Douglas Cannon Smith

Unfortunately, this isn't my first experience with an attorney. They're all busy, at least the good ones, and they all require a delicate balance of patience and persistence. Pester them too much with phone calls and they'll become hard to reach. Ignore them, and they'll happily put you at the bottom... of the list of important things to do. If they give you tons of personalized attention and hand-holding, you'll regret it later when you get the bill. To be successful with your attorney you need to minimize your communication by being organized, concise, and articulate. At the same time, you need to set goals and expectations and be persistent about making progress. Prior to retaining Mr. Smith I read all of the reviews and decided that the complaints were from people who just didn't "get it". I reasoned that all of those people had a bad experience because they were pests or they didn't stay on top of their own case. Either way, I understand a little about how to manage an attorney and I was optimistic that I could work with Mr. Smith. My original consultation was scheduled quickly and Mr. Smith was very articulate and accommodating. He seemed eager to take my case and he took initiative immediately. I was reasonably impressed. I armed Mr. Smith with lots of detailed information about my case and provided him with good documentation. I paid the retainer promptly and I was initially optimistic that everything was going to work out well. Unfortunately, as the case progressed, it became clear that Mr. Smith wasn't on top of all of the details. I tried my best to communicate with him and carefully balance his need to not-be-pestered with my need to be sure the case was making acceptable progress. In any case, it didn't work and I wasted a significant amount of time and money to accomplish little toward the resolution of my case. In fact, Mr. Smith failed to take some specific steps that I had made clear that I expected him to accomplish -- and that's inexcusable. To be fair, Mr. smith appears to be intelligent and caring. However, it seems that he's eager to accept new clients and too busy to provide excellent service. If you are in a collaborative situation where Mr. Smith need only grind though the customary steps to resolve your case, he's probably a good choice. Although you might not save any money if your case is needlessly prolonged. If you need an attorney that'll dig in to the details of your case and be proactive in your defense, I fear that you'll be as disappointed as I was. I want to like Mr. Smith and I would like to give him a glowing review because I think he's intelligent and capable. Unfortunately, he didn't come-through for me and apparently not for others. Beware! If an attorney can't work with a solid experienced client, a vulnerable or inexperienced client doesn't stand a chance. There's better choices out there...

At first when you meet him, he seems genuine enough. The girls in the front, Monica and Susie, also put up a very welcoming front. As soon as you are locked in and you pay your retainer, and there's no going back because you spent all that money, all is lost. What was supposed to have been a "quick i...ssue" (per mr. Smith) has becoming a dragging 3+ years of bad customer service, last minute notifications, and on going reschedules (and it has nothing to do with the court or other party). Save yourself the money, the anxiety, and having to deal with snotty paralegals/receptionists who don't know the meaning of empathy and can't even answer a simple question without feeling like you are bothering them. This is the first time I ever had to hire an attorney . I should have done more shopping around and done my research and looked at reviews. The service is so terrible, it raises my blood pressure just thinking about it. I am glad my case is near it's close so I don't have to deal with insensitive, inconsiderate people who forget that it is the paying client who is providing for their salary.