This is a copy of the actual complaint letter to the new hampshire supreme court, the attorney discipline division which explains everything!
October 4
New Hampshire Supreme Court
Attorney Discipline Office
4 Chenell Drive, Suite 102
Concord, Nh 03301
Phone: (603) 224-5828
To whom this letter may concern,
I am filing a complaint with your office regarding a recent and unethical treatment I received by an attorney named
Edward W. Stewart, Jr. With the law firm Shaheen & Gordon, P.A., 80 Merrimack street, Manchester, Nh 03103, phone number (603) 669-8080.
To try and be brief, I was hurt at work on June 27th and was given the run around by the insurance company who kept asking me to do leg work for them in order for them to pay worker's compensation while I was out of work. I fulfilled their wishes on two different occasions and after being led a wild goose chase getting the documents they needed over a two month period, they subsequently denied paying the claim without just cause.
It was at this time I went online to inquire the help of an experienced attorney and found the site for Shaheen & Gordon and made an appointment to see Edward W. Stewart, Jr. To discuss the case. He and I met at his office. Mr. Stewart asked me to obtain all of my hospital records and bring them to him.
I was advised by Edward Stewart Jr., I would need a better letter (which he wrote for me to give to the my doctor) which stated the doctors opinion above and beyond what she already checked off on the workers compensation form stating my injury was due to my job function at work.
I made another trip back to the doctor who wrote a letter on my behalf, explaining her position once again, describing my work being the cause or most likely the cause, as she was not there to see the injury take place.
The same week I had been referred to a surgeon for possible need of surgery and was asked by
Ed Stewart Jr. To obtain a workers compensation form from the surgeon as well, showing his position and thoughts into the injury which I also brought to the attorney. This was on Friday, September 28th. I hand delivered the documents he needed to expedite the situation due to being out of work without income for well over two months and facing possible eviction without a place to live.
The attorney was well aware of the dire situation I was facing because of a dishonest insurance company, only buying time hoping I would just go away.
The attorney was not available at the time I delivered these documents, so I left a short letter with the two documents he needed, and asked in the letter to contact me on Monday when he was back in the office.
To my dismay, I did not hear back from Mr. Stewart until Thursday, after leaving more messages by phone, asking for a return call.
I finally heard from Mr. Stewart who was very monotone with me, after I answered the phone, as if a family member just died. I did not hear any type of reinforcement or support what so ever about the case at the start of our conversation and felt like everything he asked me to get for him for the case would have had a more positive response, especially after having to wait almost a week to even hear back from him.
I asked him on the phone if I was correct in sensing there was a problem or something missing he needed before requesting a hearing at the labor board, to go forward. He told me the doctors letter was not word for word like he wrote it and then he advised me to get an additional letter from the surgeon I went to see, in addition to the workers comp form he already filled out on my
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Behalf which I felt was out of line since considering I could have got that while I was at the appointment. I had, at that point, asked why he was not being a little more positive about the case and he said, insulting my intelligence, he thought I had a poor attitude, based on my concern, about his lack of concern on the case.
It was at this point, after I questioned his position, he told me, he was very busy and explained this is why it took him a week to get back to me and it was due to backed up cases from months prior and even if I requested an expedited hearing, like we talked about, after the first two meetings, he would be too busy to appear anyway, and most likely not be able to appear for at least 2 months!
This infuriated me, after I had just got the run around from the insurance company, now I'm being misled by this attorney, who had to have known he was too busy to take the case from the start, if he was claiming he had cases preventing him to representing me at a hearing at the labor board in Concord for more than 2 months!
I expressed my disappointment after just feeling better, having an attorney, who would be there for me, based on everything I already went through with the insurance company.instead of being professional and understanding of my disappointment, he thought it would be better to try and insult me and told me there was never a written agreement and I should have never assumed he was even taking the case!
I feel this was an extremely unprofessional and unethical treatment on the attorney's part and hope by this letter, especially if this has been a pattern of conduct by this attorney, which may be on record somewhere, this will be added to an existing file where if his continues showing disregard for the public, disciplinary action may be taken by your division over seeing these unprofessional attorneys.
I am so distraught over this, as I am now back in the same position, still without representation, still facing eviction. I am forwarding a copy of this letter to the Better Business Bureau and to multiple consumer complaint websites to inform the public of his thoughtless and unethical practices.
Lastly, if you could give any advise as to an obtaining a reputable and professional attorney who specializes in cases such as my own, please email me with an attorney's name is possible, who I can contact about my case. Thank you for your valued time and I appreciate your understanding in this matter.
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