Richard Laird

With egg on my face, I'm writing to warn people like me who know better than to hire an attorney with terrible reviews but did so anyway because it's so difficult to find anyone willing to take on small claims court cases. I had planned to represent myself (as plaintiff) but changed course after the ...defendant got away with defying a court order to attempt mediation. Within just a couple of weeks Mr. Laird was already off on the wrong foot, his responsiveness slipping as pledged discovery documents kept slipping further down his calendar -- then he stopped sharing his calendar altogether. By the end of his first monthly-fee billing cycle, he had produced only an appearance of service. I doubt he would have sent anything had it not been time to send the next month's invoice along with it. Indeed the trial had been postponed indefinitely, because of COVID, from later that second month, but I couldn't understand why discovery was slipping farther behind and made it clear I would not want a continuance once the trial was reset. I soon received drafts of two of the four proposed discovery documents, but then Mr. Laird fell silent, ignoring emails and texts I sent when the other two documents went MIA. I didn't hear from him for 2-1/2 months ... when the court sent him notice the trial was reset for 16 days away! I honestly thought he must have become a COVID victim! Mr. Laird claimed there was no way he'd be ready for trial, which incensed me because I made patently clear I wanted to avoid any further delays (the hearing on the mediation order was more than 7 months prior, and this was little old JP court), and we'd had an extra 3 months to prepare! I asked him whatever happened to the other discovery documents, and whether the defendant had ever responded. He seemed confused over my claim I'd never received the drafts or responses to my communication, and final copies (dated late April) he subsequently forwarded contained errors. He told me defendant had never responded to any discovery (allegedly sent certified mail) and admitted he attempted no other means of delivery or to compel response or even inform me. Wondering whether the docs were returned to sender without signature (and if so whether there was still opportunity to courier), I asked repeatedly for date/documentation of delivery but was ignored. The motion for sanctions (on the defied mediation order) Mr. Laird proposed was never filed, nor was I ever afforded an explanation. I waited a few more days for the proof of delivery, then emailed Mr. Laird that I had lost confidence he could adequately represent me. It was meant as a firing, and I didn't pay that month's invoice, nor did Mr. Laird ever respond or reach out to me ahead of trial. But lo and behold he shows up at trial, unprepared! Found it interesting he didn't bring up defendant's nonresponse to discovery at all, which raises my suspicions. Worst of all he didn't direct any rebuttal from me, which preserved defendant's perjured testimony as truth, and he essentially melted down on questioning me. I had prepared a detailed statement of my case, as unrepresented defendant was allowed to give, but never got to read it because Mr. Johnny Come Lately showed up and effectually torpedoed my claim. I plain flat was not kept properly informed nor did I receive adequate counsel, and my case died of neglect. He tried to explain away his lack of due diligence and responsiveness as a product of the pandemic ("I can't help COVID" -- reeallly?), but I was aware from his reviews that this behavior evidently predates it. I feel compelled to file a complaint with the State Bar.