Why attorneys get a bad rap

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Kate Carlton, One of Thousands of ADD ADHD Coaches on Noomii.

As long as I can remember attorneys have gotten a bad rap in life. From negative jokes to condescending conversation, the field has never been spoken of very favorably. On that note, I must admit I was crazy about my divorce attorney. He seemed to be caring, concerned and intelligent enough to advise me in a very beneficial way. When going through a divorce, an attorney usually collects a large retainer up front, and then continues to bill you as the situation proceeds. My retainer was used up rather quickly, and was followed by a multitude of charges for minutes used. Conversations with the opposing counsel could be anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour. It is interesting to note, that my ex chose not to find an attorney himself, and just asked me to get one from my attorney. Needless to say, although he was a legitimate guy, and did the best for my ex, the two attorneys were close friends. I don’t think I would be incorrect in assuming that I was being charged for some conversations about dinner plans, golf games, as well as conversations that did not exist. When the bills begin coming in, there are so many pages that you are confused as to when what happened, and it is certainly impossible to keep track of what occurs when you are not present. And so, you pay. Unfortunately, I did check a large amount for a phone call that my attorney claimed was between him and me, and realized I was out of state when it was said to have taken place. Upon confronting my attorney, nothing was said, and the charge disappeared.
On another occasion which took place at a conference between the four of us, (2 attorneys, my ex and myself), I literally timed and asked my attorney to deduct the time he spent in the bathroom. (this worked out in the amount of over $100.00). Overall, I would recommend him highly and believe, most, if not all, make money where they can. He actually confided in me as to the pressures of being a matrimonial attorney, and the difficulty of dealing with people who were once in love, now trying to destroy each other- financially and emotionally. I am sure that this has to take a toll on the human spirit.
On the other hand, I have been involved with another attorney due to a problem with a missing bond, purchased by my father upon the birth of my first child. After setting up my own financial planning with a reliable financial planner from a reputable bank, I gave him all bonds and monies that were in my name for myself and my children. After using him for a few years, and trusting him implicitly, (as he was extremely caring and helped me make some large financial decisions, where I must admit, I had no expertise), he was terminated from his position- having nothing to do with me.
Shortly thereafter, I was connected with another financial planner, not of my choosing, who noted the bond I gave to the former planner was missing. I contacted the bank president who told me the last financial planner probably took the bond and I had no recourse, except to find this person, contact him and ask him for my money back.
Being employed by a large corporation led me to believe that I need not find the terminated employee, but the bank would be responsible to replace the money as I had copies of everything. Things escalated with the bank hierarchy, and I got nowhere fast.
I was forced, once again, to hire an attorney. I used a gentleman (and I use that word loosely), who was recommended by a friend. He took on the case and assured me that at the least, I would be made whole and would receive interest for the 5 years I had been battling this case. I signed a retainer, gave him a check, and he went to work on it. After countless times where he insisted I go to his office, over 35 minutes from my house, progress was made at a snail’s pace. He promised me that I would have the money in my possession by December, 2011. As I write this, on June 20, 2012, I have still not been made whole. I was waiting an endless amount of time for the bank that issued the bond to return my money. I insisted that the bank that lost the bond, make me whole, and they wait for the money. My attorney obviously liked that idea, because he then claimed it as his own. I was now promised the money by February 1, 2012. That did not happen either. So, I was then awarded interest on the bond for the time I did not receive it.
During this overly long process, my attorney called in my current financial advisor to calculate the interest on my money- a simple procedure. He came to my attorney’s office, and waited for 45 minutes as my attorney had double booked. Being an inconsiderate, unprofessional hothead, he made no excuses for his waste of our time, and saw us for a short time. The information was given, and we left his office. Because my financial planner makes a percentage on investing my money, he did this without charge to me. But, he chose to charge my attorney, as he had no reason to waste an hour and a half when he could have done this by phone. Although my attorney took 25% of the money I received, he felt I was responsible to pay the planner for his time. No way was it stated in my retainer agreement that I was responsible for any outside expenses incurred.
This led to an extremely hot-headed verbal bashing from my attorney, as I refused to pay, and our relationship immediately deteriorated. As of this date, I am still emailing him regarding my interest, and our conversations are curt and unprofessional. I anticipate getting the interest due to me in the next week, as per his last voice message. Let us see if this comes to fruition as promised once again. He is the epitome of all the negative attorney jokes and negative connotations about attorneys . I will never use him again, and am anxious to end this “way too long” ordeal.
My feelings about attorneys have changed. I always thought the jokes were funny and inaccurate. Now I disappointedly know where they come from. I must say, all in all, this was a horrible experience, and one that I am hoping I will not have to repeat soon.
Although I cannot speak for all attorneys, this has certainly altered my way of thinking. I am hoping that most people have had better experiences than I.

Kate
http://www.eastcoasttherapist.com