William Joseph Turner

Retained in concert with my sister in law to represent my brother. Initial retainer quote was 5k, which swelled to 6.5k in one week. The only thing this “lawyer” did was enter an order of appearance. He alleged he filed a motion for a bond hearing, he didn’t. No such filing exists. My brother sat ...in jail til the state failed to deliver an indictment within 90 days. He knew under the law my brother would be afforded bond in 90 days and so he pretended to work the case after collecting money from both me and my sister in law for his retainer. Obviously my sister in law struggled with finances with her husband in jail. Mr. Turner was instructed to contact me if a monthly payment was missed, at which time I might step in the make the payment. Apparently payments were missed and I was never contacted. Mr. Turners excuse for not working the case was a “lack of payment” that could have been resolved with a phone call. Mr. Turner, one month after my brothers release on bond, tried to convince him to take a plea deal after charging a trial level retainer. How an attorney goes from ready for trial to advising a plea agreement is beyond me. Further, Mr Turner alleged he had information regarding the other party to the case; it turns out this was impossible because MR TURNER NEVER FILED FOR DISCOVERY. Way to drop the ball Turner. Mr. Turner fails to return calls and emails and does not keep abreast of events in his clients cases. An indictment was handed down in October. Mr. Turner didn’t inform my brother that he had indeed been indicted, did not afford him notice of required court appearances and thus, my brother was handed a bench warrant for failure to appear. His attorney dropped the ball. If Mr. Turner had informed myself or my brother of the indictment, surrender would have been arranged and my brother could have stayed out on bond pending trial. Instead, due to Mr. Turners multiple failings, my brother was rearrested MONTHS later - a complete surprise - in front of his children. Further, he is now being denied bond, having been labeled a flight risk for failure to appear on a hearing he had NO NOTICE OF. In brief, we paid a couple thousand dollars for an entry of appearance (approximately .5 billable hours) and one jail visit (approximately 1 billable hour if you’re feeling generous). This attorney ceased ALL communication within 60 days of receiving the initial payment and having not even worked enough billable hours to consume that payment. I have multiple emails and attempted phone calls with no response. Attorney does not send a monthly statement of billable hours. Didn’t even file a withdrawal; new attorney had to file substitution of counsel. Client dumping is an ethics violation and if my money is not refunded, formal complaints with the State Bar as well as the ethics board will be forthcoming.

Joey Turner is ABSOLUTLY the best Attorney you could hire….. I have never been in any legal trouble before let alone, having criminal charges pending against me. I was scared and unsure of what to do. I received a notice through the mail on a Friday afternoon that I had pre-warrant court on Mon...day. I felt very hopeless in this situation with having such late notice. I started calling attorneys in a panic and leaving messages. The few that returned my call were decent they stated they could help and the cost pretty cut and dry. At 6:30, I received a call back from Attorney Joey Turner himself, not a secretary or legal assistant. I explained my situation and the craziness of it. The first words I received from him were, “You’ll be okay. I can help you and it’s not that horrible.” Unlike like the other attorneys, the financial end was not mentioned until I asked. He was more concerned about information on my case. We arranged to meet that following Monday morning to talk about the case and what I could expect. During the discussion, there was an ease that came over me when I realized Attorney Turner was extremely knowledgeable, professional, and very strong with determination on winning. At the same time he was able to calm me down with reassurance. Attorney Turner was of course hired!!! He immediately went to arrange a continuance, and I didn’t even have to even make an appearance that day much to my relief. Prior to court, Attorney Turner communicated often with me. He would always return my calls, even in the evening and weekends. ALWAYS no matter what the question was he answered putting me at complete ease. 3 weeks latter was my hearing, I felt prepared and confident thanks to my Attorney. Needless to say not only did he get the charges dismissed he had excellent courtroom demeanor. I walked out of there with my head held high and smiles all the way, feeling like a winner, because of Attorney Joey Turner. He went above and beyond his job. I will forever be grateful and indebted to Attorney Turner. In my opinion, he is Savannah’s Best and Only Criminal Attorney…….