Joshua J Martell

I hired Mr. Martell on 8/1/24 for what should’ve been an uncontested divorce and paid a $3,500 retainer. He never filed my case, yet the full retainer was depleted in just six weeks. The only paperwork he completed was an MSA and a parenting plan that I asked him to copy and paste from my boyfriend’s... prior case. I emailed Mr. Martell on 9/10/24 to politely raise concerns about being billed for redundant emails and his failure to enforce a deadline we set for my ex. I was respectful and even reiterated my confidence in him. In response, Mr. Martell abruptly fired me as a client and called me a “red flag.” His final ledger showed the full $3,500 was used, despite minimal communication and limited work. I considered disputing the charges but was grieving my father’s recent death and couldn’t handle more stress. I hired a new attorney who reviewed the work done and was shocked—estimating the value at closer to $1,500–$2,000. I later met another former client with a nearly identical experience. Mr. Martell's pattern of firing clients for expressing concerns is deeply troubling. I plan to file a formal complaint with the Florida Bar.