I'm not sure that my lawyer was on my side

[confusedndazed]

Hello! This might get a little wordy but I want to be clear about my question.

I was divorced about 2 years ago, in CT and I've been dealing with falling out from a bad agreement ever since. I hired an attorney at the time but have since switched counsel. During a review of my case with my new attorney, it was determined that my previous attorney had filed multiple contempt motions for different (valid) reasons, however, she never showed up in court. On top of this, she also advised me against voicing my ex husband's adultery which had ultimately led to our divorce. The reason why was irreconcilable differences but she never used that piece of information, which I had concrete proof of, in any way. In my review with my new attorney, I don't believe that she was representing my best interest but I've only ever been to court for this matter so I'm not in a position to decide. I do know that my ex husband's lawyer pulled a lot of strings to change things in our case and although I have no hard evidence of that, it's crossed my mind that I wasn't my attorneys priority. Does her practice, in regard to the contempt hearings and the withholding of information that was critical to the situation, sound like common practice or is it possible my attorney wasn't acting in my interest based on this information? I understand that this is only a forum and there are 3 sides to every story but I'm posting with hopes to get an unbiased point of view. I'm not looking to sue her but if I'm correct in my assumptions, I'd like to know if I have any recourse that can clean up the bad deal I ended up paying over $10k for. Thank you.

 

[quincy]

Hello! This might get a little wordy but I want to be clear about my question.

I was divorced about 2 years ago, in CT and I've been dealing with falling out from a bad agreement ever since. I hired an attorney at the time but have since switched counsel. During a review of my case with my new attorney, it was determined that my previous attorney had filed multiple contempt motions for different (valid) reasons, however, she never showed up in court. On top of this, she also advised me against voicing my ex husband's adultery which had ultimately led to our divorce. The reason why was irreconcilable differences but she never used that piece of information, which I had concrete proof of, in any way. In my review with my new attorney, I don't believe that she was representing my best interest but I've only ever been to court for this matter so I'm not in a position to decide. I do know that my ex husband's lawyer pulled a lot of strings to change things in our case and although I have no hard evidence of that, it's crossed my mind that I wasn't my attorneys priority. Does her practice, in regard to the contempt hearings and the withholding of information that was critical to the situation, sound like common practice or is it possible my attorney wasn't acting in my interest based on this information? I understand that this is only a forum and there are 3 sides to every story but I'm posting with hopes to get an unbiased point of view. I'm not looking to sue her but if I'm correct in my assumptions, I'd like to know if I have any recourse that can clean up the bad deal I ended up paying over $10k for. Thank you.

Attorneys rarely will violate professional rules and ethical codes and act against the best interests of their clients. It is impossible to say if your previous attorney did anything wrong, though, without knowing all of what your attorney did and why.

I doubt if you have any legal recourse against your previous attorney two years after-the-fact but what does your new attorney think? Your new attorney can best advise you.

 

[confusedndazed]

Attorneys rarely will violate professional rules and ethical codes and act against the best interests of their clients. It is impossible to say if your previous attorney did anything wrong, though, without knowing all of what your attorney did and why.

I doubt if you have any legal recourse against your previous attorney two years after-the-fact but what does your new attorney think? Your new attorney can best advise you.

Thank you for the reply. My new attorney believes something doesn't add up but it's a small bar around here and they all know one another so he's reluctant to point fingers. I'm not necessarily looking for recourse or malpractice so much as I'm curious, if it were true would it help me in the future or to fix any of the errors that were made during that time. I just want that part of my life to be over with but it seems like it will never end, even now.

Just out of curiosity, did you read that part about the contempt motions and no appearances? To be clear, there were 14+ in total (which I was billed for) and no results because of 14+ no shows. That's just odd to me but again, I'm no expert so I'm just looking for advice from a more versed community.

Thank you.

 

[quincy]

Thank you for the reply. My new attorney believes something doesn't add up but it's a small bar around here and they all know one another so he's reluctant to point fingers. I'm not necessarily looking for recourse or malpractice so much as I'm curious, if it were true would it help me in the future or to fix any of the errors that were made during that time. I just want that part of my life to be over with but it seems like it will never end, even now.

Just out of curiosity, did you read that part about the contempt motions and no appearances? To be clear, there were 14+ in total (which I was billed for) and no results because of 14+ no shows. That's just odd to me but again, I'm no expert so I'm just looking for advice from a more versed community.

Thank you.

Yes, I read your entire post. I am not in a position to second guess what your previous attorney did two years ago, though.

If your current attorney thinks something is amiss, however, you could file a complaint with the Connecticut Bar. What the Connecticut Bar will do after all this time is anyone's guess. I suspect not much.

Following is a link to the Connecticut Bar Practice Book where you can read the Rules and Codes that govern attorneys in your state.

http://www.jud.ct.gov/Publications/PracticeBook/PB.pdf

And here is a link to Connecticut resources, where you can find how to file a complaint - if you are convinced your previous attorney did not represent you properly.

http://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/law/lawyers.htm

Good luck with your new attorney.

 

[confusedndazed]

Thank you very much. I still don't know if I'm crazy or not but I appreciate the advice.

 

[quincy]

Thank you very much. I still don't know if I'm crazy or not but I appreciate the advice.

I don't know if you are crazy or not, either, but I suspect you aren't.

It is too bad you didn't question your previous attorney about the billing at the time you were billed, though. The attorney might have been able to explain what happened with the motions and relieved you of the concern you've been carrying. Most attorneys do not mind taking the time to answer their clients' questions and address their concerns, including questions and concerns over the fees and billings.

Good luck with your new attorney. I hope you s/he handles your legal issues well.