If you already have a good lawyer but your co-defendant does not how can you get them to change. My friends all had bad ones.

Well, it's a hypothetical situation now (thankfully), but they may want to research attorneys now to have someone on speed dial. Start a search here on . Look at ratings, endorsements, reviews and questions they answer. Do they sound knowledgable? Courteous? Someone you could see working with? Check out their backgrounds, case histories, etc. If you really want to go in depth, ask court personnel about your choices and see the reaction & answers you get. And you could ask the lawyer you like for referrals to ones they trust.

You have to start with a good attorney in the beginning. There r many here on avvo to choose from. Sounds like it is too late for your friends now.

It's not for you to worry about your friend's lawyer.

Your friends should have researched their lawyer prior to hiring them. They should do this next time.

While your friends have apparently been sentenced, they may still have the opportunity to challenge their conviction with an appeal. And while it is typically more difficult to prevail in the appellate court than in the trial court, appealing is essentially the final opportunity they will have to fight their conviction and sentence. Consequently, your friends should seek to retain the services of a reputable appellate attorney.

I would add to what has already been said, by saying that while you did not go to jail and your friends did, that may be more to do with the facts of each case or the specific case rather than their choice of attorney. Every case is distinct, and every defendant is distinct in that even in the same case, one defendant's charge and penalty may be very different than the other.