OK, we know that your case is absolutely, positively, the most important case in the whole world, and that your attorney has no other clients and nothing better to do than to pick up the phone and attend to your every passing question, whim and desire, right?

OK, now that you realize how ridiculous that is, read on.

Don't call him every time you have a question that pops into your head. Make a list of questions as they come to you, write 'em down, and THEN call your attorney. Try not to call more than is really necessary, and I mean "really necessary". Here's why:

• First of all, it costs you money. The more you call, the more it costs. Simple, huh?
  
  
• More importantly, it means your attorney has to stop what he's doing, put down whatever he's working on at the moment and then talk with you. Then he has to pick up where he left off. His time is limited, just like yours. With enough interruptions, his work grinds to a halt. How much work could you get done if you had to stop every few minutes, switch gears and then start over? That's right, the answer is "not much".
  
  
• Attorney-burnout, also known as "whiny-client syndrome". I don't care who you are, nobody wants to talk to you 30 times a day. Really. Burn your attorney out with tons of needless phone calls and then see how eager he is to go the extra mile for you. (The same thing goes for his staff, too. I've heard an attorney instruct his staff that "Ms. X is limited to one call a day, period!" Let me tell you something- by the time you've gotten to this point, you're already half-way to losing your case.)
  
  
• However... if you have some "hot issue", then by all means get on the phone and at the very least leave an urgent message. You just have to weigh the importance of your communication and treat it accordingly. If it's critical, call. If not, follow the guidelines above. A good rule of thumb is "no more than one call per day", but depending upon circumstances, even that might be too much.
  
  
• A good alternative is the FAX. Yes, this miracle of modern science can really make things better instead of worse. Write your attorney periodic updates and then FAX them in. He'll be able to read them, file them and refer to them at a time convenient for him without having to take copious notes relating to a phone conversation. It provides a solid written-record of what the matter was about and will also usually be time-and-date "stamped" by the FAX machine. Just don't get FAX-fever and bury your attorney with FAXes. Trust me, he's got plenty of stuff to read already.