Amy B. McGarry

I hired Amy to represent me in a divorce where federally protected monies as well as Maine laws relating to VA Title 38 Disability money. Both Federal law and Maine law says that VA Disability money is not to be counted as income in a divorce. Amy represented herself as being well versed in the area ...but said she had a paralegal who she considered an expert in said area. I never saw ANY outside staff when we had office appointments. On the day of my first hearing, she went to a court four cities over. When she finally showed, just under 2 hours late, she was not prepared. (NOTE: I'm a retired paralegal so am well cognizant of how a competent attorney acts!) After the hearing, she met with my sister and me and apologized for being late, for going to the wrong courthouse, and said that she would work my case for free as I had been doing all of the research for the case. Well, a couple of months later she demanded payment for hours that she had said she was going to do for free. When I refused she went to the court and filed documents that she had sealed where I'm sure she lied some more.

I am very pleased at the services I received from this firm. I was the defendant in a difficult divorce proceeding. Even with legal help from family attorneys, I found it exceedingly difficult to select a lawyer to represent me. McGarry law legal aid helped this process. Even considering that the f...irm's hourly rate (attorney time) was more than some of the other firms I considered, the retainer and fee structure was pointed out clearly and seemed fair. I live on a relatively low, fixed income. For this reason, retaining any legal assistance was very daunting. I was able to make very good use of a 30 minute free consultation with the attorney who ultimately represented me. The firm helped with my difficulty in ponying up the retainer. The fees were clearly defined and well delineated. Much of the work is done by paralegal assistance, and as such, at a considerably reduced rate. The outcome of my case was favorable. The decisions which I made along the way were wholly my own but made with the experience of 20 years legal work to help me consider my optimum path. I was well informed as to the details but not "nickel and dimed"– the firm is efficient yet thorough with low overhead. I highly recommend McGarry Law Offices and will use this firm again.