seekinginfo
New Member
At this stage I don't know where to aquire information or how to proceed. Maybe someone here can assist me.
I will try to keep this brief.
1)Feb of 2002, I paid $10,000.00 to my 1st lawyer (best friends' sister NOT a good idea) right from the get go I was not given any legal advice. I did have many question but, she insisted we could talk later. Then she would not return my phone calls - Her secretary was the go between ALWAYS.
2) My initial request was ignored. I had requested that my lawyer (at the time) contact my X's lawyer to see if divorce proceedings had been started with his council. I told her I ONLY have $10,000.00 and IF they have commenced proceedings please do NOT do all that work as this is not a race and why should I pay the $$$ to only be told we filed 'AFTER' them.
She ignored my suggestion and concerns, and plowed ahead, charged me LARGE $$ and then 2 weeks later had her secretary call me to tell me "OH they filed before US." I had asked the secretary why did my lawyer NOT follow up to see if proceedings had commenced on my X's side? (secretary told me) "I guess she forgot to do that, but she can not take it back now and since she did the work you still have to pay for it."
**This situation happened OFTEN**
Now I will fast forward.
1) To July of 2004 I and my lawyer managed to obtain 1 interim, Interim Order for Child and Spousel support. My $10,000.00 at this stage was completely depleted. I am also disabled thus NO job. I requested since I had no funds left available to me to be placed on/with Legal Aid. I was told NO (by her secretary) Because she didn't want to change my file to a Legal Aid case. Thus leaving me 'stuck'
2) I got very upset and called constantly and demanded to either 'see' or have my lawyer call me. Also at this point my friend got involved and spoke with her sister (who was my lawyer) and pressed the issue that I needed advice and to talk with her.
3) Lawyer DID indeed speak with me and expressed to me to '"Give up everything, re-voke my Court Order of 2002 because according to my lawyer my X will NEVER pay support and I won't be able to 'PAY' for anymore legal fees And to simply apply for Disability as a source of income." AFTER $10,000.00 paid to her in CASH this was my advice!
NOW here I am Feb., of 2006 and I'm told I owe an additional $1,200.00 of which was supose to be subtracted because of her blunder from the beginning.
Also.....My lawyer of above duration has decided to get her husband involved by having him 'pretend' he is a 'DEBT Collector from a Collection Agency" and he has all my personal information calling me day and night demanding the money which has now ballooned to $2,014.86.
My lawyer and her husband (who is a farmer) joke and jest to my best friend (her sister and his sister-n-law) that they are doing this and have found it to be successful in other cases (clients) who have an outstanding debt.
PROBLEM IS... Her husband is NOT a registered collections agency NOR does he have a license.... and calls from his cell phone 5 or more times a day. He also has lied to me by telling me he is a Collector from a Collection Agency. He also stated to me that I am to make a cheque out to his wife mail it and then call him on his cell phone to confirm that I have taken care of this issue. Each phone message he has left on my message center I have placed in my message archives.
**I had contacted the Bar Association in the Spring of 2004 and at that time I was told I had a case simply because of the 'lack of concern, not returning my calls, and ignoring my requests, and not giving me proper council' I was also told that IF I chose to proceed and give an official letter of complaint along with my lawyers' name, that I must understand that my lawyer would have the right to drop me as a client thus leaving me in the situation of no council.
At that point in time I declined and tried to stick it out with her. And I did try to have her remove that $1200.00 for work that I should not have been charged because she ignored my 1st request. I felt and still feel that I should NOT have to pay for my lawyers' mistake'.
What do I NOW do with my lawyers husband?? Also I know them both fairly well...thus leaving me with wondering if they BOTH have lost their minds!?? Including the fact that this lawyer has blabbed my case to anyone that would listen. And the fact that she has USED clients "TRUST MONEY" to gamble with and then return it after she wins at the slots!
She also put down my current lawyer calling him a lazy slug that cuts corners and messes up cases. This actually caused me to worry about my divorce case with my current lawyer who has taken me on as a Legal Aid case.
After all of this I find myself to not be very trusting when it comes to legal council.
Do you think all of the above is worth contacting the Bar Association of Edmonton, Canada?
Please can someone steer me into the right direction as I really am thinking this makes an ass of the law.
Thank you for your time and efforts.
seekinginfo
I will try to keep this brief.
1)Feb of 2002, I paid $10,000.00 to my 1st lawyer (best friends' sister NOT a good idea) right from the get go I was not given any legal advice. I did have many question but, she insisted we could talk later. Then she would not return my phone calls - Her secretary was the go between ALWAYS.
2) My initial request was ignored. I had requested that my lawyer (at the time) contact my X's lawyer to see if divorce proceedings had been started with his council. I told her I ONLY have $10,000.00 and IF they have commenced proceedings please do NOT do all that work as this is not a race and why should I pay the $$$ to only be told we filed 'AFTER' them.
She ignored my suggestion and concerns, and plowed ahead, charged me LARGE $$ and then 2 weeks later had her secretary call me to tell me "OH they filed before US." I had asked the secretary why did my lawyer NOT follow up to see if proceedings had commenced on my X's side? (secretary told me) "I guess she forgot to do that, but she can not take it back now and since she did the work you still have to pay for it."
**This situation happened OFTEN**
Now I will fast forward.
1) To July of 2004 I and my lawyer managed to obtain 1 interim, Interim Order for Child and Spousel support. My $10,000.00 at this stage was completely depleted. I am also disabled thus NO job. I requested since I had no funds left available to me to be placed on/with Legal Aid. I was told NO (by her secretary) Because she didn't want to change my file to a Legal Aid case. Thus leaving me 'stuck'
2) I got very upset and called constantly and demanded to either 'see' or have my lawyer call me. Also at this point my friend got involved and spoke with her sister (who was my lawyer) and pressed the issue that I needed advice and to talk with her.
3) Lawyer DID indeed speak with me and expressed to me to '"Give up everything, re-voke my Court Order of 2002 because according to my lawyer my X will NEVER pay support and I won't be able to 'PAY' for anymore legal fees And to simply apply for Disability as a source of income." AFTER $10,000.00 paid to her in CASH this was my advice!
NOW here I am Feb., of 2006 and I'm told I owe an additional $1,200.00 of which was supose to be subtracted because of her blunder from the beginning.
Also.....My lawyer of above duration has decided to get her husband involved by having him 'pretend' he is a 'DEBT Collector from a Collection Agency" and he has all my personal information calling me day and night demanding the money which has now ballooned to $2,014.86.
My lawyer and her husband (who is a farmer) joke and jest to my best friend (her sister and his sister-n-law) that they are doing this and have found it to be successful in other cases (clients) who have an outstanding debt.
PROBLEM IS... Her husband is NOT a registered collections agency NOR does he have a license.... and calls from his cell phone 5 or more times a day. He also has lied to me by telling me he is a Collector from a Collection Agency. He also stated to me that I am to make a cheque out to his wife mail it and then call him on his cell phone to confirm that I have taken care of this issue. Each phone message he has left on my message center I have placed in my message archives.
**I had contacted the Bar Association in the Spring of 2004 and at that time I was told I had a case simply because of the 'lack of concern, not returning my calls, and ignoring my requests, and not giving me proper council' I was also told that IF I chose to proceed and give an official letter of complaint along with my lawyers' name, that I must understand that my lawyer would have the right to drop me as a client thus leaving me in the situation of no council.
At that point in time I declined and tried to stick it out with her. And I did try to have her remove that $1200.00 for work that I should not have been charged because she ignored my 1st request. I felt and still feel that I should NOT have to pay for my lawyers' mistake'.
What do I NOW do with my lawyers husband?? Also I know them both fairly well...thus leaving me with wondering if they BOTH have lost their minds!?? Including the fact that this lawyer has blabbed my case to anyone that would listen. And the fact that she has USED clients "TRUST MONEY" to gamble with and then return it after she wins at the slots!
She also put down my current lawyer calling him a lazy slug that cuts corners and messes up cases. This actually caused me to worry about my divorce case with my current lawyer who has taken me on as a Legal Aid case.
After all of this I find myself to not be very trusting when it comes to legal council.
Do you think all of the above is worth contacting the Bar Association of Edmonton, Canada?
Please can someone steer me into the right direction as I really am thinking this makes an ass of the law.
Thank you for your time and efforts.
seekinginfo
