When it comes to lawyers in El Paso, Ruben Ortiz is probably the best choice. Don't think he is best in the business though. I say best because he is the best out of all the horrible choices you find on Rio Grande St.
Allow me to explain my review though. Ruben Ortiz is a smart lawyer. Smart in t...he way of cunning. Here is what happened when I hired him:
He told me that my criminal defense would cost $900. I thought, "Great, all the other lawyers were charging me $1700." So what does $900 get me? He shows up pushes the dates. While he is doing this I am attending school out of town. Then one day his paralegal calls and says I have to be in court this time. I thought, "Finally it will be dismissed and I will get on with my life."
I say dismissed because my case was an open and shut case. Easy win for any start up lawyer. I had hired him because I couldn't be paying $400 for a round trip ticket.
So, I show up to court and he is there. He goes through the whole process and at the end all he did was to push the date again. That really ticked me off. I don't understand why I had to show up. They didn't need me at all. All I did was just sit there and listen. But I was told I had to be there or else.
Before I go further let me add that my brother is a detective and he read my case. He said that my case will be easily dismissed and he didn't see me being convicted. I was charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor but the cops used me as an escape goat. I never did that. I just happened to be at the party and I was the ones talking to the cops. In the end I was somehow the owner of the apartment because the real owner had ran away when they showed up.
So the whole time I am thinking, "He is just stalling them and tiring the system until they give up." I was called again by the paralegal saying that I have to show up again or else. I'm thinking this is it. So I show up to court and he isn't there. Its 5 minutes before the set time and some girl shows up giving me A paper and saying that Mr. Ortiz is on another case. I was told she would come back. She never did. I get that he has other clients but wouldn't he schedule around that? I am paying him to represent me. The judge calls my name and I am freaking out. So I go out looking for this guy. To make this story short, Mr. Ortiz never showed up and I got thrown in jail. The judge was pissed at me for not saying that I was here. I have never been in court so I was clueless.
Skip a few weeks and I get an unexpected call. Mr. Ortiz is taking it to trial. I thought we were already in trial but I don't know how the system works. This "going to trial" will cost me an additional $1500. So did I have a choice? Going to school 600 miles away and not knowing where they are in the proceedings, obviously I had my back against the wall. I had to pay.
So the trail is set. I'm thinking, "This is going to involve pushing the dates more." Again I show up to court. I already paid the extra $1500. A college student can't afford that. So I am hoping this is put to rest soon. It has been 1 1/2 years already and I am tired. So I am waiting in the hall expecting to go up to the bench. Then this guy comes out and says that it is done. It's all over.
So here is why I think he is a slimy cunning little man. First off, he never needed me to show up. He could have saved me more than $1200. I feel that he pushed the dates and took it to trial to get some extra money from me. Once I gave him the $1500 and had the first court day after it was immediately dismissed. I didn't even have to be there for that last one! If he was able to easily dismiss it without my presence - mind you I was in the hall waiting - why did he have to take it to "trial" and why did I have to show up? A simple phone call would have sufficed.
He is a smart lawyer like the smart bankers that are ruining this economy.