What to do if a lawyer doesn’t show up for court as he was hired to do and you get arrested for failure to appear
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What to do if a lawyer doesn’t show up for court as he was hired to do and you get arrested for failure to appear
My son hired an attorney for shoplifting charge.
Charging him 2000 he did not show up for
court. My son was arrested. Had to bail out for
another 500. And pay to get car out of
impound. Can we get our money back if we
fire him. Plus all other costs
Asked on November 12, 2016 under Criminal Law, Texas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
The problem is, even when you have an attorney, for a criminal (even minor criminal charge), you have to show up, too: the lawyer helps you but can't appear for you--the criminal defendant needs to be there, too, and if the lawyer had appeared, but your son did not, he potentially still could have been arrested, etc. That said, if the lawyer did not explain that to your son, it's possible there would be a malpractice claim, but it could be more expensive to pursue than it's worth.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.