Ellen M. Dougherty

I used Ellen for a co-op sale closing. While the closing ultimately happened, I was disappointed with the level of communication, ownership, and coordination. The core issue was not that a third-party closing agent had scheduling limits. That can happen. The issue is that the availability of the n...ecessary closing participants should have been addressed much earlier and more proactively. Instead, when a serious scheduling problem arose, Ellen continued to frame it as being at the mercy of the closing agent rather than acknowledging that this was something she could have and should have handled sooner. What bothered me most was the lack of accountability afterward. Rather than accepting responsibility for her role in the stress and disruption, she seemed surprised that I was upset and continued to place blame elsewhere. In my view, a lawyer handling a closing should be proactive about key dates, clear with the client about risks, and willing to acknowledge when something could have been handled better. Based on my experience, I would not use her again.