nevertheless, there are definite warning signs that the lack of forward motion in your case is being caused by your attorney:  Continuances without explanation. If hearings and/or depositions are being rescheduled for later dates without any explanation from your attorney, you may want to consider finding an attorney who is more interested in defending your case.  Missed due dates. If you receive a notice from the court or a letter from the other party informing you that your attorney has missed a due date, there may be a problem. While lawyers do make mistakes, missing a due date can have a serious negative effect on the outcome of your case. Arriving late or unprepared for hearings. Does your attorney arrive at hearings or depositions on time and prepared? If he is frequently running late, or appears to be phoning it in, then it may be time to find a replacement. Read the documents your attorney files in the case. Are they filled with typos and vague language? If so, the judge will not be amused and you probably are not getting top-quality representation.
Study the ethical rules. Look over your bill. Assess how happy you are with communication. Determine if your case is moving forward as it should. Assess the quality of work your lawyer is producing.