I had a criminal charge against me which I wanted to challenge and that trial was set for a little over a month away. I also had a peace order hearing the next day. So I found this guy and I called him and he told me to bring $1,500 cash to his office so he could represent me for the criminal case. I... went to his office at 6:00 in the evening and spoke to him about my case. We also arranged him to speak to the plaintiff on the next day for the peace order and told me to bring an additional $675 to the court house and he would talk to the defendant to try to negotiate dropping the restraining order. That meeting lasted an hour and he did not charge me a consulting fee. So it was a flat fee of $1500 plus $625. So that meeting ended around 7:00pm and it had to end because he had to get home.
The following morning, not even 12 hours later, I called him to withdraw. He informed me that I would only get $500 back from the $1500 or if I didn't withdraw that I would owe him $250 out of the $625 because he had to prepare for the case that morning, I called him 4 hours prior to the court hearing.. I changed my mind and told him I was going to still have him represent me but he said he wasn't going to resume my case until he got the $250.
So 2 weeks later, I called him to see if he was going to be in his office, he wasn't, so I told him I have his money and asked him if he did any work for the criminal case. He said he did not file anything and wasn't going to resume anything until he got his $250. I really didn't have his money I just wanted to see if he didn't do any work, in fear that if I told him I am withdrawing that he said he did a ton of work to justify the $1500.
In the contract that I signed, it states that 1/4 of the fee would be an engagement fee which I wouldn't argue against, but 1/4 of $1,500 is $375 plus whatever work he did. So the 12 hours that elasped cost me $625. Ok.
Basically
I paid him $1500 to represent me but I withdrew. He didn't do any work for my case, didn't represent me in court, and claims that he did work on my case at his home even though my trial was 45 days away. He won't tell me what work he did or how many hours he invested in my case, which I doubt he did much. I left his office at 7:00pm and he went home. I woke up the next morning at 6:30 and fired him as my attorney but yet I only get $500 back? The "work" that he did cost me $1000. He didn't even do anything. He seems to be very money hungry. Tread carefully with this attorney.