I retained attorney Christine "Cassie" Hernandez for a criminal defense case and paid nearly…read more$50,000 in fees. Unfortunately, my experience left me feeling like I was sold confidence up front and then abandoned when it mattered most.
From the start, she repeatedly described my case as "winnable" and spoke as if dismissal or a trial victory was well within reach. That level of certainty is what convinced me to hire her and continue paying as the case moved forward.
As time went on, the communication did not match the stakes. I rarely received clear, proactive updates about discovery, strategy, or what the prosecution's evidence actually looked like. When I asked direct questions, the responses were often vague or dismissive. She also told me multiple times that several witnesses would be appearing for both sides, even claiming she'd seen some of them at the courthouse. Later, I learned that some of these "witnesses" were never on any witness list and were not actually expected to testify.
Then, on the morning trial was set to begin, the messaging flipped completely. After months of telling me we could win, she suddenly emphasized that the prosecution's case was strong and that trial was risky. That was the first time she spoke candidly about the seriousness of the situation. At that point, she pushed hard for me to accept a plea deal. Given everything I'd been told before, I felt blindsided, rushed, and pressured into making an irreversible decision.
Another aspect of this that didn't sit right with me: she discussed potentially doing business with my company. She talked about expanding her office and building an adjacent space and suggested she would use my company for the work--creating the impression that some of what I paid her might come back through that arrangement. Later, it became clear there was no real project underway and no actual plan to hire my company.
What happened after the plea was even worse. She explained the plea as if I could plead guilty and still pursue an appeal right away, as though it was part of the plan. But after I pled guilty and ended up in jail, she visited me once and then told me an appeal would require an additional $25,000. This was never clearly stated earlier, and it certainly wasn't presented as outside the scope of the nearly $50,000 I had already paid. When I objected--because the plea-and-appeal approach was what she urged at the last minute--she refused to proceed without more money.
In the end, I'm left with a criminal record, no refund, and no appeal, after paying nearly $50,000. I feel like I was given assurances to keep me paying, then steered into a plea deal at the last second, and then asked for even more money afterward.
After this happened, I read more of her online reviews and saw other clients describing similar issues. My advice: be extremely cautious, get everything in writing (especially what's included and what costs extra), and don't rely on verbal promises or confident predictions.
