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Lindsay Lohan’s Lawyer Shuffle Intensifies, Attorney Shawn Holley Officially Withdraws From Case

1358980614_lindsay lohan shawn article
Lindsay Lohan (L) and her attorney Shawn Chapman Holley during a preliminary hearing at the Airport Courthouse on February 23, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

Lindsay Lohan's legal woes just got a bit more complicated. The troubled starlet, who fired longtime lawyer Shawn Holley last week before quickly trying to rescind the dismissal, is now officially in transition to be represented by New York lawyer Mark Heller, who comes with his own set of legal troubles.

Heller, who has previously represented such high-profile clients as reality TV star Jon Gosselin and "Son of Sam" serial killer David Berkowitz, is not licensed to practice law in California, TMZ reports, and must therefore have a licensed California lawyer "sponsor" him.

Related: PHOTOS: Lindsay Lohan's biggest dramas

The problem, however, is that the attorney Heller selected is a woman by the name of Lindsay Berger Sacks, who has been an inactive member of the State Bar for 17 years, and who tells TMZ that she got involved in the situation thinking that she was helping out an old friend, attorney Peter Toumbekis, not Heller.

The legal jumble will mean that Toumbekis, a third-party lawyer, will also be present at the hearing for Lohan's cop-lying case next week on Jan. 30.

Related: PHOTOS: Lindsay Lohan's courtroom couture

Meanwhile, Holley, Lohan's out-going attorney, is currently in the process of filling out the paperwork necessary for her to withdraw completely from the case just days ahead of the actress' trial, TMZ reports. Holley appeared in court to defend her client as recently as Jan. 15, issuing a "not guilty" plea to charges that Lohan, 26, drove recklessly and lied to a police officer.

Lohan's legal news comes the same day as rumors that her film noir flick The Canyons may not get picked up by the SXSW Film Festival after Sundance already rejected the much-talked about thriller due to "quality issues."

Related: PHOTOS: Lindsay Lohan's face: How it's changed

"It's got an ugliness and a deadness to it," a source told The Hollywood Reporter. Confirmations about the final festival lineup are still pending.

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