I had a very negative, unethical, and poor experience with Mr. Joseph Lento and the Lento Law…read moreGroup. In August 2024, I retained and paid the Lento Law Group a total of $20,000 for their services in both a University matter and a legal matter in Washington DC. They charge flat, non-refundable fees, which is already not allowed under the DC Rules of Professional Conduct, which is where both my matters took place. For both matters, I was assigned Mr. Thomas Terrill (a New York-based attorney) and Mr. Terrell Ratliff (a Pennsylvania-based attorney), both of whom are not licensed to practice law in DC. Mr. Terrill did not deliver any results for me other than advising me to not do anything. Mr. Ratliff presents another very disappointing experience: he assured me he would be on my case and represent me in court. But, Terrell Ratliff missed three DC court dates for me in September, October, and November. Mr. Ratliff also failed to respond to any of my texts, calls, and emails asking for a status on when he can appear for me in court. When Mr. Ratliff failed to reply, I reached out to two Community Specialists at the Lento Law Group: Stephanie Morales and Angelita "Angie" Camacho Adames. Stephanie and Angie both told me they would keep me updated; Angie even told me on the phone "not to appear in court" for my next date, which is entirely unethical advice since she is not a licensed attorney, and I would have faced penalties by the court if I failed to appear. After numerous emails being left unanswered, I finally had a conference call with Joseph Lento, Tom Terrill, and Terrell Ratliff. John E. Groff, the "Firm Administrator" who is not a licensed attorney in the United States, was also present in this call. Mr. Groff stated the Lento Law Group will "provide a statement [to the court]," in addition to promising he would "reach out tonight to an organization that I belong to that may be able to give us some assistance." Even though he promised he would send me an email with a statement for the court and an update on the status of my case, John Groff failed to follow up on his promise and remained unresponsive to my emails asking for a follow-up. I showed up to court having to tell my judge that the Lento Law Group and Mr. Terrell Ratliff once again have failed at entering their appearance with no explanation as to why.
What I write is a genuine review backed by recordings of phone calls, numerous emails (and lack of replies), and text messages. None of my statements contain false allegations, nor is it my intention to harass and defame Mr. Lento and/or his firm. Rather, what I write here on Yelp is an accurate account of my experience with Mr. Lento and his firm that is fully supported by evidence I have. I respectfully ask Mr. Lento to provide a professional and thorough response to my review for all to see, rather than privately threaten legal action against me (a young college student).
Some things I wish I could have done differently during this process is conduct better research on who I retain for legal services, such as seeing which states attorneys are barred in, and if they have any current and/or previous disciplinary history with their State Bar.