Most people rehearse the firing speech for a week, then chicken out on the phone — which is fine, because you were never supposed to call anyway.
You fire a lawyer the same way you fire a contractor who stopped showing up: in writing, with a date, with a paper trail. Not with a voicemail. Not with a text. Not with a tearful confrontation where they talk you into “giving it one more week.”
Here’s how to do it in Michigan without fumbling the handoff.
Why it has to be in writing
A phone call ends when you hang up. A letter exists forever.
If your lawyer later claims they “didn’t know” you terminated them, or bills you for work they did after you fired them, or drags their feet on releasing your file — the letter is your proof. No letter, no proof.
Do both:
- Certified mail, return receipt requested, to the firm’s business address. Keep the green card.
- Email, to your lawyer and the firm’s general inbox if they have one. Put “Termination of Representation — [Your Name]” in the subject line.
Belt and suspenders. The certified receipt is the legal anchor. The email is the one they’ll actually read first.
The 5 sentences your letter must contain
Your letter is a transaction, not a conversation. Five sentences carry the weight:
- The date and who you are. Name, case matter, date of your injury if they represent you on a PI claim.
- The words “I am terminating your representation, effective immediately.” Not “I think I might want to.” Not “I’d like to discuss.” Terminating. Effective immediately.
- A demand for your complete file under MRPC 1.16(d). Name the rule.
- A deadline. “Within 14 days” is standard and reasonable.
- Instructions on where to send the file. A physical address and an email.
That’s the letter. Anything else is garnish.
The 3 sentences that ruin it
Cut these before you send:
- “I’m sorry, but…” You have nothing to apologize for. This is a business relationship ending.
- Anything explaining why. Do not list grievances. Do not attach texts. Do not relitigate the last six months. Reasons give them ammunition to argue. Silence gives them nothing.
- “Please call me to discuss.” You do not want a call. The call is how they talk you out of it.
The template
Re: Termination of Representation — [Your Name], [Date of Incident]
[Date]
[Attorney Name] [Firm Name] [Firm Address]
Dear [Attorney Name]:
I am terminating your representation of me in the above matter, effective immediately.
Pursuant to Michigan Rule of Professional Conduct 1.16(d), please deliver my complete client file to me within 14 days of the date of this letter. This includes all pleadings, correspondence, medical records, bills, photographs, investigator reports, expert reports, insurance communications, and any other documents pertaining to my case, whether in paper or electronic form.
Please send the file to [Your Address] and email a digital copy to [Your Email].
Do not perform any further work on my matter or communicate with any third party on my behalf after receipt of this letter.
Sincerely,
[Your Name] [Your Phone] [Your Email]
Copy, paste, fill in the brackets, print, sign, mail, email. Done.
Demanding your file under MRPC 1.16(d)
Michigan Rule of Professional Conduct 1.16(d) says that when representation ends, your lawyer must “take reasonable steps to protect a client’s interests,” including “surrendering papers and property to which the client is entitled.”
Translation: the file is yours. Not theirs. Yours.
What you are entitled to includes pleadings, correspondence with the insurance company, medical records they collected, bills, photos, witness statements, expert reports, investigator notes, and any demand letters they drafted. The firm can keep a copy for their records — at their expense, not yours.
Fourteen days is a reasonable deadline. Some firms will drag it to 30. If you hit day 30 with no file, your next step is a grievance with the Attorney Grievance Commission. They don’t play.
“They’re holding my file hostage”
This is the #1 fear people have, and it’s mostly a myth.
Michigan recognizes an attorney’s retaining lien — a lawyer can, in theory, hold certain property until they’re paid. But in a contingency-fee personal injury case, you haven’t paid anything yet. There’s no unpaid bill to secure. The lien argument collapses.
Your file — the working documents of your case — is not the same as the lawyer’s fee claim against a future settlement. They’re entitled to assert a lien on the recovery when the case settles (a charging lien). They are not entitled to sit on your medical records and pleadings while the statute of limitations runs.
If a firm tells you they won’t release your file until you sign something waiving their fee claim: that’s a bullying tactic. Politely decline, document the refusal, and escalate.
What to do the same day you send it
Before the certified letter even arrives:
- Preserve everything. Screenshot every text and email thread with the firm. Save voicemails. Download any client portal documents you still have access to.
- Notify the insurance adjuster in writing. One sentence: “As of [date], [Firm Name] no longer represents me. Please direct all communications to me personally until new counsel appears.” This stops the firm from negotiating on your behalf after you’ve fired them.
- Line up new counsel before you mail the letter, not after. Statutes of limitations don’t pause because you’re between lawyers. In Michigan, most PI claims run three years from the date of injury. Know your clock.
- Don’t post about it online. Not on Facebook, not in a Reddit thread, not in a Google review. Not yet. Settle the case first.
The letter is the easy part. The next lawyer is the part that actually matters.
If you’ve gotten this far and you still don’t know who your next lawyer should be, that’s what Fire My Lawyer exists for. We’re a Michigan-based second-opinion service — Tim reviews your case personally, usually within 24 hours, and matches you to a vetted PI attorney in our network. No pressure, no sales pitch, no AI chatbot. Call 1-855-FML-2DAY or submit your case at firemylawyer.com. The second opinion is free. The clock isn’t.