NEW YORK — Private lawyers seeking to represent Joaquin ‘‘El Chapo’’ Guzman in his US drug-trafficking case failed to get assurances Monday that they’ll get paid, leaving the Mexican drug lord’s defense in limbo.

During a hearing in federal court in Brooklyn, US District Judge Brian Cogan told the lawyers that if they took the case, there was no guarantee that prosecutors wouldn’t later seize their fees if they could show that the money came from his estimated $14 billion in drug profits.

‘‘I’m not going to pressure the government to create a carve-out for counsel fees,’’ Cogan said.

Guzman smiled and waved at family members as he was led into court, but he didn’t speak at the appearance.

Afterward, the lawyers told reporters that they still hope to find a way to represent Guzman. They said they were waiting for him to consult with his sister on Thursday — the first jail visit he’s had by a family member since he was brought to the United States from Mexico in January.

‘‘We are looking forward, desperately, to come into this case and fight for Joaquin Guzman. . . . The guy has a constitutional right to the best counsel he can get,’’ said one of the lawyers, Jeffrey Lichtman.

ASSOCIATED PRESS