Ian Duncan Smith

I strongly recommend thinking twice before hiring Ian Smith. My experience with him was unacceptable, and I believe prospective clients deserve to know what happened. I hired Ian for a serious child-support matter, paid him a substantial amount of money, and promptly provided everything he request...ed. What followed was a consistent pattern of extremely poor communication, delays, and a lack of follow-through. Ian prepared a Motion to Set Aside and supporting Memorandum, but there were significant delays in getting them filed despite the urgency of my situation. During this period, more than $10,000 was frozen from my bank account, and I could barely get a response from my own attorney. I ultimately had to contact the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare myself and resolve the immediate garnishment issue. Communication became so difficult that I physically went to Ian’s office trying to locate him. During one visit, another person arrived visibly distressed and also trying to figure out where he was. I also spoke with other local attorneys who described communication difficulties with Ian that were consistent with what I was experiencing. After my Motion to Set Aside was finally filed, a hearing was scheduled. Ian never told me the hearing date. Because he was my attorney of record, the notice went to him rather than directly to me. I eventually called the court myself and discovered when my own hearing was scheduled. Then, rather than addressing these communication failures, Ian informed me that he intended to withdraw because he apparently couldn’t provide the “level of attention” I required. To be clear, the “attention” I required was having my attorney respond to important communications, tell me when documents were filed, tell me when my hearing was scheduled, and communicate during an emergency involving more than $10,000 being frozen. That is not excessive attention. That is basic representation. I didn’t hire an attorney so I could chase him down, contact government agencies myself, call the court myself, physically visit his office looking for him, and ultimately search for replacement counsel while my case remained active. If an attorney does not have the capacity to communicate with clients and properly manage the cases he accepts, in my opinion he should not continue accepting those cases. I cannot recommend Ian Smith. My experience left me scrambling to protect myself in a serious legal matter after I had specifically hired and paid an attorney so that I wouldn’t have to navigate it alone.