Jonathan Baxter Lafrance

I retained Lafrance on June 16, 2021, and I had such an awful experience with this man. He never wanted to actually do any type of work to settle my divorce but just continued to deduct money from the $6,000 retainer. He was wasting time and meanwhile continued to deduct more money from the $6,000 b...ased on the emails that I was sending him, asking if he had read anything with the 2 months that I had given him. In order to be updated with my divorce case. He needed to take over where my first attorney had left off but his intentions were never to do any actual paperwork. He would respond to few of me and I asked him if he doesn't respond to emails much? Then he said..."we can go through each and every one of your emails to me, so,, that you feel thoroughly satisfied that you are being be heard". I was in SHOCK!! Because I did not pay him $6,000 just for him to tell that he just wanted to listen to me. I wanted him to do some actual paperwork such as spousal support proposal and legal fees but he never did anything like that. He was deducting more more money from the $6,000 retainer and then I told him that the Board of Attorneys of California clearly says that if a client has an objections regarding the bill, to speak to the attorney about it and try to resolve it but when I told him this. This is when he Kick Me to the Curb and told me to find myself another attorney. Then he said..."you should find yourself another attorney because you and I are not a good fit". I said...that's fine, I just want you to return all my original divorce documents as soon as possible so that I can find another attorney to take over bit I would like for you to return my $6,000 retainer because you didn't do any actual paperwork for my divorce. Then, he wouldn't respond for days after I kept sending him emails. Then later on August 31, 2021, I wrote a complaint against him with the Board of Attorneys because he refuses to return all my original divorce documents. Which he said..."you are not at any disadvantage because you told me that these were copies and you also said that you 2 flash drive". I told him that it doesn't matter whether I have 2 flash drives or not. Because I paid $4,148, to my previous attorney to print them out for me. When I called him on August 31, 2021, I told him that I would like to stop by his office the next day to sign the Credit Card Authorization-Refund and pick up my divorce documents. This is when began to scream at me over the telephone and said..."I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU HERE IN MY OFFICE" "I JUST WANT TO SIGN THE SUBSTITUTION OF ATTORNEY AND CREDIT CARD AUTHORIZATION-REFUND RIGHT NOW TODAY ". I was trying to talk but he would continue to raise his voice at me and which is something that I never had experience with an attorney, except my soon to be ex-husband who would verbally and physically abused for 35 years. I told him that the Substitution of Attorney already had my signature because he made sure that this paper was signed on the very day that I retained him. Which I didn't make anything of it. I thought that this was something that maybe some attorneys do? Because my first attorney never did it when I first hired her. I asked him...can I record our conversations because I don't want the same thing to happen again. Because my first attorney would things over the telephone and on her emails would be something very different. Then, he said..."No, I don't authorize the recording of Attorney-client telephone calls". I should of FIRED this attorney because all he has done is harass me til the present day. I even had to file a small claims against him, which it will take place in November 4, 2021. Everyone speaks very well of this man but he is not honest but he is deceitful. Especially when I told him that I was verbally and physically abused by my soon to be ex-husband. I truly believe that he is on my soon to be ex-husband side and this is why he did not want to do any paperwork to end my divorce

I had previously been a client of this attorney for years. My case was not handled professionally AT ALL. Attorney/client privilege was never respected. Acts like he's doing you a bunch of favors yet, in reality won't do a thing for you except charge you through the roof and give you the run around. ...He is very shady and conniving. If you care enough about yourself, your case, your family or your children, than steer clear from this attorney and choose someone more respectable and competent to handle your case and hopefully with more professionalism.