James E. Hairston Jr.

These are my opinions based on my personal experience with hiring Hairston Lane, PA. Attorney James Hairston displayed a lack of professionalism and poor listening skills throughout the process. Despite my strong comprehension skills, which seemed to irritate him, he abruptly decided to stop repre...senting me just two months before my federal trial despite two years of “active” representation under the same contract he now called “erroneous.” I have emails to support my concerns. In one email, he attempted to renegotiate the agreed-upon contract, stating: “As an olive branch, I will offer 35% to keep moving forward toward trial. Just so you know, in my 34 years of practice…30 doing federal civil rights litigation, I’ve never had less than 40% for trial. Let me know so we can wrap this up and keep it moving.” He further wrote: “Finally, if you don’t want to execute another contract, I will ask the court to withdraw from your case as it is an economic hardship on my firm to do any more work without compensation nor agreement. Trust me, I do not want to do that. However, I will not try prepare for, and try a federal case without the opportunity to earn what has already been invested by this firm. I just can’t do it.” These communications felt like extortion to me, especially given that there was already a fully executed and agreed-upon contract in place. Again, two months before trial, Hairston claimed the contract was “erroneous,” which I did not know was even legal. Additionally, his associate, Bryan Sumner, exhibited unprofessional behavior as well. Both attorneys’ words, tone, and attitudes were often inappropriate for client interactions. My case preparation was severely lacking, and I believe their personal circumstances—including illnesses, marriages, honeymoons, and bereavements—negatively affected the quality of representation. My case was no place for inexperience or lack of focus, and unfortunately, it showed. I learned the hard way that delays and extensions are the norm here. They may call it “case management,” but in my experience, it felt more like mismanagement. If you’re considering this firm, proceed with caution. And take their glowing Google reviews with a grain of salt. Good luck—you’ll need it.

I found this practice to be very unprofessional. Deadlines were rarely met without an extension. I would recommend finding an attorney who is professional in his or her practice management, who conducts himself or herself with dignity, and who is respectful to clients and their employees. These are j...ust a few failures of this practice. I would not recommend this firm at all.

ALERT !!!! This firm will take your money and not do as they say , especially James Hairston ! They like to put up a big showing when going over your case to get your money ! James will lie to you as if he was working for the people you are litigating against. This review is from a person who hire...d this attorney