Why is My Lawyer Withdrawing from My Case?

There can be many reasons a lawyer might withdraw from, or stop, representing a client. A withdrawal is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be. In some cases, legal or ethical rules may require that your attorney no longer represent you. Over the course of many years as an experienced auto accident lawyer Memphis TN trusts, we’ve had a few occasions where we have had to withdraw as counsel.  While we make every effort to avoid withdrawing, in some cases it is unavoidable.

You and your lawyer are a team. It is critical that you cooperate with your lawyer and timely respond to his or her requests. In addition, you must trust your lawyer in order to achieve a healthy and productive attorney-client relationship.  If cooperation and trust are missing, your case may be prejudiced.

Reasons Lawyers Typically Withdraw from Cases

•   The client is not paying his or her legal bills.
•   The client is not being honest and forthcoming.  
•   The client refuses to follow the lawyer’s advice.
•   The client refuses to cooperate with the lawyer, or will not respond to the lawyer’s inquiries in a timely manner.
•   The client demands to pursue an unethical course of action or desires to mislead the Court.
•   The client demands unrealistic results.
•   The client and lawyer are not a good fit. This could be because their personalities clash, because the client does not trust the lawyer, or because the client and lawyer have different styles of communicating and working toward an end-result.

How Does a Lawyer Withdraw? Will I be Notified?

Of course you will be notified. In order to withdraw from a case that has been filed in court, your lawyer will need to file what is called a “Motion to Withdraw” and obtain the judge’s permission to stop representing you and working on your case. Depending on the jurisdiction and the judge, the lawyer may be required to state why he or she wishes to withdraw, but not always. In most cases, judges freely allow attorneys to withdraw.  If your case has not yet been filed in court, your lawyer will not be required to seek permission to stop representing you. He or she will simply write you a letter or discuss the decision with you in person or on the telephone.

If you need help with a car wreck or other injury case, contact the auto accident lawyer today.

 

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Thanks to our friends and contributors at Wiseman Bray PLLC who have significant experience helping personal injury and car accident victim.