Pontiac, MI asked in Criminal Law, Family Law, Appeals / Appellate Law and Domestic Violence for Minnesota

Q: Can i find an attorney for a trial that starts tomorrow for False Allegations of Sexual assault and Maltreatment, MN?

Complex Case: Criminal CPS cases dismissed. Civil current. Appeals? Indefinitely suspended FamilyPT, Juvenile history. Lawyer terminated our client/att. Relationship. Cannot find anyone to represent me. Urgent ExParte; Daughter attempted suicide due to forced to lie about accusation and father is using my daughters as pawns to access a family trust account. Youngest confessed to lying. What can I do?

2 Lawyer Answers

A: An attorney is not going to be prepared who is retained the day for a hearing/trial. It is unclear from your question whether this is a criminal trial; an OFP/HRO hearing; a child protection trial; or something else. Your best bet is to go to the hearing and request additional time from the Court to get an attorney on board. The status quo will remain as is, but you might at least be in a position to get representation. Handling something like this on your own is never a good idea.

A: As a practical matter, the day before a trial begins is too late to retain an attorney in that case. That should be avoided by retaining an attorney near the beginning of a case. The best option "the day before trial" might be to ask the judge for a postponement of the trial, to allow enough time to find and retain a lawyer. The new lawyer will also need time to get pre-trial discovery, review any potential pretrial issues, and otherwise prepare for trial.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.