Anyone ever had this happen?

[tightgrip]

I am sooo ready to tell my attorney where to shove it! but I am worried we will not get our money back. He has always gotten back to us when we call or email but everytime we have to re-explain our whole situation like he cannot look up our file before talking with us. Last monday we were told we were over the median and that we did not pass the means which put us into a 13 so our paralegal who is doing our petition tells us to set up an appointment with the attorney so yesterday we drive an hour an a half to meet with him and he is late by about half an hour then we get in there and he meets and greets us like we are new customers . . . he doesnt have our file and he really didnt get us anywhere further than we have already gotten. The paralegal is really good with getting back to us and answering any questions but yesterday I was just ready to say forget it your fired I want my 2200 back! I am soo stressed with all of this and this attorney has not made it any better. I thought he would atleast be prepared and have our file to look at paperwork he had no paperwork to look at so there for he couldnt answer our questions . . . . felt like a waste of our time and babysitting fees and gas money for us!! RRRRRRRRR!!!!!

[junker]

i have NEVER been a fan of lawyers...i dont think GIVE BACK is in their vocabulary..i think it is something they learn in law school...like lawyering 101...NEVER..give a refund of any kind....when you give them any money...kiss it goodbye....i have dealt with many,many lawyers over the years....i used to buy and sell surplus equipt on a ranch in central california....used anything office equipt , file cabinets...etc...my BIGGEST clients...lawyers....thats right...looking for bargains..chipping me down on the price...trying to negotiate....but try to negotiate with them on their fees....hah...good luck....

[ForumReader]

i have NEVER been a fan of lawyers...i dont think GIVE BACK is in their vocabulary..i think it is something they learn in law school...like lawyering 101...NEVER..give a refund of any kind....when you give them any money...kiss it goodbye....i have dealt with many,many lawyers over the years....i used to buy and sell surplus equipt on a ranch in central california....used anything office equipt , file cabinets...etc...my BIGGEST clients...lawyers....thats right...looking for bargains..chipping me down on the price...trying to negotiate....but try to negotiate with them on their fees....hah...good luck....

I am not crazy about dealing with lawyers either. My original divorce lawyer was wonderful and her rates have been reasonable. However she has since retired and a parade of lawyers have come and gone from her office. One particular lawyer stood out when handling my case against my ex. She said if you want your case continued and retain us, this would be a charge of $4500.00 and her expression was one of emotionless look. Most lawyers do not negotiate their fees, I concur.

[LadyInTheRed]

Why should attorneys negotiate their fees? In what other professions do people negotiate their fees? Do doctors negotiate their fees? Do building contractors negotiate their fees? Do plumbers negotiate their fees? No, they tell you what their services costs and you decide whether or not to hire them. Like any business person, if they need the work, they may lower their fees or be open to negotiation. Yes, attorneys' fees are high. But, they have high overhead. Malpractice insurance his very expensive. They must pay to take required continuing education courses. They must pay for legal reference materials and for keeping those materials up-to-date. You may be surprised how much that costs! Then, of course, there's rent, staff salaries, office supplies, etc. Most are also paying huge student loans. A law degree isn't cheap!

A lot of attorneys are able to make a very good living for themselves. But they work very long stressful hours to do so. There are also many attorneys who make just enough to get by. There are very few millonaire attorneys who became millionaires solely through the practice of law.

Yes, there are some terrible lawyers and some A-hole lawyers, just like in any other profession. There are nice lawyers who are terrible lawyers and A-hole lawyers who are excellent lawyers. But, from my 20 years' of experience working for attorneys, I know that for every bad apple there are several out there doing their best work for their clients, keeping fees as low as they can (through efficiency and taking time to look for bargains on things like furniture) and giving back to the community by doing pro-bono work for people who need an attorney but can't afford to pay.

For those whose limited experience with attorneys have been negative ones, please don't judge others by the bad examples. If you have a legitimate beef with an attorney who will not work to make things right, report them to your State Bar. An investigation will be conducted and if wrongdoing is found, disciplinary action will be taken and a record of that action will be available for others considering hiring that attorney.

[junker]

gimme a break.....turning them in to the bar???? thats like turning a catholic priest into a sex offenders club....they protect each other....i HAVE turned a couple of lawyers into the bar....absolutely no resolution..... it is a big joke....they protect each other.....
they absolutely shouldnt HAVE to negotiate....but when they were at my place buying used file cabinets and stuff...they sure were the biggest negotiators.... also did ANY lawyer EVER tell a potential client.....there is nothing more i can get you than what your insurance is offering??? no...in one case the insurance co offered me the max settlement on my policy at the time 15k. i went to a lawyer he promised soooo much more....and got exactly what i was offered before i retained him...of course he took his 1/3 so i now get 10k...5k less than doing it on my own.....no lady....i have NEVER met a decent lawyer....they dont exist.....and they dont call it RETAINER for nothing.....they retain it and you never see it again........

[BobMango]

Why should attorneys negotiate their fees? In what other professions do people negotiate their fees? Do doctors negotiate their fees? Do building contractors negotiate their fees? Do plumbers negotiate their fees?

Actually, they all do. I worked in the healthcare industry for 15 years and I can definitely state that doctors do negotiate their fees. So do contractors and plumbers. Of course when you have no bargaining position they will stick you with their worst rates, but all will negotiate.

[Blueboy]

Bob you beat me to the punch!

[chriselle]

My lawyer was a bad lawyer. At my 341 he doesn't even know my petition. Being over the median and really a toss-up 7 and 13 line, I answered every question the US trustee had. I felt so bad paying someone $1,900 and did nothing but show-up in his suit on my 341. I could have just paid justbroke with those and all the wonderful people in this forum who helped me. My only advice, since you are in the same situation that I was. Be familiar with your petition and be ready on the 341 if the lawyer drops the ball.

[nc73]

If the lawyer doesn't call you back might as well go pro se. I say if they are too busy to call back within 1 day, they should not take on any more clients. Greedy bastards..