If you can’t stand your attorney, you are well within your legal right to fire him or her and proceed with a new attorney, or on your own.
However, you should be aware that just because you can legally get a new attorney doesn’t mean you should. Your decision to fire your attorney could have a negative effect on your case.
There are a lot of reasons a client may choose to fire his or her attorney. Probably the most common is related to money – if the client doesn’t have money to pay the attorney’s fees, the client may choose to fire the attorney, or the attorney may withdraw from the case.
If the client has a personality conflict or a different strategy in mind for the case, the client may want a different attorney. If the client believes the attorney has a conflict of interest, the client may choose to fire him or her.
Before you hastily fire your attorney, consider how your case is proceeding. If your case is almost over and you believe it is going well, it may be worth sticking it out with the attorney to the conclusion. Even if your case is not going well, it may not be the fault of your attorney – it’s possible that the same result would occur with any attorney.
If, however, your case is not going well and you believe it’s the fault of your attorney, you may consider finding another attorney. Also, before firing your attorney, it may be worth opening up the lines of communication. Your attorney may have no idea that you have an issue with him or her or that you are considering finding another attorney. Once the attorney finds out, things may change.
If you do decide to find another Florida divorce attorney, you have certain legal rights. The attorney cannot share your private information with another party. The attorney should explain to you the consequences of terminating the relationship, and should return to you your legal papers. The attorney cannot use any information obtained during the representation to take advantage of you.