QUESTION
What can I do if my court appointed attorney has been avoiding me?
Asked on Apr 25th, 2011 on Criminal Law - New York
More details to this question:
I have court appointed defense attorney who has failed to maintain contact with me for the past 10 months. My trial begins in days. However, i have not seen or heard from him in almost 2 weeks. we have not had any pretrial conferences. I have left several detailed messages with his secretary. However, neither him or her have ever contacted me back with the answers to questions i have previously asked. I know it's 4 business days now until my trial begins. what can i do? This is a serious criminal charge and my supposed legal representer is proving that he can not offer me suitable representation by the mere fact that he has denied me my right to correspond with him in reference to my case. So, I need to know what i can i possibly do at this point?
3 ANSWERS
Transportation Attorney serving Mamaroneck, NY
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Palumbo & Associates, PC
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You can retain private counsel. You can also discharge your attorney and represent yourself in court but should have a lawyer.
Answered on Mar 19th, 2017 at 5:52 AM
Theodore W. Robinson
Unfortunately, you need to ask for a new court appointed lawyer who will give you what you need. You will need to lay out exactly what you said in this email and more and explain why you need an additional month's time to properly prepare for trial with a new lawyer and then hope for the best. Many Judges will not grant such a request because it's so close to trial and it looks like an excuse for not immediately going to trial, but under these circumstances, I think it's time to make the request.
Answered on Apr 27th, 2011 at 12:54 PM
Personal Injury Attorney serving New York, NY
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Rothstein Law PLLC
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You've probably waited too long to ask for a new attorney because judges hate last minutes requests. You can try though. If you can afford to retain an attorney, that's a good option. I a former federal and State prosecutor and now handle criminal defense so feel free to contact me if you wish to retain counsel.
Answered on Apr 27th, 2011 at 10:58 AM