Nicole McDonald

I suffered an injury at work and signed with Ms. McDonald to represent me in dealing with my employer's insurer. After playing the go-getter at first, her response time to emails, with simple questions asking about what progress she was making, ranged from a few days to weeks. She seemed either ove...rwhelmed or just unfocused, I don't know which. After finally getting me some money for scarring to my hand (which was the easy part) over a year after I'd returned to work, she dropped me because I am too 'impatient' for the second claim (for loss of function) to be resolved. I had sent her an email asking for an update, and even suggested that if she felt that my timetable was unrealistic she should just explain that to me. Instead she dropped me. (After first not responding for three days.) I can't help thinking that it might have less to do with my impatience and more to do with the fact that loss of function claims are more difficult. She made her money from the easier parts of my case, and then she quit on me. I will be contacting the state bar association about her commitment to the Rules of Professional Conduct, specifically Rule 1.3 Diligence, "a lawyer should carry through to conclusion all matters undertaken for a client. If a lawyer's employment is limited to a specific matter, the relationship terminates when the matter has been resolved." Well, my specific matter remains unresolved, and now I have to find a new lawyer. Heed my story, and stay away.