William Franklin McCullah

I wouldn't hire Mr. McCullah to mow my lawn, much less represent me in any legal matters - unless I got off on being treated like garbage. Which I DON'T. I spent the ugliest 6-7 minutes of my life standing at the reception window in this attorney's law office a few days ago. I'd popped in knowing ...nothing about Mr. McCullah simply because I was walking by after an appointment down the street. I have an unusual - though not serious - situation which would be more easily resolved if I had an attorney. Also, it's not that urgent. I'm just making initial inquiries into lawyers right now. And that's the spirit in which I entered Mr. McCullah's lion's den. The older, grandmotherly lady at the reception window was very sweet. Everything you'd want; welcoming, warm, helpful. She makes a great first impression. We'd been speaking for about 3 minutes, when McCullah came around the wall from (obviously) his office. The receptionist introduced me and everything went wrong in about 15 seconds. Mr. McCullah is a good-looking man - older, with an impressive shock of white hair & mustache, dressed as one might expect from a small-town lawyer. Nothing off-putting until he looks at you and opens his mouth. He asked, I began to describe my situation. He interuppted before 5 words in - and not in a curious way. Then he did it again. And again. And again. And again. He wasn't seeking more info or clarification and most certainly didn't bother cushioning his rudeness with empathy or humor. He was questioning me like he was a prosecutor and I was a criminal (btw, my situation is CIVIL, not criminal!) He came right up to the line of openly scoffing at me. By that time, he'd literally kicked back in a chair & was addressing me from a semi-reclined position. His entire demeanor - from voice intonation to facial expressions to body language - radiated sheer contempt. By then my heart was pounding, there was a lump in my throat, and my face was red. I think I was in a mild state of shock, to be frank! Finally, Mr. McCullah said something with such sarcasm & utter disdain that I actually heard a little *click* in my head. Enough. ENOUGH. Without really thinking, I turned my head back to the receptionist. I thanked her, told her that she was a very nice lady, and that I was sorry this wasn't going to work. Another woman had entered a minute or two prior, so she caught the tale end of what occurred. I left without a backward glance a Mr. McCullah. Being a typical woman, I've gone over those few minutes trying to figure out what I did to cause such treatment by Mr. McCullah. I was well-dressed. I'm bright, articulate, & relatively attractive for 53. I usually make a very good first impression. Upon honest reflection, I really don't know how I could have triggered Mr. McCullah's ugly side. I don't know if that's how he treats everyone - if he did, however, he wouldn't have ANY clients. Just a bad day? Maybe I wasn't an important enough personage for him? Did I remind him of someone he intensely dislikes? Who the hell knows? All I know for certain is that my (thankfully) brief encounter with Mr. McCullah was humiliating. He needn't worry that I'll ever darken his doorway again. There are hundreds of attorneys in this area to choose from. NO ONE deserves to be treated in such an ugly, shabby manner. In other words, don't even risk it with this guy - unless you're a sado-masochist. There are decent lawyers out there who know their business and will treat you with the respect you deserve. William McCullah is NOT one of them. Do yourself a favor and pass him by. Don't look back.