Michael Dittrich Shook

This man was recommended to me from a friend who said her mother used to work in the same building as him. I can understand this because there are like 5-7 lawyers running out of the same building. I was very hopeful in my child custody case seing as how I was already divorced and the stipulation w...as laid out in TX. I was coming home from the military. Maybe he saw that as his payday I dont know but the man did ABSOLUTELY nothing for me besides filing the already drawn up divorce decree in California which I could have done myself for 60 bucks. Everytime he came to court (twice) he seemed disheveled and had no idea about my case. He was litterally reading up on my case while the judge was talking to other cases in front of me. And I don't mean refreshing his memory I mean he would ask me things like she did what? or why is this this way? Like he had no idea what he was doing and just getting this information for the first time. I initially paid him 2500 dollars and agreed to pay him 500 per month more until the 6000 dollar total was met. Apparetnly I was gettting a military discount. After the initial meeting/payment I never recieved a phone call or anything from him or his office despite me phoning him about a half a dozen times in 2 months and even showing up in his office unannounced to have his secretary tell me that he wasnt in. Get this. I literally saw him run into his office when he saw me!! And of course I could hear things going on back there. He wasnt in. WTF. I should have bolted then but my court date was that week. He calls me at 7pm the night before 830 court and asks if I know we have court tomorrow? WOW. We went throught the first round in court and I stuck by him because everything was falling in place. I guess any lawyer could have done it I just needed someone one to set up visitation (which was already stipulated) and get the ball rolling having been out of the country for so long (4 years). That was the initial court date. The second court date was set 2 months after that. Leaving the court building he has the nerve to hit me up for parking money meters stating he didn't have any change which I just thought was low class move. Anyway new court date in 2 months. I call, weekly, and keep getting blown off and I sent a payment in. Finally I decided to not send a payment in because I wasnt gettting any feedback and maybe that might actually get him to do something about it. The night before court again I get a call from his office this time telling me that Mr Shook is dropping me as a client for failure to pay. The night before I was supposed to show up to court from one missed payment deliberately done because my questions fell on deaf ears. No explination, no calls about the payment, nothing until the day before my case he drops me. THE MAN TOOK 4000 dollars from a Veteran!!!! As for my money I sat down with Mr Shook after showing up again uninvited only this time he couldnt run and hide. He waved all this paperwork in my face as proof he did something. Of the 56 pages in the document he was waving (and screaming at me literally) 3 were his work. The other 53 was the divorce decree from Texas me and my ex wife already had from 2009. His 3 additions? The request to transfer documents from TX to CA that was 2 pages and one page notifiying my intentions to persue legal action or somehting like that I dont understand legal stuff sorry. Thats it. 4 Grand for 2 documents.

I only gave 1 star since it wont ley me choose 0. My family hired Mr. Shook a little over 2 years ago after we were in need of a Criminal Defense attorney for my brother. Mr. Shook informed my brother's wife and my parents that he had dealt with the type of criminal case we needed an attorney for and... was experienced. That was a lie. Mr. Shook was my brothers attorney when he was being charged for murder. It took over 1 year before the case went to trial. From the first meeting that my family had with Mr. SHOOK he was informed that my brother (the client) had been drinking all night on New Years Eve to the point that he had blacked out. Mr. Shook ignored us and never reviewed his medical records. In fact throughout the whole time he only visited with my brother in jail no more than twice. He would only see my brother during his hearings. He did no discovery work of his own a d relied on the discovery work that the prosecution team had. He never interviewed any witnesses. Mr. Shook claimed he would hire a state crime scene investigator. He never did. Through out the whole time he continued to ignore us telling him that my brother was intoxicated and not a regular drinker. Instead of subpoening my brothers medical records from the hospital to obtain any evidence of his blood alcohol levels he had my sister in law his wife running around doing it her self. He also told her to go to downtown LA to obtain. A copy of the paramedic report. That is his job as his attorney. That's why he was being paid for. He did nothing. After my brother was convicted for 1st degree murder because Mr. SHOOK defense was mistaken identity even though they had an eye witness. He failed to hire an expert to review my brothers hospital medical records. If he had done so they would have discover that his blood alcohol level was 3x the legal limit and also under the influence of drugs to the point that my brother blacked out and had no recollection of that mornings events. Therefore making this an involuntary manslaughter case not a murder case. So instead of my brother serving 8 to 20 years he's serving 50 years to life for first degree murder. Due to this we don't believe he worked more that 6 hours on my brothers trial through the 2 years and was not prepared to go to trial. Mr. Shook was so upset that we had decided to fire him and obtain an experienced attorney the day of the sentencing that we said my brother was a liar. If henreally believed that why would he even take my parents money and pocket it and accept to represent my brother??..Now we are working with a true criminal defense attorney that is handling my brothers appeal. Mr shook is now working with the prosecutor to have my brother appeal denied and giving false Information stating that we never informed him that my brother was intoxicated...Mr. Shook did not care about representing my brother all he wanted was to get paid and as soon as he did his job was done and he did nothing after that. I hope this review helps anyone out their and decide to go to a true criminal defense attorney instead of Mr. SHOOK. If you decide to hire him...well good luck.