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Can my lawyer just withdraw from defending me?

  • Thread starter Thread starter alansi
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alansi

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What is the name of your state? California

My attorney has been defending me(female) in a custody battle my ex husband has of seeking custody of my children. We have been to court on numerous occasions at great expense to me. My ex has received full custody of the oldest 2 children and we have joint custody of the youngest two. We went to court to seek monies for attorney fee's I cannot afford, we asked for 8000 and so far have been granted 3500. Also during the proceedings my ex and his lawyer now have asked for full custody of the two youngest. My attorney wants me to give him another $6000 retainer and has stepped down and handed me over to an attorney that works for him. He says they won't use the $3500 awarded because it is not guranteed and that they won't defend me without the retainer. My question is can he do this and is this ethical as he has been defending me for the past year and now will not even talk to me. (I am writing this on behalf of my girlfriend)
 


You Are Guilty

Senior Member
alansi said:
What is the name of your state? California

My attorney has been defending me(female) in a custody battle my ex husband has of seeking custody of my children. We have been to court on numerous occasions at great expense to me. My ex has received full custody of the oldest 2 children and we have joint custody of the youngest two. We went to court to seek monies for attorney fee's I cannot afford, we asked for 8000 and so far have been granted 3500. Also during the proceedings my ex and his lawyer now have asked for full custody of the two youngest. My attorney wants me to give him another $6000 retainer and has stepped down and handed me over to an attorney that works for him. He says they won't use the $3500 awarded because it is not guranteed and that they won't defend me without the retainer. My question is can he do this and is this ethical as he has been defending me for the past year and now will not even talk to me. (I am writing this on behalf of my girlfriend)

If I understand your question, then the answer is that no one has to work for free.
 

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