Can I Change Lawyers In A Bankruptcy Case?
By Douglas Jacobs, California Bankruptcy Attorney on Jan 27, 2008 in Bankruptcy Practice and Procedure, Your Bankruptcy Attorney & You
It happens: you’ve hired an attorney to file for bankruptcy for you and somewhere along the line, either before or after the filing, he or she seems to be dropping the ball. Can you change attorneys? Absolutely!
But that’s not the end of the story. To change, find a new attorney willing to take over. Make sure you sign a fee agreement with him or her and then the substitution of attorneys form. Your new attorney should be able to get the previous lawyer to sign it and then submit it to the court.
Do not fire the first attorney until you’ve found another one to take over. Sure, you can “go it alone,” but the complexities of the current bankruptcy laws are such that you can do a lot of damage to your case and property if not properly represented.
My advice is to fully disclose to the new attorney every reason you are unhappy with the original lawyer. You may find out that what you are dissatisfied with is the law, the judge or the trustee and there’s nothing that can be done about it anyway.
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