Alexander James Coffin

I was connected with attorney Alexander Coffin via Rocket Lawyer. My need was simple administrative action. What I got instead was unsolicited debate and legal strategy. From our first email exchange, I was clear: I needed Mr. Coffin to send a letter on his letterhead to my employer, requesting... preservation of all files related to ongoing legal matters and the release of my complete employee file. I provided a sample letter and understood that he would rewrite it in his own words. He quoted $515 and scheduled a consultation four days later. At the consultation, Mr. Coffin’s first words after hello were that I would be “wasting my money” and he “could not justify the fee.” He insisted my letter was good as written, with nothing he could fix, and I should send it directly. Though I should not have had to delve into legal matters beyond the limited scope of what I was contracting him for, I explained my ongoing federal disputes with my employer, one already settled in my favor, and that an attorney’s letter would carry more weight with a company legally proven to have hostile and flagrantly unlawful conduct. I assured him that I understood the limits of his role and held no expectations beyond the delivery of a certified letter. Mr. Coffin remained rigidly insistent that I not “waste money.” (To be clear, I am a tech worker, and had saved for months of potential unemployment and legal costs.) When I noted that his delay had wasted my time, he became defensive. It is acceptable to decline to perform a service, but not to squander time when the task was clearly defined and you had no intention of completing it. Expecting silent and instant obedience simply because one is a lawyer is arrogance. I was aware of his poor reviews beforehand but assumed there was little risk in hiring him for such a basic administrative task. Unfortunately, even this proved beyond his level of professionalism.