Why is Grégory Lenoci’s family changing lawyers before his appeal?

A privately paying client is generally free to choose a different lawyer, including while proceedings are under way. The change does not erase fees already earned, suspend a deadline or restart the case. Guidance published by AVOCATS.BE, the organisation representing Belgium’s French- and German-speaking bars, says the successor lawyer should promptly notify the previous counsel, ask about outstanding fees, inform the other parties and relevant court, and obtain the documents needed to continue the case. The outgoing lawyer is expected to transfer the useful file and flag urgent deadlines.

In practical terms, a client or family helping an imprisoned relative should first obtain written confirmation that the new lawyer accepts the mandate. They should then ask both lawyers to confirm who is responsible for filing the appeal, on what date it will be filed and whether proof of filing will be supplied. A closing fee statement from the former lawyer and a written explanation of the new lawyer’s charging method can prevent a second dispute from developing alongside the criminal case. AVOCATS.BE says lawyers must explain how their fees and expenses will be calculated; privately agreed fees are subject to 21% VAT.

The client should also preserve copies of the judgment, hearing notices, expert reports, written submissions, correspondence and any document showing that an appeal was lodged. Belgium’s Federal Public Service Justice explains that a criminal case file can be consulted at the registry, or greffe in French and griffie in Dutch, of the court handling the case. A lawyer can inspect or order copies of that file. In Lenoci’s case, the relevant first-instance institution is the tribunal correctionnel de Namur, part of the Tribunal de première instance de Namur.

Contemporary reports said Lenoci had 30 days from the 20 August judgment to appeal. The precise calculation and filing method should nevertheless be verified by the appointed lawyer and the court registry, particularly because criminal deadlines can depend on how a judgment was delivered or served. Changing counsel does not by itself extend them. Until an appeal is formally recorded, an announced intention remains only an intention.

People navigating the system in another language can search for counsel by language and criminal-law experience through the AVOCATS.BE directory in French-speaking Belgium, including Wallonia and most Francophone Brussels practices. Dutch-speaking users can consult Advocaat.be and the Orde van Vlaamse Balies. Court language follows Belgium’s judicial-language rules rather than a party’s preferred language: proceedings in Namur are normally conducted in French, while a Dutch-language court uses terms such as rechtbank, griffie and Bureau voor Juridische Bijstand. A lawyer should identify early whether an interpreter or translated document is needed; families should not assume that informal help from a bilingual relative will be sufficient in court.

Those unable to afford representation can seek first-line legal advice without an income test through a Commission d’aide juridique, sometimes available at a palais de justice, maison de justice, commune, CPAS or participating association. Second-line assistance, commonly called pro deo representation, is administered through the Bureau d’aide juridique and depends on financial circumstances. The FPS Justice advises applicants to consult the current conditions rather than rely on old income figures, which are periodically revised. Switching from one appointed pro deo lawyer to another may also require a serious reason and coordination with the BAJ, unlike a straightforward change between privately retained lawyers.

The handover comes after unusually heated reactions to the sentence. Some supporters see Lenoci primarily as a parent who acted after believing a child had been harmed and regard 17 years as excessive. Le Soir’s editorial commentary also questioned the severity of the punishment while acknowledging the gravity of the assault. The court, however, found premeditation and imposed a sentence reflecting the violence, Lenoci’s record and its assessment of risk, according to accounts of the judgment.

That distinction is essential. Allegations against the injured neighbour and any shortcomings in the authorities’ response do not confer a right to inflict violence. Nor does condemning vigilantism require indifference to suspected child abuse. The two issues must be investigated and judged through their respective procedures, with the rights of the child, the accused and the injured party protected separately.

The College of Courts and Tribunals intervened after insults and threats followed the verdict. As reported by L-Post, it defended the legitimacy of reasoned criticism while warning against intimidation, disinformation and calls for private justice. That institutional response explains why the identity and strategy of Lenoci’s next lawyer will receive attention beyond an otherwise routine professional handover.

What happens next is procedural. New counsel must formally take control of the file, preserve the appeal timetable and decide which findings or aspects of the sentence to contest. An appellate court can reassess the case within the scope of the appeals before it; the eventual result cannot be inferred from the change of lawyer. Until the appeal is filed and the new counsel is named, reports about strategy should be treated cautiously. For families elsewhere in Belgium, the durable takeaway is less dramatic: choose a lawyer with the appropriate specialism and working language, document the mandate and costs, and never let a change of representation obscure a court deadline.