Who's on first?

Are you the attorney of record? Keeping the Court informed of changes in representation is extremely important.  Are you filing substitutions of attorney or withdrawing from the case consistently?

That rings so true for client representation too often in the courtroom.  Keeping the court informed of who the current attorney of record is so important. 
The clerks of the court provide and mail notices, court minutes and other documents based on the information obtained from the court file (or record).  
Often times, court minutes are generated electronically.  What is in the system is most times what is generated on the minutes, and should accurately reflect the attorney of record, including who was actually in court for the hearing.  If/when you are appearing in court on behalf of another attorney or if you are making a special appearance, don’t forget to “state that for the record”.

​These protocols are often forgotten if not prompted by the Court or the clerk.  

• State that you are withdrawing as counsel, then file the appropriate form based on your jurisdiction.
• Give  the reasons  for withdrawal.
• Unless the client  has already retained a new attorney,, recommend that he/she do so as soon as possible. 
• Arrange to return the client's file.
• Provide a final status report.

 Doing or not doing these things could be costing your firm money. 

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