Please pay close attention to the reviews regarding cost versus outcomes…read more
I paid $4,500 for litigation services, only to ultimately be encouraged to settle. In total, I spent approximately $11,000 - $6,500 toward the settlement and $4,500 in legal fees. For that amount, I could have attempted to negotiate a similar resolution on my own.
I am not writing this from a place of anger, but I do feel misled. During the intake process, it was presented as though I had a case worth pursuing against the creditors. However, once I paid the retainer, the approach shifted significantly toward a conservative, settlement-focused strategy. While I understand that minimizing risk is sometimes the appropriate path, I would have appreciated clearer communication that this was a strategic decision, not an implication that I had no viable arguments at all.
There were also several billing and process concerns that contributed to my experience. I was charged for an email from the initial attorney requesting to reschedule our call, and shortly after, my case was reassigned. Despite already completing an intake, I was asked to pay for an additional intake call with the new attorney and was billed for the time it took for her to get up to speed on my case, circumstances that were entirely outside of my control. This felt unreasonable.
While Hira was professional and pleasant to work with, the transition itself reflected a level of disorganization within the firm that ultimately impacted my experience.
One of my main concerns was how certain contractual issues were handled. The complaint filed by OneMain Financial stated that a "due demand" had been made prior to initiating legal action. However, I have no record of ever receiving such a demand. Given that this representation was included in the pleadings, I believe it raised a legitimate issue regarding contractual compliance that could have been more thoroughly challenged or used as leverage, particularly in relation to the additional fees being sought.
While the case ultimately settled for significantly less than the original balance plus court and legal fees, I was left with the impression that potential arguments were not fully explored or clearly explained. In hindsight, I believe I may have been better off negotiating directly when the creditors initially reached out.
Overall, the combination of unclear expectations, billing practices, internal transitions, and the final outcome made this feel like a disappointing use of both time and money.
