I’ve had two lawyers and spend $70K of personal savings in a divorce case that is now 2 years old. A series of bad decisions and some poor lawyering (in my opinion) I am out of money but am no closer to a settlement than when I started. Arguably I am farther from a settlement than when I started. I want to represent myself with respect to:
a. Seeking Judicial Review of decision made by a Parenting Coordinator.
b. Seeking Judicial Enforcement of a subpoena served 2 months ago for which complete document disclosure (i.e. tax records) has not been delivered.
c. Seeking Judicial Order to appoint a psychological evaluator so that process can begin and we can step closer to a Permanent Custody Trial.
Despite attempting to represent myself - I do not want to remove my Attorney from the case. Two reasons: a) It won’t look good to the judge if I have unsuccessfully used two attorneys in this matter and b) when my ex-wife learns that I am no longer represented by an attorney she will intensify her legal moves and siege advantage. My questions are:
- Can I represent myself in divorce court (Meckenburg County) if I have an Attorney of Record?
- Is there any reason (other than opportunity cost of lost billings) that my Attorney would object to representing myself?
- If my lawyer wants to Withdraw but I do not sign a Consent to Withdraw - how can I inscent her to stay in the case? I’m relatively current in what I owe to her ($700 balance). I don’t want her to fire me as her client but I also don’t want to keep paying her.
Your input is very appreciated. Thank you,