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01 Jan, 2020 by Anonymous
I have worked with Mr Lyons for over 15 years on various business related transactions and have always received excellent results. We hired Mr Lyons in 2013 for a real estate transaction, he was very helpful and delivered the results we needed in a short time frame. I also used Dave Lyons in 2017 to recover funds from a private placement investment.
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23 Oct, 2018 by Daniel
We hired Mr. Lyons for the sale of business for the estate and that's when our nightmare started. Mr. Lyons has been in control of our profits from the sale of our real property for over 2 years and has been consistently taking money out for himself in terms of made-up fees (to the tune of over $100,000). He tricked us to sign a power of attorney and been enriching himself ever since. He continues to make up excuses and to refuse to release our portion of the proceeds. It’s an unfortunate situation that he betrayed our trust. I would not recommend him to anyone.
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25 Mar, 2018 by Anonymous
We hired David for a business transaction. Very bad performance. Very rude and non-communicative immediately after I signed the contracts. His emails and documents are full of typos and grammatical errors. Needless to say, the outcome was poor and we lost the deal. Then to add insult to injury, he tried to shift the blame of the outcome to us. I find this to be a highly unethical behavior. We had to hire another lawyer just to clean up the mess he created. I would never hire David T. Lyons again, even if he PAID me!! It's a miracle how this guy stayed in business for so long. There are tons of other more competent lawyers in the area, Do yourself a favor and avoid him at all cost!!
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12 May, 2023 by Anonymous
Hello, I contacted Rob on April 12 in form of email at
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24 Sep, 2020 by Jeff
The lawyer passed off the vast majority of our work to very junior associates with little experience. This resulted in major errors introduced into the work product and required major efforts and expense to correct at later dates. Despite requests, the work product was only delivered at critical filing deadlines. Not strong on maintaining communication but with a focus on being the rainmaker.
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26 Feb, 2012 by Anonymous
I had hired George 9 years ago to assist with a suit of a public educational institution. He promised success, but did not look deeply enough into the details of the case to help me know my chances. As a result I wasted a year fighting the case only to settle in the way that would have been possible almost immediately. Mr. Hunter did not do sp malevolently, but his innatentiveness caused a lot of harm.
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28 Jan, 2010 by Thomas
Mick came highly recommended. But his follow through and communication were very disappointing.
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13 Jan, 2013 by Anonymous
Ms. Bjork has given poor representation/ lack of services in my Husbands Criminal case! With Amitys short time of being his Lawyer, she did nothing but give false hope for my Husband and his future. Granted it takes time to gather information on a case, but... there was no movement forward even with-in these few months... Amity proved NOT helpful .... She never showed up at my Husbands last Omnibus Hearing, So it was continued the following day. She decided to show up for court and have my Husband sign a 45day continuance. He was thinking she needed more time to gather info before his next court date in Feb 2013. She did not respond to his letter, and didn't show up for the last visit she scheduled with him. Lastly she withdrew from his case 4 days ago! Way to go on horrible representation, and lack of being professional.
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03 Jan, 2010 by Anonymous
Pretty much just vanished before we could actually proceed with anything. wouldn't return my calls or emails. Have been trying to retrieve my paperwork from her to no avail. She assured me our initial consultation that my search for legal counsel was over and that she was going to help me then suddenly changed tone when spoken to later telling me that there wasn't much she could do. Have been trying on and off every couple months to see if I owe her any money and trying to get my paperwork back. She worked with me for about six months but i'm still not sure if I was technically her client thus my several inquiries asking her if I owed a balance for her services.
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11 Jun, 2024 by Hope
Mr. Flynn and his associates were retained by me to assist with my probate matter. The office's communication is poor. He often would respond to correspondence late, if at all. He showed up for our hearing late, without our file, and the list goes on and on. Would suggest anyone who is serious about locating a reliable attorney look elsewhere and save yourself time and money.
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27 Mar, 2021 by Charles
Over the course of three years of working on a case, it was a common occurrence for the firm to commit to a date for communication on a matter only to have that date pass with silence. Strategy for our case was inconsistent between Sean and his junior staff, sometimes with us, the client, having to point out the conflicts in order to align them. Upon termination of our relationship, the firm was slow and incomplete in their transfer of material to our new attorneys, requiring multiple interactions to obtain all of it.
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13 Nov, 2020 by Anonymous
Sean Flynn was hired to help with a real estate/divorce decree matter. He was professional and organized on the initial email, then completely absent and unresponsive. Calls and emails to him and his associates were never returned. On the few occasions when I was able to reach someone an excuse was given each time. Incredibly unprofessional. Very poor attorney. Will be working with another law firm for all estate planning and real estate needs in the future. Would not recommend this firm to anyone.
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14 Dec, 2021 by Aaron
Consulted with Griff about a demand letter to a bad contractor. Said he would work with me and write one within two weeks. Didn’t respond for months then finally did said he would do it that week. Never heard from him again. Reached out periodically to check in and he never responded to emails, calls or texts. Now it’s past the allowable time to go after a faulty contractor for issues with my very expensive home remodel.
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11 Dec, 2021 by Nichole kyrkos
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28 Jul, 2014 by Anonymous
Working with Patricia was a horrible experience! She seemed friendly and competent, but basically took my money and ran. She extended what should have been a 30 min session into 3hrs and billed me for the time it took when her computer program didn't work. She was almost non-responsive and when she did respond, it was "I'll get back to you tomorrow" Run far, far away from this lawyer!
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15 Aug, 2013 by Anonymous
Absolutely horrible attorney. She didn't respond for weeks at a time, and when she did she would repeat irrelevant info and build up hours with no strategy or coherant direction. She was fired from Seattle Divorce Services before I could fire her as my attorney. No idea where she is now hopefully retired.
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19 Apr, 2013 by Susan
The worst attorney imagineable. She lost paperwork, neglected to read pertinent information, never returned calls or emails for weeks at a time. Stay far far away from this one. She didn't even know the details of my case when I transferred from another attorney and still doesn't. She actually LOST the arbitrator's final decision and never did file it with the court. My ex had to file it.
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02 May, 2018 by Anonymous
Hired Wells for a bankruptcy case. It was frustrating to work with Wells for our case. Jeff Wells would screw up filings, miss deadlines, have numerous typos and illogical sentences in his filings. Not only he completely botched the case, the emails and recommendations he gave made absolutely no sense at all even from a layman's perspective. He tried to argue his actions with us, and continues to send us large bills for his rants. It's extremely frustrating.
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27 Aug, 2010 by Anonymous
This man botched my case and refused to correct his mistakes. He repeatedly refused to explain his conduct. There is also the fact that nearly $2000.00 went missing under his watch. I had to fire him and then try to represent myself because I was unable to find another attorney who would take on any case after him. Mr. Wells does not seem to have a good reputation with others in his field. I wish I would have known that ahead of time! I would not recommend this lawyer to my worst enemy.
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26 Sep, 2020 by Matty
Has continued case not ready for anything no calls, not investigating or asking for my witnesses, feels like sabotage
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12 May, 2017 by Jessica
I was assigned Mr. Pelka here as my public defender about two months ago, and have not seen the man once. I'm sitting at an omnibus hearing to determine whether we're ready to go to trial or not, and I still don't even know what the guy looks like. No clue what he wants or plans to do as far as my case goes, and I'm just left wondering. Doesn't answer calls, and the one time he actually called, it was returning a call from several days earlier.
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30 Sep, 2022 by Ziling
I approached Zhizhou (Leo) Wang to resolve an unlawful detainer situation on 4/13/22 to begin the eviction proceeding against a tenant. Upon retention, Leo Wang demanded a $7,500.00 retainer for the work and immediately went to work spending it. Before even filing the case, Leo Wang and his employees went about charging us nearly $5,000.00 of the retainer and included things that have nothing to do with evicting a tenant. He also delayed and made errors in filing his material so that required additional trips and gave the tenant additional time to remain in the unit. Because of this, he was able to get a grant to pay the back rent and forced us to start from scratch when the tenant failed to pay rent after receiving his grant. In September I approached other attorneys and was shocked to find that even if additional action necessitated a trial the total costs should be less than what Leo Wang charged us. I had these attorneys examine the billings sent to me and they advised me that there was substantial waste in the time spent and that the time spent was not efficient in the least. As a result, we faced the choice of paying another attorney a retainer of $3,000.00 to start new proceedings or pay the money to the tenant as relocation costs and be sure he would be out the following week. Had Leo Wang done the job we hired him for, the tenant would probably have been out by May or June and we would not have been forced to pay the additional $3,000 to the tenant to get him to leave. I would not recommend to hire Leo Wang (and probably anyone else at his company, for that matter), unless you are into wasting a ton of money on unprofessional help and getting a negligence lawyer.
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29 Sep, 2022 by Zaylee
I was being sued for a personal guarantee of a commercial lease.  I hired Zhizhou(Leo) Wang to negotiate a way out for me.  To this end, all I had in the way of documentation were the lease and personal guarantee.  According to the bill, it took his associate many hours to read the lease and personal guarantee, something that should have taken an hour or maybe and hour and a half tops.  By the time Leo Wang got around to my case 2 months later, they had already spent most of my retainer ($5000), this caused me paying an additional $1,656.86 beyond the retainer.  While I did not expect a fixed fee arrangement and I knew that it was possible to exceed the initial deposit, I feel that he and his staff ran up the bill resulting in excessive fees to me in the end. He took 4months for a simple settlement that was not even taken into the court and charged me total of $6656.86. They grossly took advantage of me in this case by overstating time spent and performing unnecessary tasks to the success of the case.
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21 Feb, 2024 by Anonymous
I don't know where to begin but would have been better off had i not even hired Stephan. Proposed a motion for my case and had his associate draft it. I thought it was done well and had been charged for it. All of a sudden he did not want to file it after proposing it and charging me. after two months of back and forth, he decided it needed to be revised and he would be doing it not the associate. All he had done was move a few things around and in all honesty, the associates version was better. I had already paid $8k before this point. No motion was filed in my case. only one email to the other counsel and a one page letter to a bank. $8k is more than enough for that you would think... ended up sending me another bill for $12k and basically would not file the motion till it was paid. $20k in total. not only is this wrong, but its sad and disappointing and just not right. do yourself a favor and look elsewhere.
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14 Feb, 2018 by Anonymous
I hired Steve to assist me with a property line dispute. In retrospect I would have been far better off simply handling it myself. He billed me over $10,000 for which I got very little. He was constantly forgetting the details of my case, missed a deadline and seemed for than happy to bill me for endless emails without producing any results.
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24 Jun, 2023 by Betty
I finally read the review on Michael Brandt, I wished I have seen this before I hired him. I had dealt with a few different lawyers before, mostly in estate and intellectual property. Most of them are very competent, straightforward, not Michael. He came recommended to me by a friend and I was told he is an expert in dealing with HOA and condo issues. I explained everything to his secretary before I can get my first call with him. He read the notes which has a lot of mistakes, and took notes himself. 4 months down the road, all he did was forwarding email from the management company which was engaged by the HOA. Every time the management company asked if I am willing to accept the payout, he will come back and asked me do I want to? But he never offered any professional opinion and have never acknowledged my legal right as the management company demolished the whole kitchen of my rental without informing my property manager nor myself. He truly does not represent his client, he only builds up his billable hour. Each email exchange where I could have easily handled and answered a yes or no to the management company cost me $100-$200. I originally asked him do I have a case, and he said, "why don't we write a letter to the management company and usually that will be enough pressure because you have legal representation". His letter did not even state what was the problem and what I was looking for. Was there anything wrong to be straight forward? He dragged on and at one point told me "you are on my todo list". And two weeks later, he finally sent a meaningless email to the management company, of course that cost me another $300. Simply if you want to hire him, it will be easier to just toss your money into the garbage or fireplace. He is the best representation of gouging and I am surprised he actually has lasted this long before any review is written on his professionalism.
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23 Jul, 2018 by Anonymous
My business partner and I hired Michael Brandt about 4 months ago, when we explained a situation we were having with a former commercial lease. After a very lengthy and detailed explanation, we believed he understood our case, because he agreed to take it. The first red flag was when we were paying our retainer. Mr. Brandt quoted a certain amount, and then changed the dollar amount after we agreed. The second red flag was when he emailed us asking to explain the case, AGAIN just days later. The third red flag was when my business partner and I kept telling Mr. Brandt that we would be happy to meet with him to reexplain everything in depth, but physically showing him which pieces of photo evidence we had because, after almost a month, he still did not seem to know our case. Fourth red flag, was when we asked to meet with Mr. Brandt and he open said, "I still haven't read your entire case." By this time, I was irate and already looking for a new attorney. I have NEVER had to educate any attorney on how to do their job, but Michael Brandt is by far the worst attorney I have ever met. I will be reporting him to the state board and seeking our retainer fees back. I doubt he is a stranger to malpractice lawsuits against himself. Avoid him if you can. He will take your money and not do any work. We have since found a brilliant attorney on a contract dispute, who has done EVERYTHING Michael Brandt claimed couldn't be done without $10,000's. We asked him to find a business appraiser to help us figure out how much money we lost in a legal dispute. He claimed to have found the ONLY one from Eastern Washington. Our new attorney found one that charged a huge fraction of the price in Bellevue. Also, our new attorney has found MULTIPLE mistakes in discovery responses Michael Brandt submitted on our behalf. Wasn't this guy hired to be on OUR side? We will be winning our case shortly and it is gratifying to know that we weren't "impossible" like Michael Brandt claimed we were. IF he had done his job, or gotten into law for the right reasons, instead of trying to get rich quick, he would have had a winning case on his hands. But he obviously doesn't like what he does, care about his clients, or about his reputation.
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16 Mar, 2014 by Anonymous
I would strongly caution anyone who is considering hiring Eugene Oliver to represent them, especially in a family law case where there is conflict between the parties. I am a professional woman and a single mom; I had need of an attorney to handle some post-divorce matters that should have been relatively straightforward and was referred to Mr. Oliver by a colleague who had used his services for some low-conflict divorce mediation. After initially meeting with Mr. Oliver in person and explaining the nature of my case and the type of legal help I needed, he laid out a "plan" for me on how we should proceed. In hindsight, I understand now that he totally misinformed me and submitted a statement to the court commissioner that was heavily criticized by the commissioner due to some very basic technical errors that caused the commissioner to rule against me. Not only did Mr. Oliver make grave errors in formulating my statement for the court commissioner, he arrived at the hearing totally unprepared and did not even remember some of the most basic facts of my case when the court commissioner was questioning him. I was told afterwards by three different attorneys that the mistakes Mr. Oliver made were very serious and would harm me for years down the road. It has been two years since this happened and the court commissioner's verdict, made as a direct result of Mr. Oliver's mistakes, continues to harm not only me but my young child as well. This attorney does not know some of the most fundamental tenets of family law and for $6,500 brought nothing but frustration to me and misfortune to myself and my child. I would not recommend him to anyone who cares about the outcome of their case.
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12 Apr, 2013 by Anonymous
Mr. Oliver decided to take my case Pro Bono at the last minute and was not properly prepared to represent me, which had negative consequences when the Commissioner made his decision. I recommend getting a referral from Legal Voice. They referred me to lawyers, who would represent you for one Court Hearing only. Of the three lawyers, they recommended two were very friendly to give practical advice and finally one called to say he an opening of for my 9am Monday hearing. Beginning on Friday and through the weekend he called and emailed to get information to be prepared for a one day only representation. At the court hearing on Monday he was fully prepared and the outcome was in my favor. My previous lawyer charged me $6,688.00 and his work ethic was simply to put in hours. Mr. Oliver's work ethic of taking a case and not being prepared is not the kind of lawyer, I would recommend to others.
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12 Sep, 2019 by Anonymous
I worked with her on a custody battle. She talked about herself and her boyfriend. Going to court, she talked to me about how she felt fat. In court she said nothing and told me to say nothing and the other attorney blasted us and she didn't' stand up for me at all. After that, and in the middle of the battle, she said she quits being my attorney after taking the majority of my money that I had as a stay at home mom and I had to start up with another attorney with barely anything. It was the worst experience I have ever had.
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27 Aug, 2023 by Randall
I am still waiting to receive my final balance from the roundup suit. It has been two and a half years, and I suspect theft. Claimant no 40003938.
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29 Apr, 2014 by Anonymous
I was a client of Mr. Reid's and was very unhappy with the service that he was supposed to deliver. He did not return my phone calls or do the job he was hired for. In the end I lost over 30 000.00 , I do not feel he would be a good lawyer to call, I would make sure you check credentials before you decide to hire this guy.
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25 Jan, 2018 by Erik
She was busy, like I can imagine. I was a good client who followed through on everything she told me to do. Being younger and inexperienced I did not understand how everything worked and she didn't explain it. I was a product on a assembly line pushed through as fast as possible. I was threatened with other charges to make me plead guilty to a fellony I didn't deserve. She was very hurried and made no effort to negotiate with the prosecutors. I hired a attorney after the plea to help my sentencing and learned alot about what had happened. I didn't deserve the felony and it would have not been hard to prove. Now I have it and it has limited my ability to be employed at any top companies in my area. You get what you pay for, my suggestion is hire a real lawyer that will work for you, not speed you through the system and later have regrets.
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16 Jul, 2018 by Anonymous
Hired him, fired him! Told me my case was not worth more than arbitration limits without talking to Specialist first whose report stated worth much more. Did not vet witness who turned out to be lying. Other mistakes, but these were major ones new attorney had to deal with.
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23 May, 2017 by Christine
To be brief and to the point. This attorney was my attorney in the 1990s. He really knew how to talk a lot and go over and over and over and over again each and every sentence, getting us no where. Then, when the clock had run out on the defendant gaining access to my crawl space, Atty. Sharaga encouraged me to do so, because, after all, "I might want something from him in the future." Yeah right. Just another ploy to rape me of my hard-earned monies for a property which was riddled with water problems. So many water problems, that it was getting ready to float down a step hill in front of my house. But, "Talks-a-lot Sharaga," encouraged me, and so, even though the opposing attorneys were out of time, he gave them access. These attorneys found a ridiculous concept which would save them thousands of dollars and not require extensive changes to my property, including digging 14' deep 12' wide trenches on the east side, installing drain-able piping, regrading the crawl space to flow south to north, a small rock pit on the north side of my property to drain, run drainage down the west side of my property, and drainage running from my driveway to the edge of my property on the north side, to a cost in excess of $75,000. The judge threw out their ridiculous idea. But, whose there to get his $$, when I was broke and had no money and was suffering greatly with allergies and pneumonia because of these issues? He collected every single cent of the 1st humungous payment to me, and I parted to ride the bus with only a nickel in my pocket.
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14 Mar, 2023 by Anonymous
I don't want to say too much but.. I wasn't happy with how limited her thought process was about my case. Maybe she is better now that she is a little older.. but you can't teach or learn these basic skills.
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22 Aug, 2013 by Anonymous
Carolyn Pinkett was the presiding ALJ at our DSHS hearings. We (my family) disagreed with the decisions that the dept. made in our case. At first she was objective but in the later hearings she made biased comments against us which let us know that we were going to lose the case. She was very nervous in the later hearings, and acted as though someone had placed a gun to her back. It is our belief that at some point she was spoken to by the administrators of our local DSHS office, and told that she was to vote against us no matter what, which she did. It is because of how easily manipulated she was by the opposing party, that I must give her such a bad rating. She is untrustworthy for the fact that her ethical standards can be easily compromised.
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19 Oct, 2018 by Anonymous
Emily Jarvis is the laziest and most incompetent attorney that I have encountered. We have hired her for the bankruptcy case and the process and results were terrible. Expect your case to be full of mistakes and wrong filings. Please double and triple check every step. In our case, I rarely had a correct filing on the first try. At the end, she completely screwed up the case, and we had to get someone else to take over. I think either she's grossly incompetent or she does it on purpose to boost up her hours and fees (which is of dubious ethics). The expense came out to be much more than she initially promised, because literally every step had to be corrected 2-3 times. To say the experience was frustrating was an understatement. Save yourself the mess and stay away from her at all times. I would never recommend Emily Jarvis to anybody, even to my worst enemy. There are so many more competent and cost-efficient choices in the area.
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11 Sep, 2013 by Lori
This attorney has serious ethical issues! She failed to serve us with documents! We were never able to respond without knowledge of her court actions against us! We have called several times after we got a garnishment and she ignores us and hangs up on us. DO NOT ever use her for any services.
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21 Jan, 2020 by Gary
During the last quarter of 2018 we were hit with sizable tariffs as a result of the China trade war. We hired Ms. Jacobson via Junker & Nakachi to help us. We were told that a) we could build a case to reclassify our products such that they would be in a non-tariff category and b) if successful we could use this to get a refund on the tariffs paid in 2018. Ms. Jacobson gave us a quote of $2,500 for her services and explained that this was an estimate. She then asked for a lot of information from us on our products which we were happy to supply. Using this information to submit our claim to Customs we then waited for a decision. About six months later we received an e-mail from Ms. Jacobson telling us that we indeed received a favorable ruling. We then waited another three or four months for a return of our $11k in tariff money. It never arrived. All the while we were told that it was just a question of time. After about a year we started asking again as to our refund. This time we were told that Customs actually ruled against us in this regard and no refund would be forth coming. Ms. Jacobson then informed us that we'd now need to file a protest. The price for this would be about the same as we had already paid her firm. In talking to her superior recently (Mr. Nakachi,) he assured us that Ms. Jacobson did her job in fine fashion and that any confusion was on our side. He further advised that his firm wanted nothing more to do with our case. So initially we were hit with $11K in tariffs. Junker & Nakachi's fee added another $3K. So in the end we're now out a total of $14K and the entire matter is a loser. Now Junker & Nakachi wants nothing more to do with us. Steer way clear of these folks if you have international trade issues.
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27 Jun, 2021 by Daniel
I would give negative stars if possible. Didn't show up in court for my final hearing and NEVER TOLD ME. Charged me full price and let his license lapse during my divorce. Possibly the worst attorney out there.
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26 Apr, 2009 by Anonymous
I had a poor experience with Eric. In my experience, I found him to be rude and generally unhelpful. I switched to another attorney with whom I've had an excellent experience. Make sure you are a client that Eric considers before engaging with him.
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Questions? We have answers

Top Questions to Ask a Lawyer

When meeting with a lawyer for the first time, it's important to ask the right questions to understand their expertise and determine if they're the right fit for your legal needs. Here are some top questions to consider:

  1. What experience do you have with cases similar to mine?
    Ensure the lawyer has relevant experience in the specific area of law pertaining to your case.
  2. How do you charge for your services, and what are the estimated costs?
    Understand the fee structure, including hourly rates, flat fees, retainer fees, and any additional expenses.
  3. What potential outcomes can I expect from my case?
    While no lawyer can guarantee results, they can provide an assessment of possible scenarios based on their experience.
  4. What is your approach to handling cases like mine?
    Learn about their strategy, whether they prefer negotiation, mediation, or litigation.
  5. Who will be working on my case?
    Find out if the lawyer will handle your case personally or delegate tasks to other attorneys or paralegals.
  6. How will you communicate with me throughout the process?
    Establish expectations for updates, preferred communication methods, and response times.
  7. What is the likely timeline for resolving my case?
    Get an estimate of how long the process may take from start to finish.
  8. Do you have references from past clients?
    Testimonials or references can provide insight into the lawyer's professionalism and effectiveness.
  9. What are the strengths and weaknesses of my case?
    Understanding potential challenges helps you prepare and sets realistic expectations.
  10. Are there alternative ways to solve my legal problem?
    Discuss options like mediation, arbitration, or settlement to resolve the issue efficiently.

How to Check the Credibility of a Lawyer

Before hiring a lawyer, it's crucial to verify their credibility and ensure they're qualified to handle your case:

  1. Verify Their License:
    Check with your state's bar association to confirm the lawyer is licensed and in good standing.
  2. Experience and Specialization:
    Ensure the lawyer specializes in the area of law relevant to your case.
  3. Disciplinary Record:
    Look up any history of disciplinary actions or complaints through the state bar association.
  4. Client Reviews and Testimonials:
    Read reviews on legal directories like Avvo, Martindale-Hubbell, or Google to gauge client satisfaction.
  5. Professional Memberships:
    Membership in professional organizations or specialty bar associations can indicate a commitment to their field.
  6. Awards and Recognitions:
    Honors from reputable organizations reflect expertise and a positive reputation.
  7. Consultation Assessment:
    Use the initial consultation to evaluate their communication skills, responsiveness, and willingness to address your concerns.
  8. Ask for References:
    A credible lawyer should be willing to provide references from past clients.

What Should I Prepare for My First Consultation?

To make the most of your initial meeting with a lawyer, come prepared with:

  1. Relevant Documents:
    Bring all documents related to your case, such as contracts, correspondence, legal notices, court papers, or evidence.
  2. Written Summary:
    Prepare a concise written summary of your situation, including key dates, events, and involved parties.
  3. List of Questions:
    Write down any questions you have about your case, the legal process, or the lawyer's experience.
  4. Financial Information:
    If applicable, bring financial documents like pay stubs, tax returns, or bank statements.
  5. Contact Information:
    Provide details of any witnesses or other parties relevant to your case.
  6. Personal Identification:
    Bring a valid ID for verification purposes.
  7. Pen and Notebook:
    Take notes during the consultation to remember important points.
  8. Budget Constraints:
    Be ready to discuss your budget and any financial limitations.

How Much Does a Lawyer Cost?

The cost of hiring a lawyer varies widely based on several factors:

  • Fee Structures:
    • Hourly Rate:
      Lawyers may charge anywhere from $150 to $500 or more per hour, depending on experience and location.
    • Flat Fee:
      For routine legal services like drafting a will or handling an uncontested divorce, lawyers might offer a flat fee.
    • Retainer Fee:
      An upfront payment against which the lawyer bills hourly fees.
    • Contingency Fee:
      Common in personal injury cases; the lawyer receives a percentage (typically 25% to 40%) of any settlement or award.
    • Monthly Retainer:
      For ongoing services, businesses might pay a monthly fee for a set number of hours or services.
  • Factors Affecting Cost:
    • Complexity of the Case:
      More complex cases require more time and resources, increasing costs.
    • Lawyer's Experience:
      Highly experienced lawyers may charge higher fees.
    • Geographic Location:
      Legal fees can vary significantly by region or city.
    • Additional Expenses:
      Court filing fees, expert witness fees, travel expenses, and administrative costs may be extra.
  • Estimating Total Costs:
    Request a detailed fee agreement outlining all potential costs.
    Discuss any additional expenses that may arise during the case.
  • Negotiating Fees:
    Some lawyers may be willing to negotiate fees or offer payment plans, especially for clients with financial constraints.
  • Pro Bono Services:
    For those who cannot afford legal services, some lawyers or legal aid organizations offer services at reduced rates or for free.
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