Sack Legal Firm 1 Week Before Murder Trial & Appoint A New One

[bobbygleeds]

Hi,

I'm someone maybe able to help me, my best friend was charged with murder in June and was allocated a duty solicitor, his boss said he wanted the best legal people for his case and get one of the best Q.C's in the country on the case and they said too its best not to use a Police station allocated solicitor.
He was remanded into custody and after a few weeks a solicitor and representives attended the prison to visit him in order to talk about changing solicitors to them after they said stuff and he would have no problem with them and would get him aqquited of murder and had 100% murder acquital success rate - he said he would change but didn't know if he was doing the right thing.
It went to Crown Court for the judge to approve the request of changing legal team which he did but my best friend was confused whether it was the right thing to change and he felt pressured by the new legal team to switch. His old legal team were really helpful always kept in touch, passed messages etc on when calling their office.
This new legal team seem to not really want to do this murder trial as they are been very unhelpful, don't have much ready to start the trial in 1 weeks time, they are not prepared at all, my friend has seen his barrister and Q.C. for around 30 mins in total and they have only read a few paragraphs of the dps and don't have a clue about what happened on the fateful night. The solicitor is always poorly and doesn't turn up for visits to speak about the case and trial. At the plea hearing my friend was told his legal team would go to the holding cell to speak with him in the morning as the hearing was for the afternoon, it came to the afternoon and he was called up to the court and had to enter his plea without talking to his legal team - he pleaded not guilty.
There is a lot of conflict between my best friend and his legal team and is not happy and worried as there's 1week until the trial's due to start and his legal team have not called any witnesses or been in touch with myself as i lived and worked with the defendant for over 8 years and knew him and knew everything about his relationship with the victim the first solicitor before he swapped came to speak with me personally.
My friend calls up his legal ream and never gets to speak to his solicitor as he's never available and the office never pass messages on.
My best friend has wrote a letter to the judge in the past week to ask if the trial can be postponed due to the legal team having nothing ready - he saw his barrister a few days ago and told him that he's written a letter to the judge and he said what have you done that for you should have told us - barrister, Q..C & solicitor and he said he would have if he could speak to them
Do you think he would be able to sack his current legal team because of how inept they seem to be and not ready, not know anything really about the case and request he get his first legal team back on the case?
I hope you understand what i have wrote and hope anyone could let me know if you think this would be possible.
Thank you

[EDDIE51]

He can change his legal team that is his right, but a murder case is very complicated and it takes a long time to prepare a case. With just a week to go he needs to be careful he does not end up in a worse situation. He needs to get the trial adjourned as a first step to give him time to get another team ready. The first team may not want the case back after he dismissed them previously.

[bobbygleeds]

Hi thanks for your reply, i have spoken with my friends previous solicitor on the phone and told him about the problems he's having with his current legal team and he's said he's prepared to work on my friends case again if the judge will approve him transferring back to his previous legal team - as the judge said when he agreed to change the duty solicitor - legal team that he won't allow it again - hopefully as its not a new legal team altogether he will agree and there's no problem with legal aid.
My friend i have been told is in court today to speak to the judge about adjourning/postponing the trial until everything is ready and prepared as its nowhere near at the minute, he will also be able to speak to the judge about all the problems with his legal team and he's not happy at all.
Will see wat happens in court today from the judge.
Thank for you message.

[EDDIE51]

Hope it all goes well. Judges are very helpful if you explain the problems carefully. I am sure he will get an adjournment.