Q: Hello . Can I switch from court appointed and hire a lawyer if the trial is about to start ? Or at anytime ?
I have a court appointed lawyer but I think he is overworked and seems like he is not as concerned as before and him and the DA have put off my case for 5 y rs and in March is supposed to be the court date but have Ben told that at least 5 different times before and never happened. But March the statue of limitations is run out . Can i ask the judge if I can hire a lawyer if we actually go to court and not have to use the court appointed lawyer? can I ask during jury selection ? Stalking is the charge which I'm not guilty of and they know it. Why do they drag this out so long ? Thanks.
A: You can retain a lawyer if they can be ready for trial in March. There is not a statute of limitation issue because you are charged
1 user found this answer helpful
A:
Yes, you can switch from a court appointed attorney to a privately retained attorney at any time as long as it does not delay the trial of your case.
The requirement of the statute of limitations was met when you were charged with the commission of a crime. The statute of limitations does not require that your case go to trial within a specific period of time.
You do, however, have a right to a speedy trial. If you or your attorney requested or agreed to previous postponements, you likely waived any complaint about the State not proceeding to trial in your case. To complain, you need to consistently announce ready for trial and oppose any delay by the State.
1 user found this answer helpful
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