Do lawyers have a time limit to see and speak with there client before court?

Question

Do lawyers have to speak with you before your court date, like do they have a certain number of days to speak with you,or can they basically do what they want?

Answer 1

The relationship between a lawyer and a client is just that - a relationship. There's no rule dictating how much time they'll spend talking before court. And there's no rule as to what's the right amount of time - some cases are complicated, others are simple.

There also may be limitations imposed by the client's financial circumstances. The client may not want to spend a lot of time in conversation - since the client gets billed for that time.

If what you're asking involves a criminal case, in which a defendant doesn't get a chance to speak to counsel at length before an initial appearance, that's not a problem - because the initial appearance is usually nothing more than a procedural appearance at which, at most, bail will be set.

Answer 2

It's entirely between the lawyer and the client.

They may meet once, or a dozen times. They may meet months in advance, or just the day of court.

Ideally, a lawyer should meet far enough in advance to interview the client and properly prepare for the case.

Sadly, that doesn't always happen.

Answer 3

They can meet and talk all they want until the time they are supposed to be in court. After that, it just depends on when your case is called.