Terris Caton Harris

A coworker recommended that I contact Terris Harris of Sweet and Associates. I had been in an accident. During the initial consultation, Terris Harris seemed so professional and concerned about my legal matter. After I provided the firm with all the necessary records to review my case, my perception ...of Terris Harris began to change. Months went by before I ever heard from anyone in the firm. I would periodically call to get an update, and my calls were never returned by Terris Harris. He did not respond to emails. There was a complete lack of communication on his behalf, and I began to feel discouraged and disrespected. When people are faced with a legal matter and they don't work in the legal field, it is an overwhelming process. I thought that I had gone to a lawyer who actually cared about me and my case, but I was wrong. I am still recovering physically from the accident, and the emotional pain I have from being betrayed has caused me to seek counseling. He dragged his feet on my matter, and my statute of limitations was almost up before he filed an action. My case is still pending. The way Terris Harris treated me makes me want to give up. Clients are necessary for a lawyer to have a job. My advice to Terris Harris is to be genuine and honest with all of your clients and prospective clients. If you really don't want to help them, then please let them know in a timely manner so that they can seek another lawyer before their statute of limitations runs out.

Mr. Harris represented our family last year. Although we hired Dennis Sweet, the file was handed to him to handle. He explained the process, and gave us his personal cell phone number to contact him if there were any questions. He was always responsive with us. We understood that he could not ...always answer the telephone, but he always returned our call or had someone to return our calls within 24 hours. This man went above and beyond for us, and we receive amazing results when other lawyers told us we did not have a case.

Please know that I am not trying to bash this lawyer but I feel that I would be doing an injustice to clients or potential clients who have legal matters if I did not share my horrific experience with this lawyer and the firm he is employed by. In 2013, I hired this lawyer to represent me in a wrongf...ul death case after I lost my brother unexpectedly and in a tragic way. Keeping the client informed is not a priority for Terris Harris. I always had to constantly call the office to try and get an update on what was going on with my late brother's case. Mr. Harris would never return my phone calls or emails in a timely manner. Sometimes, it took 6 to 8 weeks for him to reply to my emails. As a matter of fact, there were many of my emails that he never replied to. The entire experience was a nightmare, and I was still grieving over losing my brother. Mr. Harris filed the lawsuit in time before the limits were up. However, he tried to reach settlements and did so underhandedly without my written consent and did not inform me that he was meeting with the defendants. Anything that concerns the fair representation of my late brother should be brought to my attention. Nothing should have been done without discussing it with me and getting my written consent because this is a legal matter. It was very disheartening to be treated so poorly by this lawyer. Although I did get a decent settlement, the settlement was not worth the pain, sleepless nights, frustration, and many shedded tears that I had while going through the litigation process. I would never recommend his services to anyone who wants to be treated fairly. Customer service is essential to any profession, but it is extremely essential when it pertains to the legal profession. Again, I'm not trying to berate this lawyer but it would be wrong for me not to tell the truth about my experience.

I hired this lawyer to represent me in January 2012. I was referred to this lawyer's services by a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. I deeply regret that my sorority sister referred me to this lawyer. He was very unprofessional and unresponsive during the entire legal process of my ...personal injury case. The entire process was so frustrating because of the lack of communication and unprofessional behavior displayed by Mr. Harris. I began to experience reservations about him handling my legal matter after the initial consultation. Despite that feeling, I rolled with it because my sorority sister spoke of his reputation for winning cases. After Mr. Harris had served the notice of claim to the defendant, I began to have even more reservation about him representing me. Nonetheless, I did not seek counsel from another lawyer or firm because I didn't feel like starting the whole process over again. About 8 months after the actual lawsuit was filed, the defendants agreed to settle out of court. I received a substantial settlement, but it wasn't just about receiving a settlement. It was more important that I be treated like my case mattered and that my feelings mattered. However, I was treated as though if I were just another number to help him make a check. Many minorities in business have great skills and abilities but most of them lack customer service skills, and that is what hurts their business, employer's business, and reputation (This statement is not meant to sound racially biased because I am Black). Please note that my review is unbiased but truthful of my experience. A lawyer can have a reputation for winning all of his cases, but if he doesn't put the client's feelings and best interests first through by using a customer service attitude, then his business will not thrive for long.