Robert Prentiss Ottilie

Robert Prentiss Ottilie Law Office of Robert P Ottilie 444 W C St Ste 320 San Diego, CA 92101-3597 I called this attorney’s office to inquire about potential representation for a client. There was no receptionist or greeting — just an automated message saying, “Enter the extension you are diali...ng.” After a moment of silence, I said “hello,” and a man finally responded, also saying “hello.” When I introduced myself and explained I was calling to see if he might be interested in representing us, he abruptly said, “I don’t know who you are,” and then began lecturing me in an unnecessarily rude tone about how to start a call. I’ve worked in celebrity management for 18 years and have spoken with hundreds of professionals — I was polite, professional, and taken aback by how discourteous he was. He raised his voice, saying “JUST DON’T,” and hung up on me. It was a truly strange and unprofessional interaction. Based on this experience, I would not recommend this attorney.

I didn't even start looking for a lawyer until it had become impossible to trust or reason with our general contractor anymore. A friend highly recommended Bob, and he was the first lawyer we called. Within 36 hours he had our project back on track. He shepherded things along for many more months un...til the contract was irrevocably violated by the other party. Bob continued to represent us in mediation, in arbitration, and in the end sat us down and explained why our lawsuit would very likely win in Superior Court, but it would be a pyrrhic victory for us, and not in our best interest to pursue. As it turned out, he was right. In fact, we later realized he had been right at every point in the process, not just concerning legal matters but also negotiation strategy and foreseeing challenges before they arose. Because Bob was willing to explain not just the immediate issues but also the broader context for them, and the processes that govern them, we learned a great deal about contract law and how the legal system works. And he also was a great moral support and encouragement and calming influence for us, especially my wife, who at one point felt so hurt, angry, and indignant, it affected her physical health. Bob's ability to "talk her down" and give us both a clearer calmer perspective was hugely helpful. Not something they teach in law school, I imagine. And through it all, I must say, his billing practices were very reasonable. His fee is high (or it seems so to me), but he coached us on how we could take a large part of the "grunt work" on ourselves, then submit it to him for approval. I had to re-do one particular project three times before it met his standards, but it saved me a lot of money to do that sort of thing myself. When it was presented in the course of mediation and arbitration, I was glad that Bob made me dial it in so well. And when Bob and his team were on the clock, things got done fast, I must say. Thankfully we have not needed his services since then, but if we ever find ourselves anywhere close to that sort of disaster again, Bob will again be the first person we call. This time we'll have him in our Favorites picklist.