Ronda S. Colvin-Leary

I am very disappointed because after paying for a one-hour consultation in which Attorney Leary agreed to take my case, I sent the retainer money. Then I sent her the documents for the case - the same ones we went over in the one-hour consultation. She emailed me back and that result was that she cha...nged her mind about taking the case and gave a legal reason related to liability. I emailed her explaining why her legal conclusion was incorrect, and that if she was going to pull out of the case, she should not bill me additional hours, as the time to decide if she will take the case was during the initial paid consultation. She wrote back disagreeing, billed me 2.5 hours, and we parted ways. When I got the bill, it had an $18.75 charge listed as "Received check, emailed client." So she charged me to open the envelope with my check, deposit it, and tell me that she got it! I have worked with many lawyers and have never been charged before to open the envelope with my check - that is normal office overhead and their own expense. Perhaps these things would be more tolerable if her rates were lower. I now took my case to a very high-end lawyer who is worlds more confidence inspiring. He did not charge me at all for the consolation, understood the case, took the case, agreed that my previous lawyer was incorrect in her assessment of my case, and while I am paying more per hour, he is seemingly so much more skilled that I predict it will cost me much less in the end.