Even the divorce judge said they failed me.
Close to 6 months ago when I decided to part ways with this firm, I tried my best to take the high road. After all, I was the guy who brought the office staff coffee and genuinely felt like I had a relationship with everybody in this office. Sometimes people part ways, which is OK, and I tried to han...dle this departure with grace. However, they have finally blown things up, threatened my personal and professional credibility, and now potential clients need to know about my experience.
This firm appears to be competent in divorce law, but in every other area of law, working with them was a nightmare. Their communication is awful, and this created extra billable hours and frustration because I had to chase them down and send multiple emails or calls anytime I wanted something done. I ultimately changed counsel because of these issues, only to have my case resolved promptly and fairly. The judge was very hostile to this firm, stating unambiguously that my divorce went on for so long because of the conduct of previous counsel. He told my wife and I that after a year we were still in the first inning, and that our previous counsel did us a complete disservice in the way they transacted their business. They did not even file my adultery case under adultery - they filed under irreconcilable differences, made excuses why they did it, and refiled the case properly AFTER I had already fired them.
Billing Practices? Although I requested a monthly itemized bill, these soon stopped. Months later, I received a bill for over $25,000 that consisted of estimates and guess work. I still do not have an itemized bill from them, because I was threatened that an itemized bill would ultimately be more expensive than their guess work. They are now threatening to sue me to collect on a bill they refused to itemize.
As far as professionalism, Lizz Kuhn told me that my ex wife’s attorney was to be taken lightly. She told me that he is a “coke-head,” that his ex wife was a “pill popper,” and that he wanted to come and work for her firm but they wouldn’t allow it because he had a history of having sexual relations with paralegals. She further gossiped that he went on to marry a woman from Asia who he likes to parade around and show off like a trophy, and the way that we would "win" my case is by she and her husband taking them to dinner. Clearly this never happened, and the entire discussion was a waste of billable hours. How professional is it to tell a client something like that?
As far as other areas of law, they have shown a complete lack of competence in every case myself or my company retained them on. The only two court cases I have ever won that they were involved in were files that I represented myself and hired them to collect the sizable judgments. Although I was billed to discuss these matters, no collection activity ever occurred. Any time opposing counsel stonewalled on discovery requests, Hait and Kuhn never sent a motion to compel, even though I insisted they do so. The other cases I used their services on involve breach of contract which they let fall by the wayside, a non-compete suit that they lost because they failed to furnish evidence that I requested they furnish, insurance bad faith litigation that they failed to send in the 60 day notice letters required by law, and finally a defamation suit that was a slam dunk but they lost and did not even appeal. I understand that no lawsuit is guaranteed, but when you don't even file a motion to compel discovery requests that they stonewall, are you even trying?
All in all, if you are looking for a cheap option to get through an uncontested divorce, they can write up the paperwork just fine. If you need a firm you can stake your future on? Keep browsing.
Elizabeth Kuhn
Replied last May 19, 2017
We are sorry you were not happy with the services we provided to you. I am glad that we came to the mutual understanding that you should seek counsel elsewhere. Often time, personalities can conflict, and we think it is best to part ways. Obviously, due to attorney client privilege, I cannot respond to your specific complaints. Again, we wish you the best of luck.