I too have to add my post to the many that have been posted here regarding Norton Law Group, PC (Islandia, New York).
I contacted Norton Law Group PC almost a year ago to have them represent me to my bank in order to achieve a mortgage modification. I spoke with Mr. Norton at the beginning. He promised me that the $something fee was the only fee I would incur for this process. He was adamant that this was the only fee I would incur. Since then, I have paid three times that amount to his law firm. We all know attorneys don't come cheap, but Norton Law Group's fee are extremely high. When I questioned them about the additional fees, I was told that the bank "changed their procedures, " and Norton Law Group has to charge for the extra work, thus going back on their word that my $something fee was the only fee I would incur.
In August, I was called into the office for a meeting with the office manager, Ms. Kimberly Ball. At this meeting, I was badgered for payments. Ms. Ball never answered any of my questions.instead, she talked in circles. I had a witness with me to hear everything she said. Any answers she did give me — and they were few — were vague and noncomittal. She said they would require another $2500 retainer (along with the already high bill I had) to continue representing me and that they would no longer work on my case unless they had that $2500, and they wanted it right now.
Her behaviour was extremely unprofessional. While I was explaining to her how I could make payments over the following few weeks, she folded her hands on the table, kept tilting her head back and forth and kept saying over me, 'We need money. We need money. We need money." This was rude and completely unprofessional, not something one would expect from a member of a law firm. I left this meeting feeling completely degraded.
At a second meeting a week or so later, Ms. Ball told me that if I started paying my monthly mortgage payments, I would not get a modification because the bank would see that I was able to make payments. When I asked her if I should not make any payments, she said, "I can't tell you not to make any payments." This is a perfect example of her talking in circles. She then suggested that if I don't make payments, I should give that money to the law firm. It was all about her getting money, regardless of how it would have hurt my already shaky standing with my bank. Again, she badgered me for payment. Again, I left this meeting feeling like I was nothing, that all they cared about was their bill, that my concerns were not important.
I had been unhappy for a while with the performance of Norton Law Group. I received hefty monthly bills for services rendered, services I since learned (from a HUD counselor) that I could have done myself with my bank, calls I could have made myself, paperwork due monthly that I could have done myself. These last two meetings with the office manager Kimberly Ball, in which I was badgered and talked down to, plus the their lack of solid advice and guidance, made my mind up to release Norton Law Group from representing me.
I sent a certified letter advising the law group that I no longer need their representation. I first received numerous e-mails and phone calls from Ms. Ball telling me that they would take payments on the $2500 retainer since I had been a client of the firm for some time. Funny that when I was there, she stated they needed the full amount immediately before they would do any more work on my case. How quickly the story changed.
When I responded in e-mail that I don't want them to represent me any longer and that I don't want to make payments on another retainer, I then received a bill for $1900 for two weeks' worth of work. As the saying goes, they zapped it to me.
Since then, I have been working with a counselor from HUD, who told me that I should have been making any payments I can all along, even if it was once every other month, that that would have shown good faith and kept my arrears somewhat down. Norton Law Group never told me that.
The counselor also worked out a budget for me, explaining that I need to get my expenditures down a certain amount to make the ratio the bank wants to see before they would consider giving me a modification. Norton Law Group never worked out a budget for me, nor did they ever tell me that I've over the amount of expenditure in my case that the bank wants to see to qualify me for a modification of my mortgage and that I should cut back on my expenditures and increase my intake of money to satisfy the bank's requirements.
The HUD counselor also told me that when the bank reviews my file and is about to make a decision on my modification, they would want what they call a contribution. A contribution is part of your arrears. The bank doesn't want to put your whole arrears on the end of the loan, especially if your arrears are high. Norton Law Group never told me about this contribution the bank would require.
We hire an attorney to watch out for our interest, to advise us, to guide us. We depend on their professional knowledge. Norton Law Group falls dismally short in all these areas. Norton Law Group does not have their clients' best interest at heart. The only interest Norton Law Group has is to get as much money from their clients as possible doing the least amount of work as possible. And this they did.
To those who are reading this, follow through if you're in a similiar situation. Law firms who don't work for their clients need to be reported. Tell your story. File a report with complaint. Contact the Attorney General. Write to whomever you can to stop the raping of clients by firms like Norton Law Group.
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