I contacted their office regarding a dog bite at the beginning of September. Their fee for representation was 40 percent of any award. I was told that this was the normal, that instead of increasing it in case it went to court like other firms do, they just charge one flat fee. They even said that many firms charge 45 percent if it goes to court. I was also told, when I asked, that it could take one and a half to two years to settle. They emailed me documents to sign in order to retain them. The forms had where I lived and where the attack occurred incorrect, Also, there were areas on the forms to select options, but the forms were not ones that could be edited to select the option you preferred. I was not comfortable leaving them blank for anyone to fill in later. After a couple of attempts asking them to correct the errors, they only made one correction. During this time, I found another law office I was more comfortable with. I could edit their forms, the fee was one third of any award with or without going to court, which they told me was the industry standard. They were much more responsive following up on every interaction and more professional. I decided to go with that firm, due to the professionalism, not the lower fee. I later asked about a time frame and was told it should be less than 3 months but possibly up to 6 months.
I emailed the Dog BIte Law Group on September 11 to let them know that I would be going with another firm so that they did not waste time on following up with me. Today, October 17th, I received an email from them saying that they will not be representing me in this matter, like it was their decision. I never completed any paperwork to retain them, never sent the animal control report or any medical reports and I specifically emailed them that I would not be going with their firm. Why would they be sending me a formal denial for my case over one month later? Was it to make it look like it was their decision? I actually had forgotten about leaving a review until I got the email. Here is the first paragraph of the attached formal denial letter in the email:
Thank you for consulting with our office regarding the above referenced incident (herein after
referred to as the "Incident"). It was such a pleasure to speak with you. I'm glad you reached out.
After careful consideration of the available information regarding the Incident, Montevideo Law,
PC dba Dog Bite Law Group regrets to inform you that our firm is unable to represent you in
your claim arising out of the above-referenced Incident. Should you still desire to pursue your
case, we advise you to consult another attorney immediately.
I cannot recommend this firm. The forms were unprofessional, the fees were higher and not the industry norm according to the other law firm, the time frame was extremely long, and now this email. Even the reason for denial in the letter is basically made up. They did not carefully consider any information because they did not receive any, they only had our phone conversations (no reports) and were offering to take the case from those, therefore I was emailed the forms to fill out in order to retain them. Sorry they felt the need to try to make themselves look better, but I rejected this law firm and have the dated email to prove it. read more
