Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Missouri

Re: My lawyer was asleep during my trial

You would not believe how absolutely shocked I am to hear that an attorney fell asleep during a trial! Was he or she under some type of medication or suffering from some medical condition that caused this to happen? How did the Judge not notice this? Was it a jury trial? did the Jury notice it? In any event, you have the option of waiting until the Judgment is rendered. If you are satisfied with the result you may choose to do nothing. Otherwise, you may be able to file a Motion to set aside the Judgment based upon the attorney falling asleep, and if your Motion fails, you would have the right to an appeal. Also, there may be reason to file a complaint with the Missouri Bar Disciplinary Counsel for what would appear to be a violation of our Rules of Ethics. Finally, if the attorney falling asleep caused you any damgages, you may file a claim or a lawsuit based upon professional negligence.