Do not make the same mistake I did by using Steven N. Cole to handle my divorce. Cole advertises himself as "Attorney of the Year" and "Aggressive Representation" Don't believe a word of that crap.
Because my divorce involved involved six figures in asset's I needed an attorney that would fight for me. Cole billed himself as that type of attorney. At my first meeting/consultation, I noticed that Cole was fiddling with a golf club and in every other meeting he was always fiddling with some object, basketball or a football. After the fourth meeting I realized he was not paying complete attention to me and asked him to stop playing with those objects. He claimed that it was "nervous energy".
My ex had retained a female "pit bull" lawyer who was a go for the throat, take no prisoners person. Any legal maneuver Cole tried, she had a counter and he always backed down. At one point Cole told me that this divorce would go well because he had a meeting with the other attorney and "they bonded" and came to an understanding. I told him I paid him to represent me, not to "bond" with the opposition.
I found Steve Cole to be lazy and did not pay attention to detail. At one conference with all parties present, Cole did not have all the necessary paperwork and was unsure of facts in the case. I excused my self to all and asked Cole to step outside the conference room to discuss an issue privately or so I thought. We went back in the room and he told the other attorney what we discussed. Looking back on that, I should have fired him right there.
I had told Cole that I had paid for my ex to go professional school so she could make more money in her profession and I wanted him to file for spousal support because of that fact. He said he could not do that because there was not a legal precedent for that. I knew there was. I spent one Saturday at the ASU Law Library doing research. I don't pretend to be a lawyer but from the time I went to grad school I know how to do research. Needless to say I found the case. The following Monday I was in Cole's office and gave the case and legal opinions I had printed. He became very upset that I had done this and accused (yes accused) me of not trusting him. I told him I come from the school of T.N.O. - trust no one and it was nothing personal just business. He was told to file the necessary papers within two days. I called two days later and Cole told me he could not file on this motion because it would violate the trust he had built up with the other attorney. Very calmly, even though I was madder than hell, I explained that he did work for me and I have spent close to four thousand dollars for nothing and he was fired.
Don't waste you time and more importantly your money on a poor lawyer like Steven N. Cole. He talks a good game but if was very obvious that he puts the minimum effort into his work and that will cost you.
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