Laura Lynn Ergood

Ms. Laura Ergood of Ergood Law, LLC (Cherry Hill, NJ) represented me in an undue influence estate litigation matter. She introduced Kevin M. Siegel as co-counsel, who became the primary trial attorney. Regrettably, the experience was horrible and financially devastating! Despite exceptionally strong... evidence in my favor, as acknowledged in Judge Dow’s written opinion, neither attorney effectively recognized or capitalized on the case's strengths. The matter was ultimately won based on the evidence alone, but critical opportunities were missed despite my written requests, including neglecting to request accrued interest on escrowed funds (including years of interest, months of tenant rent, compensation for a vehicle, etc.). Omissions Judge Dow noted "could have and should have" been pursued during trial—costing me a significant recoverable amount of money. Additional serious issues included: • Ms. Ergood failed to appear on the first day of trial. • Billing practices that deviated from the signed fee agreement (total fees exceeded $170,000). • Mr. Siegel's unprofessional conduct (small ex. - comments like "Your mother wasn’t the nicest person, was she?"). • Overbilling / billing not in accordance with our contract discovered post-trial. Ms. Ergood’s promises to "make good" on overbilling discrepancies went unfulfilled despite her saying they’d make good on the overbilling issues. Watch out for the contract clause saying if anything is felt not to be properly billed, you have 30 days from the bill date only to address it (regardless of when you realize it). • Overall lack of diligence and care in work product by Ms. Ergood, likely due to inexperience in contested undue influence litigation I share this terrible experience with Ms. Ergood to prevent others from similar experiences. I share partial responsibility for dealing with Ms. Ergood / Mr. Siegel and not firing them earlier in the process. I was navigating a difficult personal period between this case and a sick spouse which clouded my judgment. I stand firmly by my account; any response from Ergood Law attempting to justify these issues would lack credibility.

This summer, I had the opportunity to intern with Laura Ergood's office, working under the guidance of her and others in the office. During my time there, Laura was kind, patient, and thorough in her teachings, while also being extremely dedicated to the needs of her clients. Working under Laura ...taught me wonderful skills, including client interviewing, processing legal cases to completion, and legal research. One of the most important observations I made was how detail oriented and communication-driven Laura is when it comes to clients. Working under Laura taught me the importance of client communication and paying attention to the individualized needs of each client. Laura uses her years of expertise to provide specialized care to each client that comes in; and I would certainly personally utilize but also highly recommend her for legal work in this field.