I strongly advise landlords to look elsewhere.
I hired Jason Hubbard Law to handle an eviction and paid extra to pursue a money judgment against my tenant. At first, the firm was very responsive and helpful. However, that changed on the day of the eviction.
I was told Jason would be there and would call everyone's names outside the courtroom so we could meet before court started. I arrived early but couldn't find him. Keep in mind, I had never met or spoken with him personally and had only communicated with his assistants, so I was looking for him based on his pictures online.
A few minutes before court started, I finally reached his assistant, who told me Jason wasn't there and a different attorney was representing me. I was told this attorney should be waiting outside the courtroom looking for me. After looking for him without success, I eventually decided to go inside.
Sure enough, the attorney was in the courtroom, but I had to find him myself. He asked whether my tenant was there and whether I anticipated any problems. I said I didn't think so but then asked whether he had all the text messages, emails and documentation I had sent Jason. To my surprise, he had NOTHING. He was completely unprepared to represent me.
Thankfully, my tenant was just as clueless about the process, and we were able to get the eviction in our favor.
A few days later, the law firm asked me to pay the court fees, which I promptly did. After that, everything changed.
A month after the eviction, I called to ask for an update on the money judgment. I was rudely told that the firm was no longer providing updates and that I needed to email them. Stunned, I figured Jason's assistant was just having a bad day, so I sent an email and gave them a few days to respond. No response ever came, so I sent another email. All I wanted to know was whether they had obtained the judgment.
Then my phone rang, and it was Jason. Keep in mind, I had never spoken with him personally throughout this entire process. His call was filled with profanity and frustration. He told me how busy he was and that it "pisses him off" when clients want updates. He questioned why I was bothering him when they had already gotten the tenant out.
When I reminded him that I had paid extra for the money judgment portion of the case, he laughed and said it was "only $100" and that they had never guaranteed they would recover any money. I understand that recovering money was never guaranteed. I wasn't asking for a guarantee. I simply wanted to know whether they had even obtained the judgment.
He then told me that if I wanted to know, I could go to the courthouse and get the information for free.
I could have gone to the courthouse and filed the eviction myself, which I have done before. I hired Jason Hubbard Law because I didn't want to deal with the process myself. Why should I have to go to the courthouse to find out whether the firm has actually done what I paid it to do?
Jason then told me he would never work for me again because I was inconveniencing him by asking for an update. Not that I would ever hire him again after this experience anyway.
There are many other attorneys and law firms that offer flat-fee evictions for much less than Hubbard Law. I would encourage landlords to compare their options and ask whether the attorney they hire will actually represent them in court.
Having another attorney show up in Jason's place without the documentation I had provided should concern anyone hiring this firm. Couple that with the refusal to provide basic case updates and a profanity-laced, angry phone call simply because I asked about work I had paid for, and I STRONGLY advise landlords to look elsewhere. read more
