Martin James Coonen

Martin Coonen

I am sorry for this client. Hers was a post divorce matter, seeking unpaid support and maintenance on money earned by her ex husband beyond the base amount on which support and maintenance were based. I suggested that we use his tax returns and collect the amounts due. She insisted that her ex was hiding money, although his primary employment was as a professional working for a large institution. His income was directly reported on a W-2 and his tax return. His was not a cash business; he is a licensed professional. I reviewed the documents, tax returns and financials, and concluded there was nothing to gain by trying to find money that was not there to be found. She retained another lawyer who promised her he would seek out and find the "hidden money." After many thousands of dollars of fees to that lawyer, many months of discovery and litigation, and several days of trial, she and her lawyer decided to drop everything in the middle of trial. She got nothing, not even the additional money she should have collected, and I think would have collected if I had remained her lawyer. My cell number is on my business card, and I tell all clients that they should use it if ever they feel they have not received a timely response to a call to the office.