August 31, 2023
When our roster lawyers need to change counsel, working collaboratively with LAA Certificate and Tariff Officers (CTOs), knowing best practices and where to find valuable resources, can significantly facilitate a smooth transition.
Where a client fails to appear for Court, and a maximum of 90 days have elapsed with no contact with them, counsel is advised to withdraw from the record and submit a final invoice.
This withdrawal will help expedite the appointment of new (or previous) counsel when the client re-applies for LAA services.
When your best efforts to resolve a conflict bring no resolution, we ask that you remove yourself from the record as quickly as possible for this information to appear in JOIN and submit a final invoice at your earliest convenience to expedite the change of counsel process.
Please also submit an Authorization Request for a Change of Counsel in Lawyer Portal.
You should be doing a conflict check when you receive the offer.
However, we recognize that not all conflicts are immediately apparent. If you discover a conflict after reviewing the disclosure or other unforeseen circumstances, please submit an Authorization Request for a Change of Counsel as soon as possible.
This will assist the client in getting a new lawyer through LAA without delay, as LAA does not have to wait for the client to contact us and then reach out to counsel for their comments.
You do not need to submit a final invoice before requesting a Change of Counsel.
