For most requests for continuances, you must provide the judge with a suitable reason ("good cause") for postponing your court date. Nothing stops you from filing a motion for continuance.You file it with the clerk of courts. A request for a continuance can be written or oral depending on the circumstances. If you or the other side want to ask the court to do something in a case, you must ask in written court papers called a Motion or an Order to Show Cause. Either side can ask the court for a continuance, or the judge can order a continuance independently if they feel that it is necessary. Continuances allow extra time to prepare for a hearing or trial, find a witness, or hire an attorney. A judge may not arbitrarily insist that the case move forward when it's clear that a continuance is needed for a new lawyer. These requests are usually granted but not indefinitely. There is no automatic right to attorneys' fees in a civil case.