A police or incident report may say you "just slipped," but that is not what decides your claim. What matters is whether the property owner or manager had notice of the hazard, failed to fix it, and whether the proof is being preserved. Yes, you can change lawyers in North Dakota during a slip-and-fall or other premises liability case.

You do not need the other side's permission.

What you should be asking next is: will switching now protect or hurt the evidence? In Williston cases, the danger is delay. Hotel video, apartment complex surveillance, snow-removal records, cleaning logs, contractor schedules, and incident reports can disappear fast. During construction season, proof may also include work-zone mud, temporary walkways, barricade placement, and maintenance records for entrances near road crews or heavy equipment traffic.

If a lawsuit has already been filed in Williams County District Court, new counsel must file a substitution or motion to withdraw/appear. If no suit is filed yet, the transition is simpler, but your file still needs to move quickly.

North Dakota's general deadline for many personal injury claims is 6 years, but waiting is still risky because evidence vanishes long before that.

Watch for these traps when switching:

• Your first lawyer may claim a lien for fees or case costs from any future recovery.
• You need the full file transferred, including photos, witness statements, medical records, demand letters, and expert contacts.
• Ask whether spoliation letters were sent to preserve video, maintenance logs, and snow or ice treatment records.
• Find out whether anyone identified the correct defendant: the owner, property manager, tenant, or snow-removal contractor.

If your case involves a work injury on someone else's property, that is another pressure point. Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI) may cover the work injury piece, but a separate third-party claim against the property owner may still exist, and deadlines and reimbursement issues need to be tracked carefully.