Robert Scott Donaldson

I hired attorney Donaldson to represent me in the criminal court in Centre County. During our initial consultation, it appeared that he was very knowledgeable about my case, and was able to plan out defense strategies for my criminal charges. He told me what needed to be done to fight my case, as wel...l as negotiate a more favorable plea agreement than my previous public defender. During my first free meeting with him, he asked to pay a fee of $2,500. I asked his secretary "kate" when I should pay and she responded that as soon as I pay my fees, they will promise to start working on the case. However, once my fees were collected, I had called in multiple times into the law office to inquire about my case with no legitimate responses. Kate was always telling me preposterous things such as "Attorney Donaldson has been working on your case, but he is too busy to return your calls" "We are not sure what Attorney Donaldson has been doing" "Attorney Donaldson discussed your case with someone, but we do not know what he did". I even wrote multiple emails directly to attorney Donaldson, but with no responses at all. When it was just a few days before the pretrial conference, I ran into one of is colleagues, Wayne Bradburn, informing me that he will be working on my case, and will be looking at the relevant facts of my case. And when I asked Kate what was happening, she told me that attorney Donaldson will not be attending my pretrial conference any more, and that attorney Bradburn will be replacing him. However, another person, called Marc Decker, showed up for my pretrial conference. Then I started asking Kate, & Bradburn: "How exactly is the case being handled". They both answered that "attorney Donaldson was only responsible for getting clients in, and someone else works on the case." I was so devastated at that point, knowing what they told me. We had to work out a plea agreement for the jury selection, but they were still pushing things back because they did not send anything to the DA's office for review just 2 days before jury selection, and we ended up with the same plea agreement as my public defender's. I also learned that the law firm had done absolutely nothing regarding my case until just a few days before the pretrial conference, either in terms of court preparation, or plea negotiations with the DA's office. Attorney Bradburn was telling me that there was a dichotomy between the fact that I hired them for zealous representation, and that I do not seem to have any trust in them. But if you are a sane person, you know whose fault it is, and who is to blame. Obviously they were, as attorney Donaldson charged an outstanding fee, and put no effort into my case, and they were procrastinating all the time.

Mr. Donaldson has handled many cases for me over the last four years. He has given my family and I guidance during times that called for legal action. I have hired Robert Donaldson for many different reasons, some of which include, traffic court, an assault case, a drug case, and illegal possession o...f a firearm. In every circumstance Mr. Donaldson kept me informed and knowledgeable about the possible outcomes. Overall, I would say Mr. Donaldson's rates are affordable and he is a very effective lawyer.

I contacted Mr Donaldson's office in regard to a criminal matter involving a family member. Mr Donaldson immediately responded to my query. He assumed the case, reviewed all the details and his expertise in the area of concern made a huge impact on the resulting outcome. Everything with regard to pre...liminary hearings, court dates and final trial issues were handled smoothly and professionally. I would HIGHLY recommend Mr Donaldson for any and all legal issues that you may need as he is well known and highly regarded in the local community.