Contrary to conventional wisdom, lawyers do not “own” clients. A client is free to choose the lawyer who will represent her, and may fire the existing lawyer at any time.

If you do not want your lawyer to continue representing you, you can end the attorney-client relationship at any time. Once you end the relationship, your lawyer must withdraw from your case and acknowledge your authority to discharge the lawyer “at will”. The term, “at will”, means that you do not have to give a reason to fire your lawyer and you can discharge your lawyer for any reason, whether justified or not.

Your lawyer must respect your right to select counsel of your choice. Clients of a law firm are not commodities who can be bought and sold by law firms; you have an unfettered right to choose your lawyer. If you do not trust your lawyer or you feel that your lawyer does not have your best interests at heart, it may be time to change lawyers.

You have the right to fire your lawyer even right up to the time of trial, or heaven forbid, during trial. Just make sure you have a plan in place and a new lawyer ready to represent you.

If you have any questions about firing a lawyer, I welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 866-889-6882. You can get a ton of FREE information about your rights vis-a-vis your lawyer in my book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, which you can request at the home page of my website, www.protectingpatientrights.com. Thank you for taking time to read this Q&A.