Hi Gang,

I didn't know where to put this, so I originally posted it in "social chat." Jo*mar suggested that this might also be a good thread to get some feedback.

As some of you know, I'm involved in litigation over serious injuries sustained at the hands of a drunk driver. Sadly, merit notwithstanding, winning a lawsuit is next to impossible in my province.

Without going into all the details, pursing the litiation is taking a terrible toll on my family and my health. At the recomendation of my doctor, I decided to stop and infomed by lawyer in writing to offer the other side a pre-discovery settlement that would cover my legal fees. Given my injuries, this would be a real bargain for the other side. Anyway, today I got a letter making it clear that not only did my lawyer not follow my instructions, but in the past week my legal expenses have doubled making it less likey I could recover all the fees without going to discovery. Of course, she was demanding that I go to discovery or pay up in full immediately.

In my province lawyers are required to follow all legal instructions from clients. What should I do about this unethical bully? I don't want to go to discovery but she's one of the province's most eminent lawyers and I don't expect much help from the Law Society. It appears to be a clear case of malpractice, but suing is exactly what I was trying to get out of in the first place. I have been so through much that I've really reached the point that I wished I'd died in the crash.