Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/30/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On April 20, I hired ****** to draft an Opposition to Dismiss Official Capacity claims, along with editing a Second Amended Complaint (SAC) with motion, which all had to be filed on May 2. I sent all basic documents for the Opposition motion to review that same day. ****** accepted the project with those conditions on April 22. I sent him a draft of the SAC on April 22 and asked him only to edit Counts 1-10 (para. 166-270). On April 28, I asked how soon I could get Counts 1-10 of the SAC returned to me; on April 29, he responded he could get 1-10 to me that day, but only sent me para. 1-20 on April 30, which I specifically asked him NOT to touch, so his changes were useless. On May 2 (the due date) he claimed he did not have the Motion To Dismiss to reply to, which I had sent him on April 20. He continued to misplace my files and did not start work on the Opposition Memo until the day it was due. When he got around to looking at my work, he said it was "fine" and only edited 5 paragraphs--adding no case law or research, but just keeping my work as is. He did not send the SAC until two days after the deadline on May 4--and did not finish it--jumping from Count 5 on page 54 to FOURTH CAUSE OF ACTION on page 57, not even bothering to check changes to paragraph links or correct his own errors, but leaving my work “in close similarity to before.” In the end I paid ****** and his company a total of $2,287.50 (invoices ********** through **********) for specific tasks he did not perform or complete on time, did all the work on my own, and got nothing of value in return. I ended the contract and filed a dispute with a mediator; the mediator found “It is important to note that the freelancer missed completing the project on time . . . We recommend that the freelancer kindly considers issuing a refund of $1143.75 to the client, equivalent to half of the disputed amount.” ****** returned no money nor did he accept responsibility for his breach of contract or fraud.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/19/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates that the business has not responded to you directly.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by US Law Desk Services regarding complaint ID ********. I am not surprised by his silence, as one reason might be that i have since found out he is a convicted felon who was sent to prison for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars of client money,

  After doing research on him online, I contacted the ************ Bar Associations website (************************************),where I discovered he had been disbarred or suspended from the practice of law three times for professional misconductdisbarred in 1986 for stealing money from 2 clients for his own use, suspended on an emergency basis in 2008, and formally disbarred by consent in 2014, after admitting the 2008 charges against him were true. In the 2014 docket, it indicated that ****** had been indicted on 17 counts of wire fraud, convicted by jury on 12 counts, sentenced to 57 months in prison on each count (served concurrently), placed under supervised release for 3 years, and ordered to pay $225,000 in restitution to the client whose funds he had used to  pay employee salaries, purchase office supplies and obtain cash for his personal use. None of this information was disclosed on his ****** account, and I would not have hired him had I known he was a convicted felon with a long record of stealing money and being engaged in fraudulent activities. As he engaged in fraud, that fraud voids all contracts made with him on ****** and compels me to request a full refund not only based on that fraud, but for his breach of contract, falsifying work records, and taking money for services not performed.

  While continuing his misrepresentation on ******, he also offers paralegal services through his one-man company, US Lawdesk, (*********************************************************************),but states there that the services offered include legal research and writing for law firms, government and business organizations, and selected projects;legal memoranda, appellate briefs, complex pleadings; federal and state, which smacks of practicing law, although he is disbarred. A check with 2 national paralegal organizations (****, ****) confirm ****** is not licensed as a paralegal; inasmuch as it is my understanding that paralegals are only allowed to operate under the supervision of a licensed attorney, and ****** is disbarred, he is supervising himself, so his pattern of misrepresentation continues unabated.

  Documentary evidence is attached proving the above,

  Regards,
  
  *****************************