{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/16.1-69.32_1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/16.1-69.32_1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/16.1-69.32_1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/16.1-69.32_1.html"}],"law_id":68146,"edition_id":1,"section_id":68146,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.32:1","catch_line":"Substitution of counsel","history":"1980, c. 434.","full_text":"Except in case of court-appointed counsel, no rule of court shall be made or construed so as to preclude substitution of counsel in civil and criminal cases in the district courts, nor shall any order or appearance in person, be required, to relieve original counsel of his duties in any such case. It shall be sufficient that new counsel represents to the court that the substitution is made pursuant to agreement by the parties represented and original counsel.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":246679,"text":"Except in case of court-appointed counsel, no rule of court shall be made or construed so as to preclude substitution of counsel in civil and criminal cases in the district courts, nor shall any order or appearance in person, be required, to relieve original counsel of his duties in any such case. It shall be sufficient that new counsel represents to the court that the substitution is made pursuant to agreement by the parties represented and original counsel.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13494,"edition_id":1,"name":"Administration and Supervision of the District Courts","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13142,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:02","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:02","permalink":{"id":162159,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13494,"identifier":"3","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3","url":"\/16.1\/4.1\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13142,"edition_id":1,"name":"District Courts","identifier":"4.1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12700,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:21","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:21","permalink":{"id":161993,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13142,"identifier":"4.1","token":"16.1\/4.1","url":"\/16.1\/4.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12700,"edition_id":1,"name":"Courts Not of Record","identifier":"16.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":160919,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12700,"identifier":"16.1","token":"16.1","url":"\/16.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":54457,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.30","catch_line":"District system within unified court system","url":"\/16.1-69.30\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.30","metadata":false},{"id":55293,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.31","catch_line":"The duties of the Judicial Council","url":"\/16.1-69.31\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.31","metadata":false},{"id":78384,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.32","catch_line":"Rules","url":"\/16.1-69.32\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.32","metadata":false},{"id":68146,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.32:1","catch_line":"Substitution of counsel","url":"\/16.1-69.32_1\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.32_1","metadata":false},{"id":78281,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.33","catch_line":"Committee on District Courts","url":"\/16.1-69.33\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.33","metadata":false},{"id":72552,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.34","catch_line":"Reserved","url":"\/16.1-69.34\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.34","metadata":false},{"id":74349,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.35","catch_line":"Administrative duties of chief district judge","url":"\/16.1-69.35\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.35","metadata":false},{"id":61573,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.35:01","catch_line":"Location of district courts for Albemarle County","url":"\/16.1-69.35_01\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.35_01","metadata":false},{"id":85601,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.35:1","catch_line":"Location of district courts for Carroll County","url":"\/16.1-69.35_1\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.35_1","metadata":false},{"id":69451,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.35:2","catch_line":"Recording of proceedings in district courts","url":"\/16.1-69.35_2\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.35_2","metadata":false},{"id":58257,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.35:3","catch_line":"(Expires pursuant to Acts 2025, c. 292, cl. 2) Twelfth Judicial District; chief judges; designation of cases to be heard in Colonial Heights.","url":"\/16.1-69.35_3\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.35_3","metadata":false},{"id":79440,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.36","catch_line":"Where process returnable and trials held in certain cases","url":"\/16.1-69.36\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.36","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":78384,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.32","catch_line":"Rules","url":"\/16.1-69.32\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.32","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":78281,"structure_id":13494,"section_number":"16.1-69.33","catch_line":"Committee on District Courts","url":"\/16.1-69.33\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.33","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/16.1-69.32:1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1980. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 434 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1980 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":162173,"object_type":"law","relational_id":68146,"identifier":"16.1-69.32:1","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.32_1","url":"\/16.1-69.32_1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/16.1-69.32_1\/","token":"16.1\/4.1\/3\/16.1-69.32_1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Substitution of counsel","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 16.1-69.32:1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Except in case of court<\/span>-appointed counsel<\/span>, no rule of court<\/span> shall be made or construed so as to preclude substitution of counsel<\/span> in civil and criminal cases in the district courts<\/span>, nor shall any order<\/span> or appearance<\/span> in person, be required, to relieve original counsel<\/span> of his duties in any such case. It shall be sufficient that new counsel<\/span> represents to the court<\/span> that the substitution is made pursuant to agreement by the parties represented and original counsel<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nSUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL (\u00a7 16.1-69.32:1)\n\nExcept in case of court-appointed counsel, no rule of court shall be made or\nconstrued so as to preclude substitution of counsel in civil and criminal cases\nin the district courts, nor shall any order or appearance in person, be\nrequired, to relieve original counsel of his duties in any such case. It shall\nbe sufficient that new counsel represents to the court that the substitution is\nmade pursuant to agreement by the parties represented and original counsel.\n\nHISTORY: 1980, c. 434.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}