Billing Discrepancies and Unresponsiveness During Critical Times
I retained this federal criminal defense attorney and paid approximately $77,000 in four months. My written fee agreement stated an hourly rate of $1,100, yet I was billed $1,250 per hour until I personally discovered the discrepancy. The rate was only corrected after I raised it.
I later received invoices claiming 70 hours of work, but the entries lacked meaningful detail explaining what services were performed. During a critical period surrounding my federal surrender, I paid approximately $45,000, yet my attorney was largely unreachable.
My calls went unanswered. Emails were ignored. Calls from my family were not returned. When I questioned the lack of communication, I was told he “did not know how to use CorrLinks,” despite CorrLinks being commonly used in federal cases.
At one of the most serious moments of my life, I felt abandoned by my own attorney. Based on my experience, the fees charged did not reflect the level of work or communication provided. I strongly urge prospective clients to review invoices closely and insist on detailed explanations of all charges.