Debra stated before I paid her, in 2 on my first visit, that if I needed to change my separation to a divorce at some point in the process, the time for it to finalize would not be lengthened, and that it would not cost me anymore. Satisfied with that answer, I paid her.
Up to that point she went out of her way to advise me and counsel me, to the point irritation; telling me she was more on my side than his, to see a therapist, to divorce him before I got AIDS like another woman she knew. I just wanted a legally sound agreement, with no bias as my husband and I were agreeable to the terms.
However, Debra was actually highly recommended by 2 of my friends (one of whom later changed her opinion of Debra due to the way her own experience with her ended), hence my decision to ignore the sudden claims of affection and strange unrequested loyalty ("you are very dear to me Amy" -this from a woman who had met with me 3 times) and engage her legal services.
When I later informed her that I had decided on divorce (about August), she said it would cost 350 or so more. I reiterated what she told me before about it not costing more, and she became defensive and said that I could get in trouble for receiving a waiver for the original filing fee.
[When I first came in, my husband and I had a fair amount of money and could easily have afforded the extra fee for filing, on top of the 1,500.00 to Debra. I told her we could afford it, and she said "If you do not have a job, you don't have to pay it" and I said ok. Later she tried to turn it around and threaten me with it]
She hung up on me (the first of about 3 times - the last 3 calls I have had with her -me being very calm and nice and her being quite antagonizing, talking without letup and needless to say not helping me, her client, at all). When she finally returned my calls about a week later, she said the price was now higher, about 400 or 500.
I said, ok, I don't have that, (as at that point I was quite broke, with no financial support or job) but I will look into it. Now being a bit wiser, I asked her to give me something in writing stating for X amount of dollars she would do X (finish my divorce). She stated quite rudely "I'm not going to waste my time with that" and talked non stop for about a minute before hanging up on me again.
I called back and left several very pleasant messages (not wanting to set off this obviously crazy person to whom I had paid a fortune and had my legal future in her hands) asking for a simple email. This was never done.
She does not return my calls, and I have no idea if my husband was served (he says he never got any papers), or if my case was filed at all. It has been about a year since I have heard from her, despite my having left voice mails, and of course paying her 1,500.00 which I have since learned is about what an attorney would charge for a non contested divorce like mine.
I am now faced with doing this divorce myself, with little to no money, and do not even have a case number, as she is completely AWOL.
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