In the Interest of P.m., a Child

Summary

The Texas Supreme Court, per curiam, held that an indigent parent's statutory right to appointed counsel in a governmental termination suit—running through exhaustion of all appeals under Family Code Sections 107.013 and 107.016—extends to proceedings in the Supreme Court itself, including the filing of a petition for review. The Court announced that appointed counsel may withdraw only for good cause on appropriate terms, that mere mutual dissatisfaction or counsel's belief that no reviewable grounds exist is not good cause, and that an Anders-standard petition satisfies counsel's obligation in this Court. Concluding the withdrawal here rested on grounds beyond mere dissatisfaction, the Court found no abuse of discretion below, granted the withdrawal and appointment motions, directed the trial court to appoint new counsel within thirty days, and left the case abated until further order.