Replace a Lawyer

You have the right to replace your attorney whenever you want for whatever reason. Remember, even though you hired the services of a professional, you are still ultimately responsible for your own legal affairs. If you believe there is a problem, you need to speak up and take responsibility for fixing it. There are a few things you should keep in mind when deciding to replace your attorney.

• Act as soon as you are aware of the problem. The longer you wait to replace your attorney the more difficult it will be to bring another attorney up to speed in time to help you.
• Think it through. If it's the day before an important court appearance, know what the consequences of changing an attorney at that point will be. Be clear. Fire your attorney in writing, keeping a copy for yourself. Don't just stop returning phone calls and assume he'll get the hint.
• Be able to articulate, at least to yourself, what the problem is. This way when finding a new attorney you can know what it is you want to avoid.
• Find a new attorney as soon as possible and provide them with the former attorney's contact information, particularly if work has already been done.

Questions for Your Attorney

• Can you get my case file from my old attorney?
• Do I need to let the court know that I have a new attorney?
• Can you help me get my retainer money back from my old attorney?

Learn more about issues to consider if you're contemplating replacing a lawyer from the articles below.

Tagged as: General Practice, Legal Malpractice, replace, change, fire, switch, attorney, lawyer, problem, malpractice, case, lawsuit, new