Thank you for your question today. I appreciate your patience while I responded to you.

The entire process on how to file a bar complaint and what happens when a complaint is filed in Massachusetts against a law is explained here. Where possible, the Attorney and Consumer Assitance Program will try to resolve issues between a lawyer and a client. So, such as in your case, ACAP may contact the lawyer and try to get in touch with them and let them know that the client has contacted them and is unhappy, etc.

Normally, the call from ACAP should be a wake-up call to a lawyer that the matter could escalate if not addressed. That should be the end of it, your lawyer should contact you.

Where a person does file a complaint, it is screened by ACAP and then passed to the Office of Bar Counsel. If a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct is determined to have been committed, a lawyer can face a variety of sanctions -everything from an admonition for something minor, to suspension or disbarment for serious or repeated violations.

Getting a call from ACAP is bad - being informed that a complaint has been filed against you is worse. It's probably the worst thing that can happen to a lawyer because it potentially effects their livelihood. I can't speak for Massachusetts personally, but I can tell you that complaints are taken very seriously and investigated if passed onto the Office of Bar Counsel.

It sounds like you've given them every opportunity to respond to you, but I wouldn't necessarily warn them that you are going to go the bar. After all, you wouldn't warn someone that you were going to punch them in the face first, you'd just do it. Sometimes, that's what needed. Call ACAP (the number is XXXXX the link I provided above) and see if they cannot assist you.

If you would like any additional information or have more questions please don’t hesitate to ask!

Please remember to only rate my answer when you are 100% satisfied. If you feel the need to click either "Helped a little" or "I expected more", please stop and reply to me via the CONTINUE CONVERSATION button with the issue you have. I will be happy to continue further and do everything I can to provide you with the service you seek.

You can search for the attorney by name on the Board of Bar Overseers website, here. That should pull up their disciplinary history, if any, as well.

I realize you don't want to rock the boat, but you have the right for your lawyer to keep in contact with you, as well. But that is also why I suggested contacting ACAP first. It may just be an issue where once ACAP is able to locate and get in touch with your lawyer and stresses to them that it is important for them to contact you, your lawyer does just that, and there's no need for the matter to go further.