laborer41 said:
michigan If you are in the middle of a divorce proceeding and your laywer demands full payment and you cannot possibly come up with it, and he says he is going to put in a motion for a withdraw what does this mean and what are the reprocutions of this action?
My response:
Like any other business, a law office needs its money. That's how businesses run. I'm sure you can understand that concept.
Also, your lawyer doesn't owe you representation without being paid. Like any business, a lawyer will only give what you pay for, and then will stop. There is no difference between the services you get from your lawyer, in terms of being paid, than that of someone cleaning the carpet in your home. If you don't pay for the service, you don't get that service, or the service stops. Simple.
The law recognizes that when a lawyer does not get paid, pursuant to the written contract, that the lawyer need only ask permission (the Motion to be Relieved as Counsel of Record) to be excused from the contract of representation. In 9.9 times out of 10, and under these circumstances, the court will agree with the attorney, and representation will cease.
When this happens, you will be placed in the position of acting as your own attorney (In Propria Persona), requiring you to either go forward with the case yourself, find a new attorney, or drop the case altogether. To your current attorney, it doesn't matter.
Unless you drop your coins into the vending machine, you don't get that Coca Cola. Same concept. Think of your attorney as a vending machine.
Then comes the bill from your attorney for the services performed that you haven't paid yet . . .
Good luck to you.
IAAL
[Edited by I AM ALWAYS LIABLE on 04-30-2001 at 11:36 PM]
