Having problems with your lawyer? Review some options and resources for handling problems with your lawyer, including disputes about fees.
How to change who represents you in a court case
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Fill out form
Fill out and sign page 1 of the Substitution of Attorney-Civil (form MC-050).
- If a lawyer will no longer be representing you, the lawyer will need to sign the form.
- If you have a new lawyer, have them fill out their information and sign as well.
On page 2, write in the names and addresses of the other parties in your case. If the other party has a lawyer, use the lawyer's information instead
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Server mails copy to the other party
Someone 18 or older, who is not part of the case, must mail a copy of the form to the other parties in your case. The person who mails your form is called a server.
- Before mailing, your server should fill out the rest of page 2. They do not sign the form yet.
- Make enough copies of the form for yourself and any other party in the case.
Next, your server mails a copy of the form to everyone listed on page 2 (the other parties). Your server does not mail the original. Once they have mailed the copies, your server signs the original form. The original is for the court.
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File form
File the original Substitution of Attorney form, with page 2 filled out and signed, with the court. There is no filing fee.
Take your copy as well. The clerk will stamp it as filed. Keep this for your records.
Yes, you can file by mail. If you want to get a copy back, be sure to include an extra copy of the form for the clerk to stamp as "filed" and a self-addressed, stamped envelope so the clerk can mail the copy back to you.
In some courts, you can file online, called e-filing. Check with your court.
Unless you switched to a new lawyer, you now no longer have a lawyer in the case. You are representing yourself. If you hire a lawyer later, you will need to file a new Substitution of Attorney.