William S. Hommel Jr.

My company violated their own policies to terminate me. I had 22 pages of written documentation and testimony of co-workers and immediate supervisors detailing the discrimination I'd been subject to for 2 years. I consulted with another local attorney that had a conflict of interest, but reviewed my ...case and said it should be a slam dunk. I signed contingency contract and sent Hommel Law Firm a 22-page document detailing all claims, including notations for which claims I had documentation for. My issues with this firm began immediately, beginning with the EEOC complaint submission—I asked to see the complaint before it was filed, and good thing I did. HLF was sending the entire 22 page document I prepared, without revision or redaction, including the notations of which allegations I didn't have documentation for. That was the moment I knew I'd made a huge mistake. Discovery questions? Fired off to me in an email and then forwarded to the defendant verbatim. No advice from my attorney. No revision or redaction after I answered candidly and without legal expertise. Updates? I was begging every three months for an update. Ironically, Natshea (Bill's assistant) had "just heard something" most of the times that I checked in. Eventually, my former employer started asking to settle. I asked Bill to hold out because I wanted to take it to court. I didn't want the money. Bill pressured me pretty hard to settle, but I reminded him that I'd said from the beginning that I wanted to see this through and make the individuals answer for the discrimination. After several weeks of my refusing to settle, Bill told me that he would not be moving forward with my case. That was when I realized that he never intended on taking my case to court, despite knowing that was what I wanted when he took my case. I took the original settlement offer because that was my only option. Even though I told Bill that the settlement offer was WAY LESS than my employer had paid other plaintiffs with WAY LESS evidence. I felt it was obvious that they wouldn't lead with an offer max what they're prepared to pay. But no, Bill refused to negotiate. And then when all was said and done, the total settlement payout was somehow 5% LESS than the counterparty originally offered! In any case, maybe you're like me and you want that moment where the people who wronged you have to look at a courtroom and explain the horrible things they did. Or maybe you want as much money as possible to pay for the damage that was done for you. Either way, keep looking and don't settle until you've found an attorney who will help you seek justice, not a quick-and-easy payout. As an aside, if you're reading this review, you likely have been through a traumatic personal setback— keep your head up and stay away from people and entities that wish to prey on your vulnerability. Reinvent yourself, go to grad school, keep driving for something better. Someday, you'll look back and be glad for the storms that made you stronger.