Reviews

This attorney threatened me, told me that a mediation in a landlord tenant matter was NOT BINDING (Exact words - I said that the mediator said if you are not out by x, you will appear in court Monday and the eviction will be ordered - will it be ordered or will we have an eviction hearing like we were supposed to today? what exactly happens if I cannot meet the agreement? Her response - which I recorded - 'The landlord has to serve you again and start the whole process over' NO - that is NOT what occurs, you are bound by that agreement. This attorney took the simplest matter possible - an eviction where there was no grounds either technically as regards appropriate paperwork or on merit, did not ask for a dismissal on 3 days not having been given or 7 days asking tenant to fix issue prior to 3 day notice to leave, told me as her client once we were in mediation that I 'could not possibly want to stay there' that I needed to agree to move and get on with my life (again NOT what we agreed I was there for) did not even get a copy of the notice the hearing was based on (since only 2 days went by between the post office certified card arriving and being served the eviction court date I did not have it, but she did not call the opposing attorney to get it), threatened me by telling me if I did NOT accept mediation - because I spoke in mediation when she did not start as agreed saying we simply needed to get in front of the judge for dismissal and that angered her (if she had done her job I would not have needed to speak), she would not represent me in front of the judge, I'd be on my own. Though I knew that there was not even time for legal service, judges have been known to do as they like and get into the merits, she had the file and had organized it, I did not even have the notice to know what - exactly - I was fighting because there wasn't anything I'd done so I didn't know what lie the landlord had made up on the paperwork, and having been told it was not binding, I signed it to get out of there with the intent of appearing to have the eviction hearing on the named date. I am stuck. Further, she signed the agreement allowing wording that was wrong - the landlord was to be bound to leave on the AC (he liked to take away parts so it didn't work and it got to be 95 degrees in the rental) and she allowed them to write the thermostat will be kept at 70 - since it was not exact the landlord IS WITHIN HIS RIGHTS TO SET IT TO 70 BUT LET IT BLOW OUT HOT AIR INSTEAD OF FIXING IT. So I am in 90-95 degree heat and supposed to pack and move with medical issues in that heat. They were to get me a check by that Friday. She let the mediator write that they would pay "By 8/17' - that is the day after I have to be out! Then she told me it was my own fault and not to blame her because I got a bad landlord! Do not ever ever ever use this attorney. Oh, and she likes to play games with what she will charge - Example: We had to spend a Sunday putting together the file of everything illegal this landlord had been doing, really for future litigation against him but also incase we needed some of it in eviction court - and I told her I had a ton of things to print. I was very clear She said well print them here, I do not charge for ink. She then said as we were doing it well I will have to charge for this this is a lot. She assessed it at 200.00. After getting me stuck wtih having to move when I did nothing wrong and had a 6 month lease and cannot get the lawyer to turn the money over, she insists she did nothing wrong in telling me the mediation was not binding or not carefully watching the agreement wording before signing and that she tried to help.