I was extremely disappointed with my experience with this firm from beginning to end…read more
My first impression should probably have been a warning. When I arrived to pay $4,000 of my retainer in cash--all $100 bills--the staff member handling the payment was unable to correctly count the money after three attempts and ultimately needed the attorney's help. That was an unsettling introduction to a firm I was about to trust with thousands of dollars and an extremely important family-law matter.
The much more serious problem involved the handling of my case.
Before hiring this attorney, I had already filed a motion seeking to restrict parenting time, and that motion had been denied. I did not hire an attorney to simply pursue essentially the same strategy again. We had discussed that the next filing needed to be a motion to modify parenting time.
The subsequent filing prepared by counsel is particularly frustrating. At the top of the court form, "Change" is checked. Yet in Section 6, under "Restrict Parenting Time," the filing answers "Yes" to the question asking whether I was filing a request to restrict parenting time and proceeds using restriction language.
That filing was also denied, and I was billed for the work.
When I questioned what had happened, I did not feel the attorney took responsibility for what I considered a significant mistake. Instead, his position was essentially that the filing was meant to be that way and was related to my desire to get the matter before the court quickly.
Yes, I wanted prompt action. This was a case affecting my child, my family, and my life. But wanting the matter addressed quickly did not change my understanding with my attorney that the next motion was supposed to seek modification and should have been drafted accordingly.
In my opinion, this did real damage to my case. It made it appear as though I was simply attempting essentially the same unsuccessful request twice, delayed the modification proceeding I actually wanted pursued, and cost valuable time in a legal matter directly affecting my child and family. Time matters tremendously in family court. This wasn't simply an inconvenient mistake or wasted paperwork--the delay had consequences in my life while the underlying issues involving my child remained unresolved.
Afterward, the attorney offered to essentially charge me less for preparing the next filing--the modification I believed I had hired him to pursue in the first place. By that point, however, I had completely lost confidence in the representation. After the filing itself and what I perceived as a refusal to acknowledge any mistake, there was no chance I was comfortable entrusting another important motion to the same attorney.
In fact, I had lost so much confidence in the relationship that I didn't even feel comfortable explaining that I intended to replace him with different counsel. I simply told him I wasn't going to move forward and ended the representation.
I am approximately $2,000 out of pocket for representation that, in my opinion, left me worse off rather than advancing what I hired the firm to accomplish.
Adding to the frustration, I was also charged for work associated with ending the representation. After requesting the return of my remaining funds, I was informed that the refund might have to wait approximately three additional weeks while counsel sought the court's approval to withdraw from the case.
Clients hire attorneys because the stakes are often too important to handle alone. I expected professional judgment, careful preparation, accountability, transparent billing, and legal work that accurately reflected what I had asked my attorney to accomplish.
Based on my experience, I did not receive that here. I would not hire this firm again.
I'll edit this with images later just so that the Curtis firm can't make up excuses or lie to prevent people from understanding my reviews.
