Forum
« Renting Apartments to a Company sagging kitchen floor »
August 15, 2006
RE attorney - I am a client or what!?
I have never had this situation before (with other RE attorney). We were told that very important document will be sent on Monday, aug 7th. I have called Tue, the 8th. "He is on the other line, may I take a message? He will call you back". I keep calling every day and getting the same answer.
Our plans, our contractor, our tenants, our plumber - heck, our financial security depends on this. We are loosing money every day.
Two weeks... Secretary just hangs up on me already.
I really do not understand, what is going on. Nobody received any documents from him I was told.
I do not know what to do. Fire him? He is the one of the well known attorneys in this area, everybody knows him and we do not want bad energy coming from this.
But this is not the first time that he does not respond and we have to wait for weeks.
Is this situation normal? What would you do?
Comments
Get over to the office and tell the secretary or whom ever to make another copy of the papers for you ASAP.
See number 5 on the following Client Bill of Rights
http://www.courts.state.ny.us/litigants/clientsrights.shtml
Good luck.
Posted by: Stacey at August 15, 2006 6:54 PM
Thank you.
The problem is that he is a very known lawyer in downtown Brooklyn. Everybody knows him and we do not want a conflict situation. I am really astonished (if I may say) of what is going on.
I had problems with RE attorneys before: one attorney forgot to include in contract that sellers have to pay rent if they do not move on closing.
Other purchase - that attorney was more detail oriented but we discovered that we had to pay previous year taxes because the title company that he hired did pay those taxes but did not check if DOF applied them to our property. Two years later we finally got our money back. Also, nobody checked outstanding water bill on closing.
But this is peanuts to compare to not able to ask your lawyer why he did not sent document (that I prepared by myself BTW one week before that) for 10 business days! And got insulted by his receptionist. I truly do not understand what si going on. It just can not be this way.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 15, 2006 6:55 PM
Doesn't matter how well known he is- he is incompetent, unethical and a jerk to boot. Fire him, and write those letters. I have a friend who went through a similar case with a "good RE" lawyer and got burnt. You're paying this guy, not the other way around. ANd let him know his secretary is an ass too.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 15, 2006 7:57 PM
he's so well known that he's too busy to deal with you because your deal/whatever is too small... get rid of him pronto...
Posted by: OE at August 15, 2006 8:45 PM
"he's so well known that he's too busy to deal with you because your deal/whatever is too small... "
Yes, this is what I think is the reason. But we asked him first if he is going to take our case...
We expected that he will treat us the same as other clients. We were going to pay his regular per hour rate. We did not receive any bills as of yet ( but we did not accomplish anything either since this spring). We have asked him about his bill and he said that he will send it later.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 15, 2006 9:00 PM
Get rid of him. I agree with the poster that you walk over to the office, camp out, get the document and then fire him. Document everything and if you have any losses from the transaction and his incompetance and lack of respect, sue him. These people make me sick. I had a tenant/landlord attorney who was worse than the tenant I was evicting. I evicted him too. Good luck.
Posted by: donatella at August 15, 2006 9:14 PM
This whole story sounds fishy. How do you know that he is a "very well known lawyer" in downtown brooklyn? I have never heard of very well known lawyers doing small real-estate transactions -- makes no sense. You do not want "bad energy" coming from this? If someone was f#$%ing around with my financial future, I would not be worried about "bad energy." Something tells me you are not telling the whole story. Seems strange that you would complain about not getting bills yet either -- if he told you he would send it later, he probably will.
If you really are telling it as it is, you really should fire this guy.
Posted by: anon at August 15, 2006 10:52 PM
This post is a joke
Posted by: Anonymous at August 16, 2006 3:37 AM
I think a lot of people get intimidated by lawyers (which, after all is part of their mo). Maybe that's why the poster is nervous and worried that his lawyer will retaliate. If your lawyer worries you this much, get your documents, fire him and send him a long, detailed letter as to why. He probably won't even notice since he is so busy. As to paying any bills- get detailed invoices and explanations. And proof he actually did the work. I know someone who got billed for work and filings that were nevre even done.
Posted by: jennyanne at August 16, 2006 12:20 PM
What part of my original post sounds "fishy" to you, may I ask? I think you have to be more careful with your words. Could you repeat those words in person?
We want to do some small scale development. We are not as rich as probably you are (your attitude?) that is why we want to do this with a partner. Both parties want to be protected by an agreement before we start. this is what we are trying to do. This attorney was recommended to us as a person who knows this subject very well.
Technical delays is one thing. But when your everyday calls are not returned for 10 business days and you have no idea what is going on is completely different.
Posted by: Anonymous at August 16, 2006 3:22 PM
Get a new lawyer. And yes, I would agree that these kind of posts which ask "what should I do if someone is shitting on me" do sound rather fake on reading, even though I can understand why someone might be paralyzed while in the situation. I had an electrician who was on both crack and smack and it took me months to fire him - simply because at least he showed up. Hard to believe I let it go on so long...
Posted by: Anonymous at August 16, 2006 3:48 PM
I deal with this kinda crap all the time. People just don't seem to be able to function on a surprisingly basic level.
One thing I've found some success with is leaving a message with the details of your efforts, i.e. this is the third time I've called. Or, even better, write him an e-mail going over his failure to respond. Polite, firm. Usually gets a response.
Keep in mind that if his non-responsiveness causes a deal to sour, he can be sued (not necessarily successfully, but no one likes to be sued) for malpractice. One of the reasons the written document helps.
Posted by: gypsyfingers at August 18, 2006 12:13 AM
I am not the person who said "fishy". What's wrong wih "fishy"-strange, odd, etc? Are you inviting him/her to step outside to settle this? Wow.
If you're that intimidated by a lawyer who's your "employee" that you can't be direct with him, this reaction is definitely "fishy". And a little scary.
Posted by: anon at August 18, 2006 9:50 AM
This may sound barbaric but hey, this sounds important to you and this guy sounds like a knuckle dragging moron. Forget the this is my third call Emily Post etiquette approach. Try Xena Warrior princess - go over there, sit down, camp out, get the damn document, then fire him. Calculate your damages, find another lawyer - a real one -- and if you feel like it, i.e. you have the time, energy and inclination for it, sue him for the damage he caused you by the loss of time. See what the energy is like then. You'll be happily into your renovation and on your way to reaping the benefits of your efforts. And you will have done your part in creating a society of responsible legal service providers. Good luck!!!!
Posted by: donatella at August 18, 2006 10:30 AM
Post a comment
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.