Changing Criminal Defence Lawyers in BC

Changing criminal defence lawyers is usually possible in BC, but it becomes more complicated the further you are into a trial. 

Why change lawyers?

 There are lots of reasons why individuals may want to change lawyers. Maybe there is a personality clash. Or maybe you want one thing, and your lawyer advises another. Or maybe you are just not happy with the legal defence that you are getting.

What happens when you change?

 In order to change lawyers, the new lawyer has to let the previous lawyer know that he or she is taking over your case and has to file paperwork with the court that the lawyers are changing and the previous one has been alerted.

Where it gets complicated is if your trial is about to start or your trial is already underway. In that case, changing lawyers is likely going to cause delays. The judge may say that it’s too late for you to change lawyers. Judges determine this on a case-by-case basis.

This is why one should try to establish a good working relationship with one’s lawyer at the outset. It can be headache to change lawyers at a later date, and doing so almost always brings about several delays to the proceedings. It’s also possible that you may meet and interview some different lawyers and decide that you prefer keeping the one you have.

If you are considering changing defence lawyers and need an experienced criminal lawyer in Vancouver, call Michael Bloom at (604) 603-5513.

Michael Bloom is a very experienced criminal defence lawyer, who started his career as a Crown Prosecutor.

If you have any questions about this article or would like to schedule a free consultation with Mr. Bloom, please call his office at (604) 603-5513 or Toll-Free at (877) 603-5513.