Lawyer Failed To Appear At Court And Then Closed Office. Is A Refund Possible?

A family member hired a criminal attorney following a felony charge. They paid a $3,000 retainer and the lawyer appeared at the first hearing in November 2023. The next hearing was supposed to be in April of 2024, but the lawyer failed to appear in court, as well as the following two rescheduled court dates—all without notice. The family member took off work to appear each time, and was told after the attorney didn’t show due to medical issues.

Now, they have found that the attorney closed their office and they cannot get a refund despite no recourse on the case. They cannot afford a new lawyer. We have found that the attorney previously had their license suspended in 2005 and got relicensed in 2017, so it seems that this lawyer had issues in the past.

I’ve recommended filing a complaint with the bar association, but the family member doesn’t believe it will be worthwhile. Does anyone know if they could be refunded through the bar association? The state is Wisconsin.