MINNESOTA COURT RULES

GENERAL RULES OF PRACTICE

Rule 105.Withdrawal of Counsel

After a lawyer has appeared for a party in any action, withdrawal will be effective only if written notice of withdrawal is served on all parties who have appeared, or their lawyers if represented by counsel, and is filed with the court administrator if any other document in the action has been filed. The notice of withdrawal shall include the address, email address, if known, and phone number where the party can be served or notified of matters relating to the action.

Withdrawal of counsel does not create any right to continuance of any scheduled trial or hearing.

(Amended effective January 1, 1998; amended effective July 1, 2015; amended effective July 1, 2019.)

Advisory Committee Comment - 1997 Amendment

The Task Force believes that uniformity in withdrawal practice and procedure would be desirable. Existing practice varies, in part due to differing rules and in part due to differing practices in the absence of a rule of statewide application. The primary concern upon withdrawal is the continuity of the litigation. Withdrawal should not impose additional burdens on opposing parties. The Task Force considered various rules that would make it more onerous for lawyers to withdraw, but determined those rules are not necessary nor desirable. Consistent with the right of parties to proceed pro se, they may continue to represent themselves where their lawyers have withdrawn. This rule establishes the procedure for withdrawal of counsel; it does not itself authorize withdrawal nor does it change the rules governing a lawyer's right or obligation to withdraw in any way. See Minn. R. Prof. Cond. 1.16. The rule does not affect or lessen a lawyer's obligations to the client upon withdrawal. Those matters are governed by the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct. See Minn. R. Prof. Cond. 1.16. Enforcement of those rules is best left to the Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board.

The 1997 amendment removes any suggestion that the notice of withdrawal must be filed with the court if no other documents have been filed by any party. When other documents are filed by any party, however, it should be filed as required by Minn. R. Civ. P. 5.04.

The rule makes it clear that the withdrawal of counsel does not, in itself, justify continuance of any trial or hearing. Of course, withdrawal or substitution of counsel may be part of a set of circumstances justifying the exercise of the court's discretion to grant a continuance.

Advisory Committee Comment - 2019 Amendment

Rule 105 is amended in 2019 to clarify that a withdrawing attorney is to provide the party's email address, if known, so that the court can efficiently notify the party.