Mr O'Neill is a joke, since they (Petersen) told us we had to go to Arbitration that John O'Neill would be in charge of that dept. Their website says they "Keep you informed and always call you back within 24 hours...that's BS. 95% of the communication was from me to them, they rarely initiated a ca...ll to me. Before our Deposition (where the other lawyer asks you questions under oath, like an interrogation) he was supposed to be there with my daughter and I (both of us were in the accident) 30 minutes prior too to go over the procedure, walk us through some of the questions and ease some of the anxiety we were feeling.
Well that NEVER happened because he showed up two minutes before they brought me in to the room. And he even had the audacity to yell and scream at us like we were on the other side. My husband stepped in and called him on all his disrespect and ineptitude after our deposition. He even called and lodged a complaint to Ron Petersen and Brad Johnson, the owners, I think Ron called my husbasd personally at work and he told him everything and that we feel that John O'Neill is not suited to handle our case. Ron asked if we wanted a different attorney and we said yes, but we never received another one, all that happened is that we all sat down in their conference room and "mediated" out our differences.We tried switching lawyers right then, contacted a few different firms, but seems like we were hitched at the hips with PJ.
Well months go by without any contact and it gets to be a week before Arbitration (Trial), so once again my husband has to contact them to make sure everyone is going, etc, etc. Talk to the great legal assistant Karen, she assures me that John will be there 30 minutes prior to go over testimony, questions, etc. Day of Arbitration, we get there 25 minutes before the trial and to no surprise, NO JOHN O'NEILL. He doesn't get there until literally 2 minutes before the trial, but he has time to stop and get Starbucks coffee...what a joke. Twice now he failed to show up to an IMPORTANT part of this lawsuit, but ALWAYS has time for coffee. Since he was too busy standing in line or waiting in the take out lane to prep me, both my daughter and I are nervous and anxious, my husband was the only comforting factor. But not five minutes into the Arbitration and John starts an argument with the Arbitrator (Judge). He argues with him for a five or six good minutes over procedure....
I glance over at the defense counsel and she is just smiling away!!! I watch enough legal dramas on TV to know how to argue a case, John made so many errors and blunders when it was finally over I burst in tears as we got in the car because I knew we lost. It was like we had Barney from the Andy Griffith Show representing us. If we didn't need this money to recoup from the $10,000 medical debt from last year it would be comical in there. Needless to say, the woman who hit me and my daughter was driving on a suspended license, has/had a warrant out for her arrest throughout the whole process, even during trial, she's had her license suspended FIVE different times, has been sued once before and Barney freaking Fiff (John O'Neill) wasn't competent enough to even get a fifty-fifty split. The judge found in favor of the defendant, a woman who drives on suspended licenses, runs red lights, hits people, but gets saved by the bumbling lawyer John O'Neill.
Sincerely,
The One who learned the hard way