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4.7 /5.0

64 Client Reviews

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Showing 61 - 64 of 64 reviews

Posted by anonymous | September 22, 2018 | Hired Attorney

Ineffective Representation

I hired Meredith Ziebold based on the reviews posted here and so I feel obligated to also post a review so that others do not make the same mistake. Although Ms. Ziebold answered most phone calls, sometimes it took several days for her to respond and in the end, I had to replace her because she coul...d not get any thing to move forward on the case. Because she did not appear in court on my family member’s behalf, things ended up being worse for my family member instead of better as one expects when one hires a lawyer, especially one with stellar reviews. Here are the details: I hired Ms. Ziebold to represent a family member who was incarcerated in another state and obviously unable to appear in the court where she was charged with crimes she did not commit. Meredith said she would be at court to let it be known why my family member was not there. She did not go and so when the family member was released in the other state, she had to wait 40 days in jail because she had a FTA in TN. We requested that Ms. Ziebold help us get her released, but after 30 days, nothing had changed. I finally ended up hiring another law firm because Ms. Ziebold was unable to help us. The other law firm was able to get the family member released within a week and all charges were dismissed.. This took about six weeks as compared to the six months we waited for Meredith to do something, and instead, she allowed matters to get worse. I do not doubt that Ms. Ziebold tried to work on this case, but she was unable to work in a way that had any results.

Meredith Mochel

Replied last September 22, 2018

This review is really tough to respond to. Of the three negatives reviews I’ve had my entire career, this one stands out because the disappointment is genuine, although the factual allegations are grossly inaccurate. Ethics prevents me from responding to specific allegations, but my firm always returns phone calls. I also work diligently to move cases along as quickly as can be moved towards a good outcome, always cognizant that clients in custody spend every day wanting to know when they will be free. I fear there was a communication problem in this case. Although all clients have my cell number to call when they have a question, I have instituted policies to myself check in more often to make sure that clients and their families understand where they are in the process, what our plan is, and what their options are at each stage. I am passionate about my defense practice and take very seriously the trust each client places in me.

Posted by anonymous | May 30, 2018 | Hired Attorney

I do not recommend

I hired Meredith for a DUI case, costing me $3500. I was arrested in June 2017, went to court at least 5-6 times before the case was pushed up to criminal court. Meredith did absolutely nothing for me in my case. She wanted me to even pay her MORE to represent me in the higher court but after paying ...her $3500 for absolutely nothing besides her standing there beside me in court. Didn’t happen. I’m still awaiting my sentence and $3500 broker. Beware. Yes she’s very professional but she doesn’t fight for you. Waste of money that I do not have. Now can’t afford another attorney and using public denfeder.

Meredith Mochel

Replied last May 30, 2018

I take client feedback very seriously. I have reached out to this individual client to offer a conversation about her concerns. I would not and cannot guarantee an outcome to any case, and would never suggest that I could in order to get a client in the door. I analyze each case for defenses and give my best advocacy on behalf of my clients. It would be a great day for defense attorneys if judges and prosecutors always agreed with us on why we think a particular case is deserving of a dismissal or reduction, lesser jail time, or other leniency we may propose. It is an adversarial system and I never lose sight that my clients have entrusted me to stand between them and the power of the government to prosecute and punish. I would offer more specific defenses to the allegations in this review, but to do so would be inappropriate. I hope this person will accept my sincere offer to discuss their feelings.

Posted by anonymous | February 26, 2015

DUI First Offense

She talked a BIG talk!! But when we went to court she was not prepared and had done NOTHING on my case....and just advised me to plea. All the big talk about there being no cause for an arrest with NO sobriety field test done by the officer... just all talk. She didn't even review the tape of the... officer harassing me. I was told it would be reduced to misconduct on not show at all on a driving record. However, I found out when my employer did my yearly driving record pull that it is showing as DUI despite what I was told and despite the $3000.00 she was paid and the $2000.00 in court fines I was charged. All talk, no backbone for her client, no responsiveness to treating this case with seriousness, and did not keep me informed. I didn't even know she hadn't reviewed the video or done anything on my case until she advised me of this the DAY OF COURT! And she didn't respond to my email or VM msg about my possible job loss because of recent pull of background. DO NOT use her firm.

Meredith Mochel

Replied last February 26, 2015

I normally do not respond to reviews, positive or negative, but this one and the excellent outcome bears explanation. This review appears to be from a client unhappy with what was an excellent result given all of the facts, both the facts as she had presented them and what facts I later learned through my investigation of the case. She was charged with a DUI and had accused the officer of impropriety solely on the basis of being a male officer pulling over a female at nighttime, prompting the officer to call for back up. The client also complained of inappropriate remarks about her appearance that other attorneys had made during consults with them about possible representation. I was sympathetic to her claims and even charged her a reduced fee. I never guaranteed any outcome as it is unethical to do so. The client claimed that she had consumed one drink but that a roadside breathalyzer showed a blood alcohol content of .09, an amount over the limit and inconsistent with just one drink. More importantly, the evidence later revealed that her roadside test was actually much higher, it was .17. Despite the evidence against her, I was able to secure an offer to plead to "reckless conduct", a minor offense unrelated to driving, and also persuaded the prosecuting attorney to reduce the fine by $1000.00. I did not “tell” the client to plead to reckless conduct but presented her the plea, reviewed the evidence with her, and offered to reset the case so that she could consider her options. The evidence we reviewed was everything that was available at that stage of the case. The client said that she understood this and did not want to continue her case or take it to a higher court and risk losing the excellent offer. After much discussion with her and her significant other whom she had brought to court, she entered the plea to the significantly amended charge. That court date was the last I have heard from that client. Communication with my clients is important to me and that is why I give clients my cell phone number. Had this former client called as she claims, I would have provided her with documentation showing the DUI was reduced to a non-driving offense. Unfortunately, some people expect that their DUI arrest can be "wiped away" from their driving record as if it never existed. Frankly, had the client just waited, her driving record will reflect that the DUI charge was amended to a minor, non-driving offense THAT CARRIES NO POINTS ON HER LICENSE!. This client was saved from certain jail, hefty fines, loss of drivers' license, AND a DUI conviction. DUIs are incredibly hard to beat and almost impossible when the client registers a .17 and is clearly guilty. Her case was an amazing success, whether she recognizes it or not.

Posted by anonymous | December 18, 2014

Worst lawyer I could have gotten and not cheap either

I would never recommend this lawyer to anyone very unorganized and waited to last minute to try and get ready and not sure she even had my information correct I paid her $3500 and got $35 worth of help

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