Hilary Arthur St. Louis

I was represented by Lancaster & St. Louis for nearly 3 years. Their performance as my legal team was haphazard, sluggish, and emotionally draining –on their best days. As a single parent, I’m familiar with the hardships and stressors court can bring and this team failed to provide me the support I needed in one of my most difficult times – resulting in time lost with my son, financial losses, and unnecessary emotional turmoil throughout this whole process due to simple carelessness. Regarding his firm’s professionalism (or lack thereof), unfortunately I was accidentally copied on emails between Hilary and opposing counsel; a lengthy back and forth of both attorneys disparaging and making fun of court staff, fellow attorneys and even judges. This is hardly the behavior I expect to see from someone representing myself and the best interests of my son. I began with Hilary representing me in my case. After Hilary mysteriously disappeared for a second time (this time for several months), LeAnn took over my case. Both of Hilary’s disappearances also occurred within a week of two crucial hearings on motions Hilary had filed. There were plenty of conversations with opposing counsel (who Hilary was familiar with as they are both based in Cabarrus County) and plenty of emails but there was no traction on multiple fronts. With Hilary’s second sudden disappearance, opposing counsel was also replaced at the same time with someone based out of Mecklenburg County, who the office had not previously interacted with. As an aside, credit where credit is due; opposing counsel was thorough and competent and quite a contrast from LeAnn. LeAnn was tasked with representing me on the motions Hilary had previously filed and had not been heard for well over a year. From her first appearance in court, it was clear that LeAnn was unprepared. Multiple motions were dismissed due to careless oversights when being filed by Hilary. This included a motion for child support and unpaid expenses totaling well over $20k that was incorrectly filed; again carelessness. After two of these incidents, I reached out to Hilary detailing my concerns. The response I received was that THEY would decide who was assigned to which case, cc:ing LeAnn and further enflaming the situation. LeAnn's lack of preparation was exacerbated after one judgement called for a one year suspended sentence. (I've obtained a copy of the court transcript audio confirming the judge’s ruling from the bench). In drafting the judgement with opposing counsel, LeAnn neglected to include the duration of my sentence. After the judgement was filed without a duration, it became a sentence with no duration, which meant it would expire when my son turned 18. A one year suspended criminal sentence became a 7+ year sentence directly due to LeAnn’s negligence and Hilary's inaction. As an aside, if you are seeking representation and are being told you can recover attorney fees that should be a red flag and should move along in your search. In discussions with multiple attorneys (well over 10) in both Cabarrus and Meck County, I was consistently told how rare attorney's fees are to be awarded and even more difficult specifically within Cabarrus County. Hilary repeatedly sold me on the prospect of attorney fees for nearly 2 years. The question to ask yourself as a potential client is whether you are willing to take the risk or to go with someone with a more consistent track record. If my case was given the same attention as given to damage control of negative reviews on google, perhaps there would have been a more positive outcome. For a candid look into how this firm handles clients, look through their responses to google reviews. My review is honest, based on my experience and supported by emails, motions filed and their outcomes along with court transcripts.