Elizabeth Durbin Bales

BE AWARE!!! If it were possible to give less than a one-star review, that's exactly what Elizabeth Bales would receive from me. Assigned by the court for a CPS case in Amador county, California, she has utterly failed to advocate effectively for her client. Despite being a court-appointed lawyer p...rovided at no cost, the quality and effort in her representation were profoundly lacking. Ms. Bales seemed to have an uncomfortably close relationship with CPS personnel, leading to a conflict of interest that appeared to affect her dedication to genuinely representing the child's best interests. She missed critical deadlines, such as failing to file important documents necessary for the case. Furthermore, she neglected to present crucial evidence including timelines of abuse and therapist reports that were vital for the judge’s decision-making process. Compounding these issues, Ms. Bales did not challenge any misleading statements made by the CPS social worker, despite clear evidence to the contrary that could be proven. Numerous documented incidents that should have been brought to the judge’s attention to protect the children were overlooked or ignored under her representation. The negligence demonstrated by Elizabeth Bales has not only failed the family she was supposed to serve but, most importantly, failed the children involved in this case. This is a serious accusation, but it is based on a series of unprofessional actions that had significant consequences. If you are considering her for legal representation, especially in sensitive family or CPS-related matters, I strongly urge you to reconsider. It is tragic to think that the outcome for these children could have been different had their interests been more vigorously defended.

I was referred to Beth by another attorney who I had retained but then retired. She gave Beth rave reviews but from the Intial phone conversation I had bad feelings about Beth's work ethic. She was very rude on the phone from our first call. I trusted her and from day 1 asked "do you have my best... interest in mind" I asked several times if she was here to help abd she always said YES But over the corse of the 8 months working with her I got the cutest impression 1. She was overworked and was carrying too many cases 2. She was acting like a Paid public defender and not my attorney or more to the point a true defense attorney. Wile she had video evidence given to her from my previous attorney I was never shown this video, even after asking several times. I do not believe Beth ever watched it or took the time to familiarize herself with the details of my case due to several statements made throughout. She did however ask for 6 months of PPX continuances thus wasting my time, my life and eating up the retainer paid. When it finally came time to work a deal well th the DA her outlook on my case was unrealistic and she never once questioned the exaggerated charges put against me. Several times I pointed out that the charges did not meet the decreiption of th laws on the books. I arrived bed in court early on each apperence date ready to discuss the details of my pre-trial Constance. On one date she arrived 2.5-3hrs late to court and only text me minuntes before arriving. That day I was a wreck in court thinking she had gotten in a car accident or something worse coming back from court in Lake Tahoe . We spoke briefly about a deal presented by the DA and in one of her last emails it sounded like their were options on the table. I emailed her a week out of my final court date to discuss the details of this deal. Beth replied she was in court in Amador country and asked if I would be around during the weekend for a call. I replied YES I'll be home all weekend. This was a 3day holiday weekend. I stayed home waiting for Beth's call as I knew the details of this deal were very important. Did she call ..NO! 5:00 Monday night I left her a message saying I was very concerned that she did not contact me as she said she would. I received an email early Tuesday morning saying she would see me at 1:00 in court to discuss my case. I arrived in court to Beth being very abbraisive , short and flat out rude to me. In the confrance room she said she was officially dropping my case due to "conflict if interests" She also explained that she has spoken with another attorney about my case and gave me his number as a referral. Up until this point Beth did nothing but take my checks. Show up late to court, didn't present discovery or evidence given to her to me the client. Beth is a great person , and extremely kind and as an attorney I think she means well but is very overworked and details get forgotten or not addressed the way the should. If it's your life, your future..... find someonelse. Beth just wasted 6+ months of my life abd took my money, issued my as recipt totaling the amount paid and dropped my case rightin the day I thought this would be over. You should have done better for me than this Beth!!

Even with the cut backs and the court room full she works hard to talk with every client she is given and fight on their behalf. She is one of the best public defenders I have worked ever dealt with. Even though shes young, shes good at what she does. My offense was reduced and we were given a good o...ffer that was justified with the actual facts of the case.