Elise B. Hoffman

I hired Elise to help me with getting unemployment. She offered me a choice to pay a flat fee or a retainer. When asked about her success rate I was told" I always win". She did not believe me in my description of how my former employer treated me. Many times when we were together she would compl...ain aloud of her fee and how little she was making per hour from my case. I had to listen to her complain about opposing counsel and how she will never take another case for unemployment again because she got beat so bad she miscalculated how many hours my case would take. clearly did not listen to my description of how cruel and deceitful my former employer was. I had three signed affidavits proving his disrespectful misogynistic verbal , yet she didn't present it to the unemployment officer. She did not present the case. She did not speak on my behalf at all. She made me speak my case. This is not why you hire a lawyer. She was unprepared when we met the unemployment officer. She defended me not. She allowed opposing counsel to Badger me for 6 hours over three different meetings.. that dragged out for months . When she cross-examined my former employer I believe she concluded her questions within 10 minutes. I purchased the transcript so she could prepare on our appeal. Her written appeal was denied. I wanted to go to trial she wanted me to pay her a retainer. It was not the agreed-upon signed agreement. I listen to her on more than one occasion complain she was making $3 an hour from this case and my stress level would improve if I just had coitus. Unfortunately she didn't say it with such class. When we met she was using an office in the North End of boston. I selected her due to her close proximity of where I live. Every time we met I was asked to drive to Brockton, to sit at a folding table in a makeshift office.. I was scolded and ridiculed about my documentation. I was made to feel very inadequate all the time. We lost because she stopped working for my case after she felt she earned her $500. We lost the first attempt. I asked her to appeal , her written appeal was denied . I wanted to go to trial , she would not without a large retainer. Our interactions were reminiscent of myself being treated as a 5-year-old. She made a mess of my case. Instead of negotiating and working with opposing Council she threw fuel on the Fire and created an insane nightmare that lasted over 4 years after I hired a different lawyer . she allowed the other Council to Badger me and offered zero defense to his attacks. In all other terms it was clear to me she miscalculated how many hours she would have to spend on my case. She did not believe in me. She was more concerned about the second portion of my lawsuit which she wanted me to sue him for the 40% of the business that was promised. She was clearly intrigued of the amount of my yearly commission based salary, and what she thought she could squeak out of him. When I lost my unemployment, she said that was the first time I've ever lost. I asked for her to appeal she wanted more money which was not what we agreed upon.