Tammy G.
NEW ATTORNEY 24 HOURS PRIOR TO FINAL HEARING
I hired this firm after representing myself pro se because I believed I needed experienced legal help to protect my teenage daughter and prepare for upcoming temporary orders, child support, and final hearings. I paid a $5,000 retainer through Affirm after repeated calls and texts encouraging me to hire the firm. Mr. Knowlton also personally called and assured me the firm would help protect my daughter and handle the upcoming hearings. Unfortunately, my experience was the opposite. I asked for a copy of the contract, but communication stopped until after payment. I also still have not received a statement explaining how my $5,000 retainer was used, despite what I believe was minimal work. My originally assigned attorney, Lindsey, never appeared at any of my hearings. At the first hearing on my Motion for Continuance and Temporary Orders, no attorney from the firm appeared. I was personally present and watched the hearing get dropped after the court was told my counsel was not there. Over the following weeks, I was told Lindsey had medical emergencies and that Mr. Knowlton would handle my case in her absence. Multiple hearings were dropped, and I saw little progress. The night before the June 5 hearing—which I understood to be a temporary orders hearing—I was told attorney Eric Irvin would appear because Lindsey was having emergency surgery. I still had never met any of the attorneys assigned to represent me. I believe the firm should have reset the hearing so new counsel could properly review the evidence, understand the case, develop a strategy, and prepare witnesses and me. Instead, I was assigned a new attorney less than 24 hours before what turned out to be my FINAL HEARING. Mr. Knowlton told me my new attorney would go over strategy and hearing preparation with me the morning of June 5. That never happened. I texted Eric before the hearing and received no response. At the courthouse, he did not discuss strategy, prepare me for testimony, review my evidence with me, or explain that we were about to proceed with a final hearing that could completely change custody of my daughter. For weeks, I had been told the firm was waiting for court-ordered discovery and confirmation of a reset date for the final hearing. After the June 5 hearing ended, I asked about the reset date and was told the hearing we had just completed WAS the final hearing. I was devastated. The outcome dramatically changed my custody arrangement, my daughter’s school, possession schedule, and child-support obligations. One of the most disturbing conversations I had was with an attorney who told me my teenage daughter needed to be “taught a lesson” by living with her father and his girlfriend. I was also told it would probably only be a matter of time before they “got into it” and my daughter called me wanting to come home. As a mother who hired this firm because of serious concerns about my daughter’s emotional and behavioral well-being, I found this deeply troubling. Communication was extremely frustrating. Three calls with Mr. Knowlton began with reminders that he had limited time, was on vacation, or had company. My questions were often met with promises to check with staff, but received no answers. The Affirm payment option may sound convenient, but in my experience, the firm received its payment while I remained responsible for monthly payments regardless of whether I was satisfied with the representation. Unfortunately, my experience left me feeling that the personal phone call after consultation with Jennifer was part of the sales process rather than an indication that he would personally handle or closely oversee my case. That is an experience I would NEVER want another parent to go through.