My attorney withdrew from my case

knowledge base

Updated over a month ago

What's happening

Your attorney accepted your case, and now they are stepping away from it. This is called a withdrawal, and while it is rare, it does happen. When it does, Off The Record (OTR) steps in to reassign your case to a new attorney so your representation continues with as little interruption as possible.

A withdrawal is about your attorney's availability — not about you or the strength of your case.

Why it happens

Our partner attorneys spend most of their time in court, and their schedules can change quickly. The most common reasons an attorney withdraws are:

Court schedule conflicts A new hearing date lands at the same time as another case, and the attorney can no longer appear for both.
Emergencies Sudden health issues or urgent situations that take the attorney away from their practice.
Personal life events Family matters or other changes that affect their availability.

What we do next

When your attorney withdraws, we handle the reassignment:

We identify a new attorney who covers your court and handles your case type.
We reassign your case to the new attorney. Your case details and documents stay in your case file, and the new attorney receives everything they need to continue your representation.
We notify you once the reassignment is complete, and you can reach your new attorney in the same case chat.

In the rare event that no replacement attorney is available for your court and case type, we cancel your case and issue you a full refund.

💵 In almost all cases, the reassignment costs you nothing extra.

If your new attorney's legal fee is higher than what you paid, we cover the difference when your original attorney becomes unavailable.

What it means for your case

Your court dates stay the same A change in attorney does not automatically change your court dates or case requirements. Your case continues under the same court process. If your court date is coming up soon, contact our support team right away.
There may be a short transition period Your new attorney needs a little time to review your case materials. In many cases, this review happens quickly.
Your case chat continues Keep communicating through the case chat, just as before. See How to communicate with your attorney for how it works.
Your money-back guarantee We first try to reassign your case to an attorney who honors the money-back guarantee (for eligible tickets). In rare cases, the new attorney may ask for the guarantee to be waived — if that happens, you can choose to continue with the new attorney or cancel your case for a full refund.

✅ You usually do not need to take any action.

We manage the reassignment and keep you updated — just watch for our notification and respond to any questions from your new attorney in the case chat.

Looking for something else?

This article covers what happens when your attorney initiates the withdrawal. A few related situations are handled separately:

You want a different attorney If you would like to switch attorneys — for example, because you and your attorney disagree on how to proceed — contact our support team and we will go over your options. Note that a fee difference may apply when the change is at your request.
You are having a problem with your attorney If your attorney missed a court date, behaved unprofessionally, or stopped responding, see I'm having a problem with my attorney.
An attorney declined your case before accepting it That is a different situation from a withdrawal — see What happens if an attorney declines your case.

Need help?

If you have questions about a withdrawal or reassignment on your case, contact our support team. We are here to keep your case moving.