Picking an attorney is like deciding which rotting carp to eat for dinner. While you're sifting through the legal bottom feeders, skip Bublitz Law or any other firm charging a flat rate for criminal defense. Their contract reads, "The Client agrees to pay the Firm as follows: A non-refundable retainer fee of $15,000...Client further understands that this fee is earned immediately, is non-refundable and not based upon an hourly rate for service...There will be no refunds once this Retainer Agreement is executed...THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS HERETO."
In return they promise--nothing. Their contract says merely "represent client." They did: each partner (they're a husband/wife team) showed up for one 30-second court hearing, having already put a like amount of time into researching my case. If you're a prepaid client, expect to fall behind their "real" clients who promise further loot through hourly or contingency fees. When you're fed up enough to fire them and ask for a partial refund, expect them to scream obscenities at you for 30 minutes.
Like most clients, I can't speak to their trial skills. Most cases settle long before trial. The last thing you want during plea-bargaining is bluster and intemperance. You feel good being represented by Sonny Corleone, but Michael gets better results. Find a calm, cerebral attorney whom the prosecutors respect. You have no Constitutional rights during plea-bargaining. Prosecutors can and will hate you for any reason: religion, skin color, disability, or perceived political affiliation. A thoughtful attorney knows each prosecutor's biases and adjusts accordingly. A Bublitz attorney blabs, "My client is a crazed Marine with PTSD and lots of guns" to the prosecutor wearing Birkenstocks and carrying an NPR tote bag. A diligent attorney negotiates language, terms, and conditions. A Bublitz attorney can't negotiate one visit to your unoccupied house in 10 weeks to retrieve personal possessions. A competent attorney provides clients with copies of evidence and charge sheets. A Bublitz attorney can't remember your court date or even what you're charged with.
Doctors can have inflated rankings because their least-satisfied patients are dead. Lawyers can have inflated rankings because their least-satisfied clients are in prison. There have also been several reviewers claiming that the Bublitzes offered them money to delete honest reviews. These reviews keep disappearing, something you might ponder. Their website is professional, but it distills to "fake honors, fake books; real bills, real Porsches." Dig into the honors and see which are paid. Go to Amazon and read the single review their two books have garnered in 13 years. That review calls Mr. Bublitz's 12 pages of wisdom, "repetitive, superficial, shallow, general & mostly common sense."
Save your money, and possibly your freedom. Retain an ethical firm with fair billing and honest attorneys. read more