Nile Bailey Copeland

I would not recommend Nile Bailey Copeland to represent anyone as legal counsel. We were childhood friends and recently connected via Facebook and attended a Rotary Meeting together. I reached out to him for advice on my pending divorce initiated by my now ex-wife, asking him for advice on who would ...be a great divorce attorney. He recommended himself because he was a past judge and knew people that could help with the process. I was impressed with the fact that he was a past judge and thought he would be a good choice. He managed to schedule a mediation meeting with another former judge that was married to one of his judge friends. During the mediation process Mr. Copeland seemed to do more negotiating against me then actually fighting for my side of the settlement. At one point during the process he was recommending a personal friend to refinance my home. I thought this was a conflict of interest at the time but I did not say anything because no one wants to upset the person that is legally representing you. I did sign the mediation document but felt it was my only recourse to settle the divorce. While waiting for the Final Divorce Decree to be submitted for my signature I noticed that the decree did not match the Mediation Document. I asked Mr. Copeland on several occasions if he and the other lawyer could make both documents match he said he would review the documents and contact the other lawyer. I waited patiently for him to work on getting the documents completed but I never received a response. After a month a friend checked online and found out that my case goes to court next week. I contacted Mr. Copland and he was unaware. I also informed him that the Final Divorce Decree still did not match the Mediation Settlement Agreement. He said that again he will contact the opposing counsel and get it corrected. The court hearing was for the judge to enforce the Mediation Settlement Agreement but I thought I still had to sign the Final Divorce Decree before the divorce would be final. A month later I received a text from my ex-wife saying the divorce was finalized 30 days ago and she wanted her money. I again contacted Mr. Copeland to find out the details and he looked up the case and confirmed what my ex had stated. I asked to see the Final Decree which he had to look up and send to me. I again pointed out that the Final Decree and the Mediation Agreement do not match. He said he would reach out to the other lawyer and see what the issue was, but in the meantime he "no longer represents me", because it was a stipulation in the final decree signed by the judge. I then asked Mr. Copeland to send me my final bill and hopefully I would receive some of my retainer back to help offset some of the divorce expenses. He said he would take care of it that week. I waited a week and asked again and he said he would send an email. It has been over a month and I still have not received a bill or a refund. In my honest opinion I the Nile Copeland over promised and under delivered in my divorce case. He got in over his head and was to proud to admit he wasn’t equipped to handle a divorce. He did a poor job of representing me as his client and didn’t have the resources to monitor court information or keep me updated on the progress of my case. Not sure how he does with other clients and I am not sure he has a client base in reviewing his online profiles. I am worried if he is elected as a Judge in Harris County again.