Hanan M Isaacs

Hanan Isaacs

This is a complaint from our former client, Vasili Melnic. Mr. Melnic already had this matter fully investigated by the Better Business Bureau, which declined to take action. We spent 3 weeks intensely working for Mr. Melnic on his divorce settlement agreement. We advised Mr. Melnic from the start: there is no way to predict or guarantee a final bill, and the Retainer Agreement so stated. The estimates we gave him were based on averages for the work we do with many people. We clearly state the hourly rates for the work we do. This was not a fixed fee assignment, because if it were, we would have so stated. We do not stand in the way if parties wish to negotiate and renegotiate with one another. That is what happened here. Husband negotiated with wife, who had no lawyer. Husband came back to us time after time to make substantive changes which adds time and expense, and which we so advised Mr. Melnic, per NJ Supreme Court edict. We explained all of this to Mr. Melnic, and he promptly went from inquiry to attack mode. He accused us of purposely inflating his fees; became very abusive, bringing up supposed mistakes that he had never mentioned before. And then he started making threats to go to all of the major attorney websites to leave bad reviews. I told Mr. Melnic we refused to work for him anymore and he should go find another lawyer. I have been a NJ attorney for 40 years; and a Supreme Court of NJ Certified Family Law Specialist, of which there are only 250 out of 70,000 lawyers in this State. I have been Chair of the State Bar Dispute Resolution Section. I have served on the NJ Supreme Court’s Unauthorized Practice of Law and ADR Committees. I have taught law at Seton Hall Law School and Rider University. I have received the NJSBA Dispute Resolution Section and General Practice Section Practitioner of the Year Awards. I have served as President of the NJ Association of Professional Mediators. I publish and speak regularly on Family Law, ADR, negotiation, arbitration, mediation, and related topics. I have served as lead trial counsel in federal and state courts for most of my career. In sum, our law firm did a superb job for Mr. Melnic; Mr. Melnic got the full benefit of the work we did which was reasonable and in alignment with the agreement he signed. At the end of the day, with large marital assets, child support, college education financing, and related matters at risk, we completely protected Mr. Melnic and his child. His wife accepted the deal, not because it was bad, easy, or obvious, but because we included what both sides needed. Despite all of that, Mr. Melnic went to war with us over $900.