September 22, 2012 (CHICAGO) -- A northern Illinois bankruptcy attorney is accused of using his…read moreclients' credit cards and then wiping the debt clean in their bankruptcy proceedings. Bradley Aubel, of Vernon Hills, is also accused of bribing an employee who was a witness to the alleged scheme. Federal prosecutors say authorities unraveled the plot by following a trail of text messages between Aubel and the employee, who unbeknownst to the attorney was cooperating with investigators. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced fraud and obstruction of justice charges against Aubel on Friday. According to an affidavit, he tried to get his employee to take the fall in the credit card scheme. The affidavit says that in exchange, Aubel promised to pay the employee's salary and mortgage. Aubel did not immediately return a call seeking comment Saturday. (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

After my meeting with Mr. Aubel, I handed him cash as a retainer. His secretary Mary, gave me a…read morereceipt. He said he would appear at my court date that was to take place the following week. He never showed up and he never called the court. I showed the receipt to the judge. Thankfully the judge told me that this has happened in the past and he gave a continuance so I can retain an actual lawyer. Now I am out more than $1500. Mr. Aubel's office will not return my calls. When I show up to his office, the door magically locks and no one will answer. What kind of law practice is this?

In a wreck need a check get ron he's there for you, caring compassionate byou get ron 40nyears…read moreexperience! Not a case manager call ron get it done!

Attorney Bell and his staff are an exceptional team. I had two other Attorney's prior who did…read morenothing to move my case forward. Attorney Bell has the legal wisdom and compassion to handle any complex legal matters. He is a wrecking ball in the court room. He explained how the laws work and the legal terminology so I could understand. Attorney Bell has integrity and will be completely up front and honest with you. I cannot thank Attorney Bell enough. I am truly grateful and highly recommend Ronald L. Bell and his team.

I used Mr. Morgan when I was illegally locked out of my home and my personal belongings were thrown…read morein trash bags or carried off in pick up trucks. I had been seriously injured, disabled, and unable to run my business any longer. Obviously I could no longer pay my mortgage. We had an amicable court settlement with the date I would be moved out with the Sheriff in attendance, As mentioned above prior to the date the Sheriff was to be there on the date agreed upon in court when my movers were scheduled, stopped by to do more organizing only to see itinerant workers with their wives and children all over my property bagging and hauling things away. My owner's secretary was there and took me upstairs to the master bath where I kept my prescription medications. Once inside the bathroom a large worker vacuumed over and over in front of the door so I could not get out. I took the medications I needed and the Secretary/ manager took the rest which included many prescription pain killers that I warned her were NOT over the counter but controlled substances. My business was in the medical field and I had hazardous waste containers with blood and needles that these workers and their children were throwing around. I told them not to touch them but they continued. Finally, the Secretary/manager took my arm and lead me out the door and locked it behind her. I called police and Mr. Morgan. Mr. Morgan had lost the Sheriffs business card. He kept few notes with dates when anything happened. He asked me to look up and find cases similar to mine on the legal website. I had never had an attorney so inept! He also old me to make a list of every item I could think of in my home, every item of clothing, vases, etc. This was too overwhelming and I should have started with the expensive medical equipment they threw into the trucks: numerous EEG machines, pulmonary function machines, leather briefcases with sphygmomanometers, jewelry, etc. I felt as if I had hired an idiot and he had no idea how to handle my case. It surely seemed as though he thought I should do all the work, he was unorganized, kept few notes, forgot dates, I doubt he had computer skills, and knew not how to use Pacer to find useful information about other legal cases. The day we met with the owner and his attorney I had just fallen while walking a dog on a cracked sidewalk. An ambulance had taken me to ER and I had a Fractured nose and black eyes. I knew the owner was aware of the fact his secretary had allowed too many things to go entirely wrong with my eviction. His attorney finally looked at me and said she thought we needed to postpone this to allow me to recover from my fall. Thank God, my attorney would never have given that a thought. I heard him ask her about what she thought the case might pay. $20,000. What a laugh! My clothing alone was worth more than that, did he not realize the cost of expensive medical equipment and all my furniture? He never asked about my jewelry either, nor how much I had suffered, had been locked in a bathroom so I could not get out. A law student could have done a better job. My nerves were completely shot by now. I entered a mental health facility for a much needed recuperation. There are many good attorneys in the area, find one who is more knowledgeable and will work for you. He is the worst I've ever used! On top of all this he is arrogant, perhaps to make up for his stupidity. He began ordering me around like a dog---I quickly put a stop to that! No one needs to put up with his attitude.I know his is long but I want to make sure no one goes through the hell I did.

On Thursday, Sept.. 21 at 3:03 pm I left a message on Vernon Morgan's voicemail that I was calling…read moreas a referral via Legal Shield and needed their help with a contract dispute. Vernon called back an hour later. We spoke for less than a minute, but in that time I agreed to send them all my documentation detailing my issue.  The following morning (Friday), we had a 23-minute conversation with Vernon detailing the legal complaint I was making. He said they'd get me paperwork by the following Monday to proceed. By Tuesday, I hadn't heard back, so I emailed them back, and they responded that I'd get the representation agreement later this week. That Saturday, they reached out, asking if I still needed representation and, if so, "I will review all paperwork, contracts, billing invoices and prepare a demand letter for payment." I emailed my approval to proceed. The paperwork I received was for the exact OPPOSITE issue for which I was contacting them - There are from time to time misunderstandings or misinterpretations in business correspondence. It's not agreeable, but understandable. However when looking for contract lawyers details matter. This was the first RED FLAG. I let it go and asked that they please resend with the correct paperwork (via email) and to address the 25% referral discount (that's a factor in all Legal Shield referrals). 7 days without any response or acknowledgement that the email landed - Second RED FLAG Finally yesterday I emailed AGAIN asking for a response. 3 1/2 weeks have passed since I first reached out to them. Today they said they didn't take referrals from Legal Shield and that they they were "Sorry for the inconvenience to you." and that I should reach back to Legal Shield and find representation elsewhere. Nearly a month, wasted. TLDR: If it's important to you that your legal representation represent themselves fairly, consider attention-to-detail a professional requirement, and most importantly, they value your time as much as theirs, I heartily encourage you to consider resources other than DeSanto & Morgan.

I highly recommend Lois and her team to represent you on legal proceedings. It's rare to find a…read morefirm that has expert knowledge and solid family values. Lois and Jeff were a pleasure to work with on revising a special needs trust, establishing a family trust and creating a new LLC. Jim K

We had an excellent experience working with Marlon on our estate planning and wills. He was…read morethorough, knowledgeable, and took the time to explain everything clearly. We highly recommend him to anyone looking for estate planning services.

When I contacted him, he got back to me quickly. He was very knowledgeable and answered all my…read morequestions. His fee was very reasonable.

My family met with several lawyers after a serious auto accident. We chose Mr. Borcia because he…read morewas very responsive and took care of all our questions. I knew that we had come to the right place. I highly recommend this law firm for personal injury matters.

From the owner: The Law Offices of John M. Borcia was formed with primary focus in Lake County, Illinois and we…read morehave a singular vision in mind: to provide the best representation possible to our workers' compensation and personal injury clients. We take pride in our service and commitment to each and every client, and we make ourselves available to answer any question or respond to any problem that may arise. Our clients are our highest priority. The Law Offices of John M. Borcia concentrates its practice in Workers' Compensation, Plaintiff Personal Injury, Asbestos Exposure, and Medical Malpractice.

My husband and I needed to do estate planning, will and trust, etc.. We were referred to another…read moreattorney who wanted us to meet in his office in the city and wouldn't give us an estimate of the cost, so I decided to check for attorneys online. I decided to contact the virtual attorney based on his reviews, and really liked the idea of being able to do everything virtually. Mike was a pleasure to deal with. He answered all our questions and was very kind. I would definitely recommend using him if you need estate planning, or any of the other services he offers.

When I first reached out to Mike with my list of 1000 questions, I felt overwhelmed, scared, and…read morepowerless. He helped me gain confidence and see the influence I could have over my circumstances. At every turn, he helped me stay focused on both the immediate tasks and the end goal, by offering calm, reasoned, and thoughtful guidance, while also consistently demonstrating compassion and humanity. I never felt pressured or ignored, on the contrary - Mike always asked for my opinion and input and used that to frame his responses. He was always prompt, diligent, and professional. I highly recommend Mike for you corporate, business and contract needs!

Lawrence Ryan investigators is a good firm. They have competent employees. Pricing seems is…read morereasonable. I hired them, but they were not successful in serving court papers due to circumstances beyond everyone's control.

Very shady! Brad seemed very knowledgeable about what I needed and eager to help. We had a couple…read moreof conversations to work out the details. He went away for family business over thanksgiving. I contacted him the Monday after and he told me he'd contact me the following day. Never heard from him again. No return phone calls. No return emails. Nothing! Since the posting of my ONE STAR review on Thumbtack, Larry Ryan negated my review saying I'm not credible and never a client. You're right I wasn't a client because Brad blew me off! Your office staff blew me off! Larry Ryan why don't you ask Brad to forward the November email and the email after I left my ONE STAR review for your firm that he sent me. He blamed your office office staff for not contacting me. The only contacted active clients and not new or prospective clients. Too bad for you. I had a big job and gave it to someone else. There was pending litigation on behalf of my autistic son. The urgency of my requested was expressly communicated to Brad Weaver in our November phone conversation. Your firms lack of response and communication about Brad's personal issues hindered the progression of my case and pushed it back an additional two months. Communication was all I needed, and I couldn't get that. Maybe instead of lying about a bad review, man up and be accountable for your unprofessional office staff. Word of advice: Look elsewhere for a REPUTABLE private investigator!

Caveat emptor. We engaged Attorney Hayes over a year ago to execute our mother's estate. He does…read morenot communicate with us at all, is rarely in his office and has let debts associated with funeral services in two cities go unsettled for over a year. I am currently engaged in filing complaints with the Illinois Bar Association and the Illinois Attorney General's office to see if I can get any response regarding the status of the estate from Attorney Hayes. My advice is to find a larger firm with better resources who will return your calls, text messages and emails.

Never returns calls. Never in the office. Has taken way to long for a simple estate trustee deal…read more Would definitely not recommend him my worst enemy!!!