(a) Notice of limited scope representation A party and an attorney may provide notice of their agreement to limited scope representation by serving and filing a Notice of Limited Scope Representation (form CIV- 150). (Subd (a) amended effective September 1, 2018.)
Rule 3.36.Notice of limited scope representation and application to be relieved as attorney
Division 1. General Provisions · Chapter 3. Attorneys · Last amended 2018 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3.36 lays out how an attorney and client give notice of a limited scope agreement using a Judicial Council form, and how the attorney can later be relieved as counsel through a streamlined application once the specified tasks are finished.
Full Text of Rule 3.36
(b) Notice and service of papers After the notice in (a) is received and until either a substitution of attorney or an order to be relieved as attorney is filed and served, papers in the case must be served on both the attorney providing the limited scope representation and the client.
(c) Procedures to be relieved as counsel on completion of representation Notwithstanding rule 3.1362, an attorney who has completed the tasks specified in the Notice of Limited Scope Representation (form CIV-150) may use the procedures in this rule to request that he or she be relieved as attorney in cases in which the attorney has appeared before the court as an attorney of record and the client has not signed a Substitution of Attorney—Civil (form MC-050). (Subd (c) amended effective September 1, 2018.
(d) Application An application to be relieved as attorney on completion of limited scope representation under Code of Civil Procedure section 284(2) must be directed to the client and made on the Application to Be Relieved as Attorney on Completion of Limited Scope Representation (form CIV-151). (Subd (d) amended effective September 1, 2018.)
(e) Filing and service of application The application to be relieved as attorney must be filed with the court and served on the client and on all other parties or attorneys for parties in the case. The client must also be served with a blank Objection to Application to Be Relieved as Attorney on Completion of Limited Scope Representation (form CIV-152). (Subd (e) amended effective September 1, 2018.)
(f) No objection If no objection is served and filed with the court within 15 days from the date that the Application to Be Relieved as Attorney on Completion of Limited Scope Representation (form CIV-151) is served on the client, the attorney making the application must file an updated form CIV-151 indicating the lack of objection, along with a proposed Order on Application to Be Relieved as Attorney on Completion of Limited Scope Representation (form CIV-153). The clerk must then forward the order for judicial signature. (Subd (f) amended effective September 1, 2018.)
(g) Objection If an objection to the application is served and filed within 15 days, the clerk must set a hearing date on the Objection to Application to Be Relieved as Attorney on Completion of Limited Scope Representation (form CIV-152). The hearing must be scheduled no later than 25 days from the date the objection is filed. The clerk must send the notice of the hearing to the parties and the attorney. (Subd (g) amended effective September 1, 2018.)
(h) Service of the order If no objection is served and filed and the proposed order is signed under (f), the attorney who filed the Application to Be Relieved as Attorney on Completion of Limited Scope Representation (form CIV-151) must serve a copy of the signed order on the client and on all parties or the attorneys for all parties who have appeared in the case. The court may delay the effective date of the order relieving the attorney until proof of service of a copy of the signed order on the client has been filed with the court. (Subd (h) amended effective September 1, 2018.)
Plain-English Summary
Rule 3.36 fills in the mechanics for noticed limited scope representation. An attorney and client who want the court and other parties to know about their limited arrangement file a Notice of Limited Scope Representation. From that point on, until a substitution of attorney or an order relieving the attorney is filed, anyone serving papers in the case must serve both the client and the limited scope attorney.
The rule’s real value shows up at the end of the engagement. Rather than following the general procedure for withdrawing as counsel, an attorney who has finished the tasks described in the notice can use a streamlined track instead: an application directed to the client, served along with a blank objection form, that the court can grant without a hearing if the client raises no objection within 15 days. If the client does object, the court sets a hearing within 25 days of the objection.
That streamlined path exists because the general withdrawal procedure assumes an attorney is leaving a case unfinished. Here, the attorney did exactly what was promised, and Rule 3.36 lets the paperwork reflect that.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do an attorney and client give notice of limited scope representation in California?
By serving and filing a Notice of Limited Scope Representation, form CIV-150, under Rule 3.36(a).
How does an attorney get relieved as counsel after finishing limited scope work?
The attorney applies using form CIV-151, directed to the client. If the client does not object within 15 days, the court can grant the application without a hearing; if the client objects, Rule 3.36(g) requires a hearing within 25 days.
Who must be served with case papers once a limited scope notice is filed?
Both the attorney providing the limited scope representation and the client, until a substitution of attorney or an order relieving the attorney is filed and served, under Rule 3.36(b).
Amendment History
Rule 3.36 amended effective September 1, 2018; adopted effective January 1, 2007.
Source & verification. Rule text is reproduced verbatim from
the Judicial Council of California. Adopted by the Judicial Council of California.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: CIV-150 CIV-151 forms Californiahow to withdraw as unbundled attorney Californiarelieved as counsel limited scope representation