Mark Blair

I disagree completely. Before I address this individual's statement, I must state the limitations that the rules of ethics will impose on my response. An attorney must protect his client no matter what. Even if a client makes false accusations, an attorney may not divulge client confidences or info that reveals whom the client is. I must therefore address this client as "this person" so he/she remains nameless. The first incorrect statement is, "as soon as my check was cashed." The irony is that I allowed this person to make payments. So, he/she made three payments of his/her retainer fee. Next, this person wrote me a letter in which he/she admitted giving me information that was not full and accurate regarding his/her past convictions. This person failed to write that he/she was involved in an accident along with the DUI. This person also failed to write that I was able to obtain his/her full license privileges back from the DMV without his/her driving license ever being suspended or restricted. Lastly, this person failed to write that I was able to get his/her DUI dismissed and obtained a reduced charge ("wet reckless") despite his/her having an accident involving alcohol. The statement about my resisting meeting him/her is false. At this person's request and with this person's permission, I spoke with his/her father at length about this DUI case. In addition, this person failed to mention that he/she wrote a very nice e-mail about meeting my wife, whom this person agreed to have attend the arraignment (first court appearance) because they knew I had a court emergency where I had to appear elsewhere. This individual wrote me the following e-mail after court: "It was nice to meet your wife, and it must be very exciting to expect a new member to your family. Would it be possible for you and I to have a brief meeting? I have some concerns about the police report and I am working on a document outlining the important points succinctly and objectively. Please e-mail me...at your convenience." I replied to this e-mail on the day and asked for a list of his/her concerns in the police report, and the place (i.e. page, line number) where the issue appears in the police report. I wrote that such a guide (list) would greatly benefit both him/her and me for purposes of discussion and court. This individual agreed in an e-mail sent the next day to supply me with such a list. But again, this person failed to write that he/she NEVER submitted to me any such statement or list which he/she had promised to send. Instead, I received an email from him/her about one month later stating he/she was concerned about the lack of progress and communication. This person the asked me to contact him/her. I did contact him/her on the same day. In fact, I was in court all day; so, I worked late and returned client calls after 7 pm. I called this person at 8 pm on my cell phone and discussed his/her concerns at length and offered to meet him/her two days later in my office (the next day I was unavailable because I had court all day). This person agreed to call me the next day to arrange a time to meet. However, once again, this person failed to write that he/she NEVER did as promised. He/she never called to set up an appointment. Instead, this person showed up in court at the pretrial conference. I was on time. This person never "had to wait in line" to speak with me. This person failed to write that in the county where his/her pretrial was, there is a list that attorneys must sign to speak with the judge. I went to court early in the morning that day to sign up on that list so that my clients could be out of court as early as possible that afternoon (pretrial conferences were in the afternoon). So, there was no "line" to wait to speak with me. Again, this person failed to mention that at the pretrial conference, I got the DUI dismissed and charges reduced to a "wet reckless" despite an accident involving alcohol.