Quote:
Originally Posted by CohibaBehike
Really sorry to hear that man. Family and friends can really make the worst clients sometimes.
Story about friend being horrible client: a buddy of mine is a solo is super super busy out there hustling.
His friend owns a company and had a really great complex commercial litigation claim, mid six figures in damages. My buddy who doesn't know how to handle commercial claims, let alone complex ones teams up with my father who mainly practices in complex commercial litigation. Fully disclosed of course.
Here is where it gets nasty. At first my buddy tells client will do it for 20% contingency fee. When he realizes how complex case will be and teams up with my dad, my dad does not handle those cases for less than 1/3rd. So my dad drafts retainer that states fee is one third and client signs it.
Father litigates and wins the case for the client after bifurcated trials. The claim is paid in full with interest. Client goes ape **** thinking fee is only 20%.
Father had to hold the disputed portion of the fee in trust for close to 16 months before he prevailed in arbitration over fee dispute.
That's pretty bad!! Thanks for trying the case and winning it. Now cut your fee to sh*t. No? OK well now I'm coming after YOU, and will pay my new lawyer with all of the money you won for me. lol.
That reminds me of the other day this client of mine. Very tough liability case, settled for a lot of money against the one viable defendant with insurance. Have a double digit millions dollar default judgment against a small company (w/ no insurance or much money)and they've agreed to pay her a few thousand per month forever so we won't shut their ass down. She drives (in her brand new mercedes bought with settlement money) to my office with her criminal lawyer (who I've paid a large referral fee to) to bitch about the few thousand not being enough.
Quote:
Originally Posted by miajag
Sounds like more of a "your father in law is a giant *******" story than a "never do work for family" story
Yeah...kind of becoming more aware of that now more than the last 12 years I've known him.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JackInDaCrak
I had a college friend ask me to review a residential lease for him in exchange for a 6pack of beer. Thanks for the $10, cheap ass.
I inform him that his retention of security deposits clause is illegal and his response was that the lease was drafted by a "real" lawyer.
We don't talk any more.
Ugh that's the worst. My grandfather is like that. I was always a "bad student" and a screw up in his mind or whatever while all of the other perfect children at my school went to Harvard, so now he just acts like I'm Jim Adler now that I'm a lawyerman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TvdiBebWTY (google for more Hammer fun).
Even the other day, some dickhead defense lawyer who was referring us (through me, but not to me) a case and seriously asked "Have you tried a case yet?". I would say it was pretty blatantly him just trying to big time me, so I don't really give a damn, but I sure did want to punch him in the face through the phone. It's no fun getting disrespected, although the look on their face when they read the verdict makes it almost worth it. I think after my second trial, the defense lawyer with 25 years experience was asking me if I thought his trial strategy was good, and I'm like "dude I don't know..."...He was actually nice though.
I've just kind of like given up trying to care if anyone (other than potential clients maybe) think of me. My family (like mom/grandparents...not counting wife obv) have no idea that I do kind of big cases sometimes.
Last edited by POKEROMGLOL; 09-18-2015 at 03:20 PM.