Mary Patricia Hough

I made the mistake of hiring this lawyer, and I found three weeks after signing the contract that she started to treat me like a flunky employee. She started to get angry at me on a regular basis for (a) too many emails (b) not enough emails (c) asking for status updates (d) asking questions .... She... negotiated a settlement about one-fifth of what she originally estimated she would get, and this settlement would have yielded me ~$500 profit after deducting her fees. She required me to make multiple concessions to the opposing party prior to negotiating on my behalf. The retainer contract didn't discuss administrative fees, but she charged me separately for copying, postage, billing. My billing rate for her secretary was $100 per hour, even though she likely paid her secretary ~$25 per hour. She padded her bill in multiple ways, so that after 10 hours of work, she had gotten nothing for me done. Her bill padding fictionalized phone calls and emails that never happened. Run for the hills away from this ill-tempered, unprofessional, inefficient lawyer.

I have known Mary Pat Hough for over 15 years - initially as a witness for one of her clients, then as a client myself. I now consider her a friend and colleague. Mary Pat is extremely intelligent, compassionate yet direct, and treats everyone with the same level of respect, discretion and dignity ...you could desire from counsel. When faced with legal matters that can often times can be confusing, convoluted and time-consuming, having Mary Pat Hough on your side will ensure peace of mind and a positive outcome. Mary Pat has a unique way of making a difficult situation educational and yes, sometimes entertaining. I consider her to be the consummate professional and a wonderful person.