Dispute with attorney's representation in sexual harassment lawsuit WA state

Sexual Harassment and Criminal Case: My sister filed a sexual harassment suit against her previous employer while employed with this well known corporation in Vancouver, wa. She also had severe emotional distress while working for the CEO and CFO of the company. The CEO made comments daily about what she ate and drank and also about the amount of time she should spend working out. They also had her doing the job of 5 people. She was worked to death and rarely had a day off. The company was very concerned with the health and fitness of employees and the CEO often made comments that he would never hire a fat person to work for him.
After she filed the suit, they in turn filed a suit against her for use of the company credit card. She had approval and the CEO signed off on all of her expenses. The compnay paid her credit card charges for years. In the beginning she wrote checks to reimburse the compnay for her expenses but the checks were never cashed.

Her current lawyer is not doing a very good job repesenting her and is a rookie. He has never had a case like this one and doesn't know the best way to represent her. She already paid him $10,000.
He saiys that if she hadn't filed her sexual harassment case that this other case would not exist and she would own the compnay for the way they treated her. However now he says since she used the company credit card she looses all credibility and would not have a case against them. I am trying to prove the she was under so much emotional distress and pressure she used to card for personal expenses to get back at them for the way she wa treated. Her lawyer says if the job was that bad why didn't she leave . I told him many people stay in situations that are less than ideal. My sister is a very hard working woman and this was a well known copmany with a lot of potential. She does not have a degree and her options are limited without her degree. She did keep working there. Her marriage fell apart as a result and now she is a single mother. She now works for the city and her employer showed up to court to defend her and even though they know everything they have kept her on and are fighting for her. She received 16 letters of character that her lawyer has asked for. - Is this your question? Add additional information
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Answers (1)

Oscar Michelen

Oscar Michelen

Contributor Level 7
I cannot really comment on your sister's attorney's capabilities, but if she is not satisfied she is always free to change lawyers. Some lawyers might handle her case on a contingency basis. $10,000 is a significant amount of money for this kind of case. Did she have a written retainer with the lawyer? Is his billing accurate?
I don't see what the use of a company credit card has to do with a viable sexual harassment claim. Was it a very large amount or for totally inappropriate items? This might hurt her credibility a little bit, but if her proof is strong then it should not matter. Two suggestions: she should try to sit down with her lawyer one last time and see if their relationship can be repaired, provided she still has confidence that he can and will handle her case properly. She should write down what she expects of him and make sure he is comfortable with that. Secondly, she can look for other lawyers and get second opinions from them to make sure she is with the right lawyer. I know that young lawyers can be less expensive at first, but if they don't prepare your case properly or know what they are doing, they can end up costing you a lot more in the long run. Your local bar association or right here on Avvo are two places you can go for some names of qualified local practitioners. Good Luck
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