Thanks everyone for all the help.
Update.
I have hired a new lawyer who required half the retainer amount of the first one($5000) and is $100/hr cheaper. My new lawyer was familiar with the old firm and and actually knew them by name. He said he has had past dealings with this firm and he is not surprised at all that I am having problems with them. He immediately contacted the old lawyer and said he was taking over the case. It took him 3 weeks and many phone calls to get the billing and all the work done from the first lawyer and I picked the check up today. As I figured, he charged me about double what I thought he should have. My biggest billing contention is he charged me $1200 for researching and drafting the Summons and complaint. My problem is with the research. Basically all it was was he took my assayers assessment I gave him and re did it to his own paperwork. Oh, and he added a extremly basic diagram of my house. How basic? Lets just say it took him about 5 minutes with a ruler and pencil to draw up. My assayer did all the research and charged 1/4 the amount. LOL. It makes me wonder how much I would have been billed if I didn't cut him off when I did. And I am sure he would have gone way over the original $5000 retainer and never have told me. Something I told him specifically not to do. I swear, though I know it's not worth it, I really feel like going after the disputed amount. I have seen others on the net complaining about over billing by this firm so it just galls me I didn't google him before I retained him.
None of this would have bothered me if he had just done his job. Looking at the bill, my new layer pointed out 3 times when he did not do something for a long period of time if at all he should of.
One, there was a 3 week waiting period after he saw if there was a lean on the house before he called me in to sign the paperwork to go ahead. The only reason he did it then was because I called him and asked him about it.
Two,There was a 8 week waiting period after I signed the paperwork before he brought it to the county clerk. He only did so after I called him again and asked him about it. I was told at this time that my case had been switched to a new lawyer and the new lawyer knew nothing at all about my case or why it hadn't been worked on.
Three, after he brought it to the clerk on April 21'st, the next step was for him to serve my sister with the papers. Here we are 2 months and 1 day later and he still has not served my sister. And he has stopped answering my phone calls.
My new lawyer, once he got the paperwork today, has already sent the summons out to be served.
The whole reason I am sure that my house issue has not been resolved is because my sister's lawyer I am sure told her not to do anything until she was served. Why should she? This fool of a first lawyer has cost me at least 3 months of delay for no apparent reason other than laziness.
Any way, just needed to get that all out. Thank u all again for all your advice. This has certainly been an expensive learning experience that had the potential to be even worse.
