Anthony O. Van Johnson

I hired Van Johnson after my consultation with him and the experience was horrific. I could never reach him and I know lawyers are busy but it, typically, took a week or more for a response and there were times when it took months. Once I was told about a court date only a couple days before, luckily... I wasn't working and one of the times he said I didn't need to be there. The first time we went to court it took a while because, supposedly, my ex was evading being served, and the second time it took about two years to get back into the court room. In between court dates, after multiple emails with no answer and a number no longer in use, I discovered Johnson moved offices and changed numbers, without any notice or new number to reach him and after multiple attempts through email, I had to google him. He was apart of a different firm it seemed and did not notify me. So, after finally getting a hold of him, when we did get back to court, he showed up extremely late and the judge had told me if he wasn't there by lunch it would have to be rescheduled. He barely made it in time. It did not go well, I had tried to contact him before to go over things since it had been so long but of course that didn't happen. I kept having to tell Van Johnson things that he should of been aware of about my case for him to tell the judge, even the part of my ex evading being served for long, which was supposedly the reason this whole process took so long but I never saw any proof of that and my ex looked shocked and said he never did that. My ex said I refused to sign papers to allow him to refinance, when I never knew he was approved. It had been so long that I didn't remember at the time, but went back and read the emails after because it blind sided me, because I was never aware he had actually been approved and he never actually showed the judge or us any proof he had and Van Johnson did not ask to see them, which completely changed the judges view. A company had called me wanting me to sign over the deed but they couldn't tell me if he had been approved or give me any info and my ex wouldn't talk to me. I talked to Van Johnson and he instructed me not too, so I didn't but I didn't remember that at the time, so when I told the judge, I was never aware he had been approved, he said I should have consulted legal advice and I had no response because again at the time I couldn't recall but I had, my lawyer, Van Johnson. I ended up being awarded for my ex to pay half of my legal fees. He was supposed to pay Johnson 100 a month until the full amount or the house sold and then pay the rest in full. I asked Van Johnson how that would go and he said he would send me the money once he had paid it all. Well, after the house sold, I waited a bit expecting a check in the mail and when one didn't come, I contacted Van Johnson and he said my ex had never paid even one payment. This had been almost a year later, so you can imagine my shock, that he hadn't told me or tried to contact me or do anything about it but it shouldn't have because of all his previous actions. I was upset and sent Johnson an email telling him how dissatisfied I was and what I was upset about and reminding him he was the one that had advised me to do it the way I did, being late, and never being able to get a hold of him. I didn't use any profanity just facts, and his response was I should consult legal advice to help me retrieve the money, since I was unhappy with his service, he would no longer be representing me. I couldn't believe he was allowed to do that. I had already paid him in full in the beginning, so he had nothing to gain and obviously didn't care. I paid him 2,500 and still have never received my half of the money owed to me and retaining another lawyer to get that little bit back and have to go through that whole process all over again isn't worth it to me. I just wish I would of read reviews first. I have definitely learned my lesson for the future.