Michelle West

I just finished firing this attorney for a returned phone call of hers, in which she yelled and screamed at me for over four minutes, for insisting her receptionist give her word that she would make this attorney return my phone call to speak. After repeated appointment cancellations and unreturned ...messages and pacifications from her receptionist, I insisted her receptionist promise me she would get this attorney to return a call to me, so I could finally speak with her. but when this attorney did finally return my call, I was shocked to hear the way she talked to me. She was literally screaming and yelling at me with complete rage for over four minutes. I had recently requested she set up a separate account on a separate estate issue and specified this new matter for which I had retained her needed her immediate attention. This was originally in August ( 11th) After several appointment cancellations, no returned phone calls, and pacifications from the receptionist, I insisted the receptionist promise me she would make sure the attorney call me first thing this morning. She did but rather than speak with me, this attorney literally screamed, threatened, and demanded that I : "never- EVER- she screamed talk to her receptionist that way again". I was shocked at her rage and threats to me. Example, screaming at the top of her lungs demanded of me"did you hear me, don't you ever ever talk to my assistant that way again". "And don't you ever ever demand that she make me call you". When I finally had a chance to respond, I told her there was no excuse for her to talk to me that way and if she did not want me to demand her attention then perhaps she needed respond to her clients rather than repeatedly cancel appointments and not be available to answer their questions. I then told her that I wanted to complete my estate plan signing appointment ( which she had cancelled twice in a row the two months previous) but that since she felt it was ok for her to treat me the way she just had -that she needed to return the $3000 retainer fee I had sent her. At that point she hung up on me. Later this morning, after thinking about it, I phoned her office to ask the receptionist when I could pick up all of my files and the check since I had decided to fire her on both matters. I informed the receptionists I did not feel comfortable paying for six additional hours of her services to complete the signing of the documents and I wanted to know when I could pick up all of my files and my $3000 retainer check they had since she had done nothing on that matter either. Her response was the same unhelpful and placating response it always is: Ill pass the message along and she will get back to you. When I asked her when did she think that might be, her response is the the same as it is " I don't know, I will pass the message along. Now she has all of the documents ( supposedly ready to be signed - a six hour process- she cancelled that meeting and her next appointment not until mid december- I am paid in full for the creation of the trust, up to the point of the final signing which has not yet occurred due to two cancellations and reschedules on her part. I guess her time is the only time that is valuable.