No one can answer your question without knowing where this crime was charged, and accessory to what -- murder? conspiracy? fraud? etc. UPDATE Feb 25: You updated the query to be Accessory After The Fact to Robbery in North Carolina; and perhaps there's a possession of stolen goods charge as well? Okay, I can't give you legal advice; I'm not licensed in NC, and you and I don't have an attorney-client relationship. However, I can tell you a few common-sense things; just remember, for legal advice, you need to talk with someone licensed in NC with a background in criminal law. But here's a general rule I CAN tell you: cops are not allowed to give legal advice, either. AND cops ARE, by law, permitted to lie to suspects and people under arrest or indictment. NO ONE in trouble should EVER take legal advice from a police officer. Your BF can write the judge a letter. If he doesn't know which judge, he can call the court building and find out the name of the chief criminal judge. If his court-appointed attorney is a public defender, your BF can call the PD's office and find out who the chief of that service is. If this is too confusing, your BF can go to the library and ask the reference librarian to help him figure out who these people are, and get their OFFICE addresses. Your BF could write to the judge & the head of the PD office and tell them what you have told me: ---1. That his PD is not communicating with him ---2. That he fears that because of the shared ethnic background, the PD may not be willing to defend him as vigorously as the PD should. ---3. That the police have given him legal advice to tell him that he'd better not try to replace his attorney. All three points are important. DO THIS IN WRITING, NOT ON THE PHONE. And it's best to send the two letters REGISTERED MAIL, which will cost about two dollars per letter. The letter can be identical for the judge and the chief PD, and your BF should be sure to keep copies. Maybe it will work; if there aren't enough PDs to go around, maybe it won't. Maybe it won't get your BF a new attorney, but it will at least make the judge and the head of the PD office watch the current PD more closely, and that may inspire the current PD to do a better job. The existence of copies of the registered letters MIGHT also provide grounds for appeal if things go badly this time for your BF, on grounds of insufficient counsel (meaning the attorney a person had at time of conviction wasn't really representing them well). Another thing your BF could do is directly speak to the judge in court; just stand up and say, "May I address the court?" but that would be VERY LATE in the process and it sounds like your BF wants to replace this attorney right now. If it were me, I'd do it now, I wouldn't wait until the day of a court appearance, but again -- I can't give you, or him, legal advice. This is just general information about how some people would handle this sort of thing; something you could ask an NC attorney about when you talk to them. I'll say it one more time: I cannot give you legal advice. This is a general discussion of legal principles, legal rights, and legal possibilities and you need an NC attorney with a criminal law background to get legal advice specific to your BF's situation.