Brandy Ann Peeples

Thank you. It was a pleasure working with you and your wife on this dispute!

We as lawyers only have our knowledge to sell. After 2 calls to my office on 10/19/15, you and I spoke on 10/20/15, and I forwarded you the Initial Consultation Agreement. I accepted payment for an hour of my time in accordance with that agreement. Note that my office normally schedules consultations at least 1 week from the date of inquiry, because my schedule fills quickly. Although I typically do not provide an immediate consultation, I agreed to do so because you had just arrived from out of town and needed immediate assistance. Thus, I rendered a legal opinion upon extremely short notice-halting work on other pressing matters in the process. My Initial Consultation Agreement provides in pertinent part: "In your initial consultation, you and the attorney will identify the type of case you have, the key issues, and the options you may have under law. You and the attorney will discuss whether the firm will represent you, what the representation could involve, and the amount of the initial retainer deposit that would be required *** Please be advised that the Firm has not agreed to represent you in connection with your matter unless you have signed a separate Agreement of Retainer, which can be provided to you after the initial consultation has concluded. If you or the Firm fail to sign this contract for legal services, an attorney-client relationship between you and the firm will not extend beyond the initial consultation." Your paid consultation included: (1) reviewing your contract documents, which included 12 documents and an inspection report (2) researching applicable Maryland case law and land records, and (3) holding a telephone conference with you. The aforementioned work took more than one hour's time. However, as a courtesy to you, I capped my consultation fee at 1 hour. Unfortunately, as I explained to you, you were in an unfavorable position with little or no legal recourse. I also explained to you your potential liability exposure (including liability for the other side's attorneys' fees) and gave you your options. That my legal advice was dead accurate and not welcomed to you does not warrant a negative review because you sought legal representation outside the scope of the initial consultation. Following the consultation on 10/20/15, you sent me an email stating the opposing side's position with your question "Can you help us out?" I responded on 10/20 and again on 10/21 indicating your options. You then sent me an email as to my opinion on what it would take to resolve this matter, to which I responded -- "these scenarios are fact-specific and I cannot begin to guess as to what it would take to settle this matter without more information." No response was received from you following that email. Although, I had already provided you with a legal opinion, I did respond to all of your emails on 10/20 and 10/21, even though you had not retained me beyond the initial consultation. That I did not provide you with legal representation or opinions beyond what was agreed in our Initial Consultation Agreement is not a reflection of my legal abilities or my billing practices, which among my colleagues are known to be extremely client-friendly and fair. I'm sorry your expectations fell short; however, I stand by the legal opinions given. That you would give a negative review because you expected free and continuing legal advice beyond the initial consultation without the signing of a formal Agreement of Retainer is disappointing. I can assure you that most of my colleagues -- especially with your type of matter - would not have been as generous as I have been with you in the billing department (multiple phone calls, multiple emails, and the actual review and research would customarily be billed at .1 of an hour rounded up). I provided immediate and accurate advice -- you wanted something for nothing. I'm sorry that affected your ability to provide a fair review.