Based on him killing himself, this is grounds for you to obtain a continuance with the court and the court would be very liberal granting you one if you file it now on these grounds. Second, you have a right to file a claim with the estate of the attorney for a refund of your unused retainer and also for all of your case files and you need to do so. Unfortunately, you will also have to hire a new attorney who will also likely be able to get the continuance filed for you if you hire them soon enough because they will present a motion to the court describing the amount of time they need to catch up to speed on the case. If you file for the continuance before you get an attorney, they will likely file another one when they sign on as new counsel of record.

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