Can I change law firms if my bankruptcy case is not approved? 22 Answers as of October 14, 2011

Typically that will make the case worse, and raise your fees, but you can change lawyers if you choose. It will likely also delay the case.

If you are not satisfied with your attorney, you can always retain new counsel.

You can always change attorneys. It may be difficult to find an attorney who will gey involved at this point and you will need to deal with a new fee for the new attorney.

You can always switch to a new lawyer/law firm if you are unhappy with your current attorney. Whether or not that will actually speed up the approval of your Chapter 13 plan is another story. There are often many different factors which result in the delay of plan confirmation. However, if you're not happy with the level of communication you're getting from your current attorney about your case, it might be worth getting a second opinion.

Yes you can. First make sure you understand the reasons for the delays, there may be more than one. Ask yourself if you are responsible for any of the delays? What is your attorney's estimate of the problem and the time to resolution. If you still want to find other counsel you can interview other attorneys. If one of them agrees to represent you then a substitution of attorney form must be filed with the Court. Keep in mind that switching attorneys may not solve the problem.

I don't know if changing law firms will expedite chapter 13 confirmation. You may want to talk to your attorney and see what the status is.

Possibly. It is always wise to get a second opinion.

You may switch, but I highly doubt that it will speed up you case. In fact it will probably slow it down.

You can always change counsel if you are not satisfied with your present representation. However, you might consider some things first. First, you should talk to your attorney first. Chapter 13 is very complex and there are probably good reasons for the delay. Second, Ch 13 is very complex. Approval of a Ch 13 plan requires the Ch 13 trustee check off on it, sometimes there are objections from creditors that must be resolved, sometimes the court will raise issues. Sometimes he plan approval goes smoothly; more often it is a struggle. Finally, you will have to pay attorney fees if you change counsel. I highly recommend you try to resolve problems with your current counsel. Of course, if you have completely lost faith in your current counsel it is time for a change.

Yes, you can change your attorney. But don't. Get a second opinion instead. And do it the right way. Bring in copies of all of your court documents and your petition and plan. Ask the 2nd attoeney what the actual problem is that prevents confirmation of the plan. Then ask exactly how how to fix the problem. Take notes. Now you can ake an intelligent decision about whether to switch attorneys. Be prepared to pay reasonable fees for valuable advice.