Crystal M. Lewis

1112 Daniels St, Vancouver, WA

star star star star star
4.6 / 5
Avvo
4.3
info
Avvo rating
13 Reviews
Google Maps
4.7
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Google reviews rating
92 Reviews
Data reflects the status as of the latest update. Updates are typically done monthly.

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Last reviews

Overall rating
star
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4.6 105 reviews
Avvo 4.3
Google Maps 4.7

Cadsharp

star star star star star
08 Jan, 2025
Avoid William Ball, unless you're looking for a milquetoast middleman who masquerades as a lawyer. I had the misfortunate of hiring him from Beaty Hatch during my dissolution. I went in the assumption that he was going to fight for me and resolve the dissolution in a timely fashion. That is all I asked for in our initial meeting, regardless of the outcome. After just two months, I was so baffled by his unresponsiveness and lack of interest in the case (he'd routinely take days or weeks to reply to even simple questions, if he'd respond at all) that I asked him what additional compensation would incentivize him, to which his secretary replied that she would print out my last email for him. Imagine hiring a lawyer for 300 USD / hr who is so disorganized that he can't even keep track of client emails and needs a secretary to hold his hand. Well, you don't need to imagine. You can just hire William Ball. As time went on, who the lawyer was between us become increasingly blurred. Numerous emails to the judge and opposing counsel were just him forwarding text I wrote with his name attached. Here are more instances of poor work on his part that I'd like to highlight. 1. Before the first "mediation" session with the opposing counsel in mid-April, I had made it extremely clear that I wanted to resolve the dissolution as quickly as possible. By that point, opposing counsel had two months to prepare. So what does Mr. Ball do just a week before mediation? He agrees with the opposing counsel to push it out two more weeks, so she can prepare more! I immediately emailed him asking why on earth he would do that, to which he basically replied, "oops, too late." 2. Mr. Ball failed to inform me that I was allowed to hire my own business valuator to valuate my LLC. I only found out later because another lawyer told me. Considering that this valuator's work contained factual errors and bad analysis, this kind of information would have been incredibly useful. Another lawyer reviewed Mr. Ball's work shortly after I fired him. Upon learning about his failure to recommend our own valuator, the other lawyer commented, "[This] seems UNBELIEVABLE and incredibly negligent." 3. During the second "mediation" session, Mr. Ball was given an opportunity to question the valuator's work. His efforts were nothing short of embarrassing. Instead of homing in numerous lines of evidence indicating that she had put little effort to her analysis or had relied on problematic assumptions, he spent forty minutes tossing her softball questions that did nothing to bring into question the credibility of her valuation. 4. The verdict of the "equalization" provided by the arbitrator included false information about statements made during "mediation". What did Mr. Ball do in response? Absolutely nothing. Not a peep of protest, despite acknowledging that the arbitrator's decision contained factual errors. I was dumbfounded. At that point, the reality sank in that I was just another case he could cram into his schedule and extract money from. I had spent months thinking, "OK, soon he's going start fighting. He's just waiting for the right moment to pounce." Nope. By the time I realized I had been had, it was too late. The total amount I had to pay this firm for such low quality work is nothing short of horrifying. I gave a long list of grievances regarding his performance. His equally unprofessional manager, Valerie Nack, responded to with a cheeky claim that I'm merely disappointed by the outcome of the dissolution. No, let's not mince words: even if I had "won" (if such a thing can even happen in divorce), Mr. Ball is still incompetent. The outcome was unjust, even by Mr. Ball's own admission, but that is the arbitrator's fault, not Mr. Ball's fault. Mr. Ball was asked to perform a job with a certain level of quality and professionalism and he failed to do it. Not once have this firm offered any sort of apology. Not once was I offered a refund of any kind. Instead, they chose to harass me with collections.
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David w. drichas

star star star star star
18 Nov, 2024
Attorney Mike Beaty is kind and got me what I expected.
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Arcace1

star star star star star
25 Sep, 2024
Google Maps

Top review highlights

Pros
1
Efficient and thorough in handling time-sensitive legal matters
“Crystal was aware of my concerns and did everything she could to expedite all the necessary paperwork. I was continually kept up to date on her progress and was extremely happy with how everything was done so fast and thorough.”
2
Successful in achieving favorable outcomes for clients
“My case outcome has always been better than I had expected.”
3
Committed to her clients and delivers on promises
“Crystal is very committed to her clients and delivers timely and as promised.”
4
Practical and provides multiple solutions to legal issues
“She reviewed the issues raised by each involved institution and laid out 3 options for securing the life insurance surrender my mother needed to pay for her care.”
5
Knowledgeable and detailed in her work
“Crystal did a very timely and thorough review of my pension status. Her work was very detailed and completely backed up by legal precedents.”
Cons
1
Inconsistent communication and lack of proactivity
“It takes multiple calls to get her to respond to a simple inquiry. [...] We would not recommend Crystal Lewis as an attorney. We found her communication style and poor follow through extremely unpleasant and unnecessary barriers to an effective and professional client-attorney relationship.”
2
Lack of confidence and knowledge on the law
“she was is rarely proactive in her communication and did not seem as though she had confidence and knowledge on the law.”

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