My wife and I went to Frieda to create a pre-marital agreement a few months back. She seemed well qualified, and though we were a little put off when she mentioned that " (we) should know, (we're) working with the best family law attorney in California", we agreed to move forward and sent her a $3,000 retainer check.
As my mother is also a Family law attorney, we had asked her to draw up some stuff as a starting place which she of course did for us. When Frieda called her to "discuss" the starting point, she was so rude that my mother refused to continue participating. She's the managing partner of a firm with over 30 lawyers, so it's not as though she is not accustomed to dealing with difficult personalities. Needless to say, this too gave us pause.
It was only when Frieda categorically refused to author a pre-nump with a waiver or spousal support, that we told her we would find another attorney to represent me and author the document. All she would have to do is advise my fiance (and advise her not to sign it if that's what she thinks) and then sign off that she has advised her client on the ramifications of the document. She REFUSED to do even that, saying that she will not sign off on any pre-marital with a waiver of spousal support.
So we both found other representation and got the document done per our wishes with almost no resistance at all. Then when we asked Frieda to return the balance of our $3000 "retainer" (she owes us about $2400) she refused again! I called and spoke with a representative of the CA Bar, who said we should file a bar complaint which we are in the process of doing. Pursuant to State Bar Professional Conduct code section 3-700 D (2), she is legally obligated to redund the money, which she still refuses to do.
BEWARE... I have dealt with dozens of attorneys in my professional life. My mother is an attorney, and my wife is starting law school next week. Needless to say, I have known a lot of lawyers, both good and bad. This woman is an absolute ego maniac. She is demeaning, arrogant, and an out and out cheat when it comes to her billing practices. You would think that "the best family law attorney in California" would know her own Bar Association's conduct code well enough not to make a rookie error like this. I'm just glad she's not representing me in a real case!
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