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4.8 /5.0

76 Client Reviews

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Showing 1 - 4 of 4 reviews | 1 star

Posted by LeslieS | January 04, 2021 | Hired Attorney

Left in the dark by this law firm

I never write negative reviews. However in this case I feel I need to speak up. I hired Mr.English because I truly believed him to be the best.My ex has dragged me through the court system since 2016.After no luck with more affordable attorneys I decided to ask Mr.English to take my case knowing it w...as going to place a larger financial burden on me.I was working as a travel nurse at the time&I knew I’d have to continue traveling to be able to barely afford him.Meanwhile,I was freely sending my kids&my ex money for support without orders from the court because those are my children and I felt I was doing the right thing,my ex wanted more,they always do.During the custody battle the pandemic began.I headed to New York to work 5-7 days a week,I’m an RN,so that delayed the hearings but I trusted everything would be fine while being a nurse traveling from NY to Miami not only serve those areas but to have the funds to keep up with my own bills and pay my attorney.I understand he’s busy but I had very limited access to him,I was told a few times he would contact me with no follow through.I have questions that weren’t answered or they were answered with legal jargon that I didn’t understand from his assistants.I also wasn’t aware my time speaking to the assistants was adding to my bill.I would ask them questions but be told to refer to my parenting plan.I don’t even know what my parenting plan is considering my ex lied&got temporary emergency custody(not once but twice&he’s a convicted felon)I’m not even sure if that’s still in effect as no one from this office would give me a straight forward answer.According to my ex he has soul legal custody.I’m completely in the dark.Also,I called this office and offered many times to make payments&was told “we can get it next time I’m not near a computer.”Then all a sudden I was sent messages stating I would be dropped if full payment wasn’t made&was told”it’s been a year you’ve not paid in full we’ve been lenient with you.”I paid in full& shortly after was dropped anyway.Before that,My ex began a child support case against me while the custody case was still ongoing.I thought child support went hand in hand with child custody.I was wrong.This law firm wanted another retainer because they considered this a separate case.They did offer me a discount but even with a discount the retainer was well over $3,000.Also I was being told I need to put money in escrow.I’m not a legal expert so I have no idea what escrow is or how much is required to be put in it.I had made the comment several times that the family law system needs an overhaul.The courts enable manipulative parents to drag good parents through the court system while financially and emotionally draining them.I don’t know if my voicing this had anything to do with why I was dropped.During all this,I found new info that my kid’s father was allowing them to engage in activities that could cause them harm.I sent proof to this office,requested emergency removal but was told Id have to pay another retainer.I don’t know exactly why I was dropped but I was blindsided.I refuse to hire another attorney as I feel like I cannot trust them.This has left me with huge debt,behind on my personal finances&still in the dark.The emotional and financial toll being a single mother,nurse working in the pandemic,the court cases that my ex insists on dragging out&being dropped by an attorney who said everything would be ok is overwhelming.There’s questions I would like to have answered in a respectful&understandable way.I’m not ignorant or uneducated I just need someone to explain to me what happened during this time of being represented by this firm.Where do I stand with the custody of my kids&what was the reason for my being dropped by this attorney who I paid an incredible amount of money to.I will say,Mr.English was never rude to me,was always respectful when I had opportunities to speak to him.I was told not to worry that everything would be ok.It’s not ok.

Sam English

Replied last January 04, 2021

Leslie. As oddly as it sounds, thank you for your review. It’s very disappointing to read this is how you feel but you know the attorney - client privilege prohibits me from sharing the entire set of facts. Nevertheless, I’m sorry you feel that way. I try to do my best with all my clients. I’m not claiming to be a perfect attorney or human and I truly hate you feel badly about me. There are more facts to the case but I am prohibited from discussing it or my perspective. What matters is how you feel about me regardless of the difference of opinion or perspective. It’s a bad set of facts and I do hate it for you. What you have experienced in your past with your family is very sad. I would be happy to discuss it with you and discuss the different perspectives of why I couldn’t continue in the case. Please call me and I will go over any unanswered questions you have in mind. I mean that sincerely too. I want the best for you and your children. I agree you have been badly mistreated by the father of your children. I’m very sorry for that as well. I wish I could of made a difference for your case and you had a different opinion of me. For that I’m sorry too. Kindest regards. Sam.

Posted by John | December 25, 2020

Never called me back

When I was going through my divorce, a friend recommended Sam English. I called his office. Never even got the courtesy of a return call.

Sam English

Replied last December 25, 2020

Dear John: I’m sorry you didn’t receive a call back or an opportunity to hire me. If I knew your last name, I could inquire with my staff about your call. December is a very exhausting time for divorce attorneys. We spend most of our days in litigation and little to no office time. It’s still no excuse to not get a call back. I have reviewed my calls from the date of this post and I do not see a “John”. I hope you got someone to represent you and you are confident with his or her experience. I do feel it’s unfair that you post a review without ever hiring me. Nevertheless, I am sorry you are frustrated that you weren’t given an opportunity to hire me. Please call my office next week and leave a message with Kandice my manager and I will gladly call you with an apology. If I knew you and your number, I would call you today even with it being Christmas Day. Again, I’m sorry your upset and disappointed. I hope your year in 2021 is better than 2020. Kindest regards.

Posted by Mark | October 19, 2018 | Hired Attorney

Poor Service - Didn’t Represent My Request

2003 I hired him for my divorce. I wanted full custody but would accept joint custody. Mr English did not support my request and gave me poor red presentation. Convinced me to accept a lesser agreement which has cost me over $140K since. A lot more to the story but very poor service. Thumbs Down

Sam English

Replied last October 19, 2018

Dear Sir: I’m very sorry you feel like you received poor advice from me 15 years ago and I let you down. I cannot determine the case with only your first name and year. I try my best in every case and give advice based on the facts of each case. I am most definitely not perfect and I am disappointed that you feel that I failed you. The law is tricky and totally dependent on your set of facts. It’s not unusal when people decide to settle the case and not go to trial that they in future feel the “what if I went to trial” perspective. I would like to talk to you about your experience above and your spending $140,000 since my representation on a custody case. It sounds like a very complex matter and those fees sound very high. I’m always looking to grow with past experiences and I would appreciate a call to my office to discuss it. I’m replying to this post as I’m on vacation with my family so I won’t be in the office until next week. I didn’t want to delay your being contacted. I will look for your call and respond to you as soon as possible. Again, my apologies for your feelings that I let you down and I look forward to your call.

Posted by David | January 12, 2017 | Hired Attorney

A lot of empty promises

Hired for a custody case for my daughter -$2500. He didn't even show up for the trial. He sent an intern who apparently had no information about the case before going into the judge. She stood out in the lobby apologizing to me for what had happened with the outcome. She left his practice soon after.... He told me that he was going to meet with me to disclose some information concerning my daughters case, that didn't happen either. Quit returning my phone calls, but didn't hesitate to cash the $2500 check. Maybe it was a bad time in his life; don't know, but he left men without any credible representation. Would never recommend him to anyone. Glad at least some people had a good experience with him. Still waiting on that meeting Sam.....

Sam English

Replied last January 12, 2017

Im sorry to hear about your experience with my law firm. I cannot determine the case by the narrative above or by "David.". I try my best to meet all my clients reasonable objectives in a case. However, some cases turn on the facts of the case. In years past, I had an associate attorney working with me but never a intern. The retainer fee you mentioned would place the case around 2010 or so. I would like to speak to you about your daughter's case but I need more information to identify the file. . I have never "no showed" a case unless it was a case specially assigned for the associate to handle. Please call me and lets have the meeting you are referring to above. I will pull the file and go over any unanswered questions. Im very sorry you feel like your daughters case was not given the attention it deserved. I will look forward to your call. Kindest regards. Sam English

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