If you do not hear from an attorney within the time frame you need a reply, contact the law firm by telephone. The law firm may not reply if, in its opinion, your request concerns a matter outside the law firm’s geographic area or scope of interest, is unlikely to lead to professional services between the law firm and you, or would be otherwise inappropriate for the law firm due to the law firm's current caseload and other matters. The law firm's failure to respond is not legal advice, or a statement on the strength or weakness of your case or whether or not you have a case. Because the law imposes strict time limitations on persons asserting legal claims and the length of those deadlines varies according to the nature of the claims, it is important that you act promptly to ensure that you are not precluded from asserting your claim.