On July 23, my husband contacted the Law Offices of John G. McGill, Jr. Concerning legal representation we believed would be prudent for me to obtain regarding an upcoming child custody hearing. Mr. McGill quoted my husband a fee of $900 to stand with me in court as I already had legal papers prepared for me by a paralegal granting my ex-husband Sole Legal Custody of our fifteen year old daughter. The only issues to be contested were 1) I should not be responsible for paying my ex-husband's attorney's fees, and 2) I wanted to make sure that whatever figures my ex-husband was submitting for the Dissomaster in establishing child-support modification were true and correct. I telephoned Mr. McGill after he had talked with my husband, at which time he clarified that his fee would actually be $1,200 because of the distance to court, and I made an appointment to see him in his office the next day.
On July 24, I met with Mr. McGill and submitted to him copies of all the necessary legal paperwork I had obtained through my paralegal. I also remitted to him a check for $1,400 as a retainer fee, with the understanding that with the exception of a few incidentals here and there, he should be able to get this case settled for me in a timely and frugal fashion. When I questioned him about the cost of his services versus just paying my ex-husband's attorney's fees, he advised me to stop letting this ex-husband of mine push me around. Mr. McGill used his fatherly attitude toward me that day to deceive me and trick me out of more than $4,460 of attorney's fees.
In conclusion, I appeared before the court on September 9, informing the commissioner that for ethical reasons I had to let my attorney go, but that I was retaining another attorney to represent me who would be available in two weeks. I was denied a continuance, and left to fend for myself without legal representation, nor so much as a file to look at. I know that a murderer on trial would have had more rights than I did that day.
There is a lot of talk these days about government regulation, and certainly Family Law is an area that should be under consideration. Too many attorneys in this field take advantage of the emotions and the financial situations of their clients to their own advantage and are willing to draw out any case as much as they can in order to fill their own pockets. Greed on the part of attorneys destroys the objectives of our judicial system today.
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