Doing your due diligence and feeling completely comfortable with your divorce lawyer in New York will give you a much better chance of having a successful proceeding. However, some circumstances may arise during your time together that causes either you or your attorney to get cold feet and want to walk away. The big question people have is whether your divorce lawyer in NYC can leave you high and dry without any notice. While they can technically withdraw from a case, you will very likely know it’s coming and should have time to prepare for it.
Situations In Which Your Lawyer Can Withdraw
Most divorce lawyers in New York won’t withdraw from a case unless there is a very good reason to do so. Some of those reasons include:
- The client not paying their bills
- The client abusing the lawyer’s services while committing a crime
- The client repeatedly asking the lawyer to take unlawful or immoral actions
- The lawyer abruptly becomes mentally or physically unable to continue representation
- The lawyer recognizing a conflict of interest
In most of these situations, your New York lawyer will need your consent to withdraw, or may even need to get a court order to do so. The chances of you being blindsided about the withdrawal of your lawyer are minimal, especially if you identify any of these situations presented.
Can You Force Your Lawyer To Withdraw?
Some people may think they’ve hired the best divorce lawyer in New York, but don’t feel the same way after working with them for a while. In most situations the client will have to have a valid reason backed by proof as to why they want to move on from their current lawyer. Animosity between a client and a lawyer typically has to do with disagreements on strategies and emotions running high, but usually aren’t reasons to force a withdrawal. And many times when a client going through a divorce realizes these emotions are common in these types of proceedings, they will understand the lawyer isn’t doing as bad as they thought initially.
Use Your Instincts And Always Be Honest
Being honest with your divorce lawyer in NYC will usually create a better relationship. Of course, as the client, you need to ensure the honesty goes both ways. If you feel like your divorce lawyer is getting ready to withdraw from your case, try opening up the dialogue to see if there’s anything that can be done to repair the relationship. With emotions being very high during divorce proceedings, bringing any issues to light is the first step in repairing potential damage to the relationship between you and your lawyer.
At Gordon & Gordon, we believe transparency between the lawyer and client is invaluable. At your initial consultation, we will be open and honest with you so you can feel comfortable with your decision to hire us if you choose. And if you’re currently in a difficult situation with your New York lawyer, we would be happy to have a consultation with you as well. Never hesitate to contact us, as we will always treat you with the respect you deserve.