Choosing and Working with a Lawyer

If you’ve tried to improve the relationship with your lawyer but you are still not satisfied with their performance, there are a few other ideas that you may want to consider.

If your lawyer works for a legal services organization or a law firm

• Start by talking to the lawyer’s supervisor.
• If needed, work your way up the ranks to the director or head lawyer until you get the results that you want.
• If this doesn’t help, you can always ask if a different lawyer from the organization or law firm can take over your case.

If the court has appointed your lawyer

• You may want to ask the judge to appoint a different attorney. If you are going this route, you may want to share the issues you are facing with the attorney’s legal representation.
• You have the right to fire a court-appointed attorney even if you are not paying them. However, think carefully before you do this because the judge might not appoint a second attorney for you. If you can’t find a lawyer on your own, you will be left to represent yourself, which could be very difficult, especially if the abuser has a lawyer.

If you decide to fire your lawyer and hire a new one

• Keep in mind that switching attorneys in the middle of a case can cause delays in the legal process, which may not be in your best interest depending on your goals. 
• Be aware that free legal help is limited. Firing your lawyer and getting a new one may not be a realistic option if your attorney was assigned to you through a free legal services organization or appointed by the judge, as is often the case in states that appoint lawyers in civil proceedings. In the majority of cases, the supply of lawyers who provide free representation is much lower than the demand, and it may be more difficult to get a second lawyer to provide free legal services.
• If you decide to fire your lawyer, get a copy of your file so that your next lawyer will have everything they need to represent you.

If, however, you want to work on improving the relationship with your attorney, you can see information on ways to talk to your lawyer about your concerns in our Working with your lawyer section. You can find links for legal services organizations as well as your state bar association’s legal referral service on our Finding a Lawyer page.