ComplaintsforThe Jackson Law Firm, P.C.

• Initial Complaint

  12/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We engaged The Jackson ********** on September 7 of 2024 and was quoted "around $700 to $900" for the *** operating agreement we were seeking. To date, The Jackson ********** has charged us $2,625 and is attempting to charge another $1,795, totaling $4,420 and has not provided an operating agreement to our team despite that being the initial goal. We believe ***** has strategically used our payments to hold us hostage and has intentionally kept us confused about the work he was doing, via confusing emails with various texts, colors, and type and video calls.We believe the dispute was manifested through the following:1. Multiple billing discrepancies where there would be duplicate charges for one activity or $$ charge 'per email'. ***** would send one email for one question and charge per email instead of asking multiple questions in one email, in efforts to what we could only surmise as to increase our bill with 'admin work' or 'emails'.2. He did not take notes during our video conversations on work to be done, again increasing the amount of time he needed to spend working for us by asking basic questions multiple times for items we had already previously answered for him. 3. Last but certainly not least, we believe ***** Jackson gave us incorrect advice as a way to "lead us in circles" as a way to add on more fees/time with him. ***** Jackson has attempted to resolve the issue with us by lowering the total amount "due" to him by $500 and having us sign a settlement agreement to not post any negative reviews about him or his firm, without providing the operating agreement to our team. This is not satisfactory to our needs.

  Business response

  12/19/2023

  Well, the statements made by ******************* are simply NOT TRUE. She or one of her team members requested EACH & EVERY SERVICE we provided them. This office has a dedicated **************** Process, where we have NOT received any complaints in over 27 years in business. In Fact, we have received dozens and dozens FIVE STAR REVIEWS. Our process is easy to understand and straightforward. We are dedicated to Excellent Client Services!

  Simply stated, she REQUESTED EACH AND EVERY SERVICE we provided, and she and her team ASKED FOR MORE SERVICES in between invoices that they happily paid each week ... without any objection or complaint... so, it is a bit puzzling.

  This office offered her three solutions ... a refund of $500 ... submit the matter to mediation ... submit the matter to Attorney Client Fee Arbitration ... apparently, she has elected a less honorable route. 
  
  We have dozens and dozens of FIVE STAR REVIEWS and work hard for those reviews. If ******************* provides written authorization to share the confidential information to help clear up the confusion, we would be happy to do so.
  
  Outline of our Client engagement and provision of services.
  
  Initial Contact with this office by email, contact form or phone call.
  

  Free Initial Video Call Consultation [Value to the Client - $150.00 - $195.00].

  Possible Second Free Initial Video Call Consultation [Value to the Client - $75.00 - $95.00].

  We also offer Free Client Support video calls along the way, if the client is confused about the process [Value to the Client - $295.00 -$395.00]
  

  We do not charge for the many admin reviews that other law firms charge saving our clients hundreds of dollars each month.
  

  If client wants to engage our Legal and ******** Services, we email the proposed Attorney-Client Fee Agreement, with HIGHLIGHTS below.
  

  We ask them to write down what they goals are in our anticipated work together.
  

  The Attorney Client Fee Agreement States:
  

  BEFORE you pay the INITIAL RETAINER PAYMENT, please read the summary of our Attorney/Client Fee Agreement below.
  

  Your Initial Retainer Payment reflects that you understand and approve of the Attorney/Client Fee Agreement summary below.
  

  Please provide a short history of the facts surrounding the goal, dispute, complaint, issue or problem.
  

  Let us know what you believe are the main issues or concerns in the issue, problem or conflict.
  

  Both attorney & client desire to proceed with the legal representation by the Firm, subject to the terms and provisions contained herein.
  

  Client will pay the Firm for the legal services provided under this Agreement at the respective hourly rates of the individuals providing the services.
  

  Client will receive weekly or bi-weekly invoices by email. This law office will charge clients credit card on file within 48 hours of sending Client the weekly invoices.
  

  Nothing in this Contract and nothing in Attorney's statements to Client will be construed as a promise or guarantee about the outcome of Clients matter. Attorney makes no such promises or guarantees. Attorney's comments about the outcome of Client's matter are expressions of opinion only.

  Any estimate of fees given shall not be a guarantee.
  

  Client agrees to be truthful with Attorney and not to withhold information, to cooperate, to keep Attorney informed of any information or developments which may come to Clients attention, to abide by this Agreement, to pay Attorneys bills on time, and to keep Attorney advised of Clients address, telephone number and whereabouts. 

  Client will assist Attorney by timely providing necessary information and documents.
  

  If you understand and approve of the above items and agreements, please pay the initial retainer of $495 Thank you for the opportunity to be of service to you!
  

  This office ONLY provides the Legal or ******** Services from the direct email or verbal request of our clients.
  

  In the footer of ALL our emails to our clients, it states Please be advised that if you have requested (i.e. asked for advice) or asked for legal services or business development services from this office as reflected in phone calls, video calls or in this email, that the time it took to respond to your request is subject to our hourly billing ($240.00 to $360.00 per hour averaging $295.00 per hour).
  

  We email weekly or bi-weekly invoices to our clients to let them know precisely what they are being charged for and the clients are provided at least 48 hours to object to any line-item charge. *
  We routinely respond to our client requests within ***** hours.

  Customer response

  12/22/2023

   
  Complaint: 21017705
  
  I am rejecting this response because: ***** has constantly been harassing us for the final payment of $1795.00 after we made it clear that we do not permit him to charge the card and that we will be going through mediation/arbitration for the unethical work. We still have not gotten final draft with what was asked. SMH.
  
  *******************

  Business response

  12/24/2023

  Well, here is a curious thing ... the client below makes a number of FALSE STATEMENTS about our interactions with them ... their alleged "harassment" ... is this office suggesting that we all engage in either Mediation or Attorney Client Fee Arbitration ... it is curious that this office, being the first one to ask for a neutral third-party peaceful resolution with a Mediator, is now construed by these clients as "harassment" ... 

  The truth of the matter is that:

  1. They agreed to the Attorney Client Fee Agreement that clearly states ... [1] Client will pay the Firm for the legal services provided under this Agreement at the respective hourly rates of the individuals providing the services... [2] Client will receive weekly or bi-weekly invoices by email. This law office will charge clients credit card on file within 48 hours of sending Client the weekly invoices... [3] Nothing in this Contract and nothing in Attorney's statements to Client will be construed as a promise or guarantee about the outcome of Clients matter. Attorney makes no such promises or guarantees... [4] Any estimate of fees given shall not be a guarantee... [5] Either Client or the Firm may terminate this Agreement upon giving written notice to the other party. Client may discharge the Firm for any reason and at any time. Attorney may withdraw with Client's consent or for cause or ethical consideration... [6] Client agrees to be truthful with Attorney and not to withhold information, to cooperate, to keep Attorney informed of any information or developments which may come to Clients attention ... and EQUALLY IMPORTANT would be ... [7] out of the multitude of emails, why would they not tell me about any alleged complaints with the invoicing? .... and [8] with each email sent to them, the footer in each email stated "Please be advised that if you have requested (i.e. asked for advice) or asked for legal services or business development services from this office as reflected in phone calls, video calls or in this email, that the time it took to respond to your request is subject to our hourly billing ($240.00 to $360.00 per hour averaging $295.00 per hour)" ... AND with each of multiple invoices sent to them, each invoice OFFERED AN OPPORTUNITY for active feedback, in that we ask in every invoice: In every invoice, it states:
  
  Please feel free to grade my performance by providing a letter grade indicating your evaluation of my past services to you:
  
  QUESTIONS:
  
  How have I been in providing you with relevant, useful and important information?
  How have I been in providing you with information in a prompt and timely manner?
  How have I been in resolving your conflict/issues and/or improving your business?
  
  All you will need to do is reply with the three letter grades.
  
  A =Excellent
  B = Very Good
  C = Good
  D = Needs Improvement

  So, the CURIOUS THING is that with the multitude of emails, video calls and invoices sent to them over multiple weeks ...  "How or why are these individuals now expressing their complaints about the invoicing and paying for services they requested and received, when they sent and received dozens and dozens of opportunities to express their concerns when they replied to each email, with all of their emails either asking questions or answering questions or requesting more legal and business development services from this office"? CURIOUS INDEED!

   

  Customer response

  01/04/2024

   
  Complaint: 21017705
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Yes, it is true that ***** Jackson Law offices had a LOT of "fine print" in his emails to us. However, that is not our ultimate complaint, even though his emails contained multiple types of fonts, colors, and subject line changes to which we could only surmise as a way to further confuse us and make it difficult to interpret his emails. It remains the same that we were led in circles in what we believe was to charge us more money for no services rendered. We immediately brought up our dissatisfaction and disagreement once we realized ***** was attempting to invoice us for $1,795 in a single billing, bringing our total up to over $4,000 and still providing us with no completed product. We would not be filing a complaint on the BBB or with the State BAR association if we were not dissatisfied and felt we were taken advantage of. After we told him our dissatisfaction, we attempted to settle and pay him just so we could receive our LLC operating agreement. He then proceeded to bully us by refusing to close out our agreement. He had told us that the operating agreement was complete but after we expressed our dissatisfaction, he told us the operating was NOT completed and would cost us even more than the final payment. This attorney works extra diligently to ensure that your scope of work is never complete so that he can keep creating more work, more time billed and place you in a position so that you will always need to return to him. We are confident all we needed was a simple members managed LLC, however he turned his advice and a little guidance into a circus. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  Business response

  01/09/2024

  Well ... a FEW THOUGHTS ...  item by item:

  ***** Jackson Law offices had a LOT of "fine print" in his emails to us. WELL, THERE WAS NO FINE PRINT ... EVERYTHING STATED IN 12 FONT MULTIPLE TIMES AND WITHIN MULTIPLE FORMATS ... SIGNED AGREEMENTS ... ACKNLWLEDGED EMAILS ... AND WITHIN WEEKLY INVOICES.

  However, that is not our ultimate complaint, even though his emails contained multiple types of fonts, colors, and subject line changes to which we could only surmise as a way to further confuse us and make it difficult to interpret his emails. WELL, CURIOUS ... WE USE ONE COLOR FOR THIS LA W OFFICE AND ONE COLOR FOR OUR PARALEGAL [TO HELP DISTINGUISH WHO DRAFTED THE COMMUNICATION] ... THE CLIENT USED ANOTHER COLOR[S] FOR THEIR COMMUNICATIONS ... SO, THE "MULTIPLE COLORS AND FONTS" WERE AN OPTION THEY READILY ENGAGED ... SO NO CONFUSION ... ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY RESPONDED THOUGHTFULLY TO EACH OF THE COMMUNICATIONS.

  It remains the same that we were led in circles in what we believe was to charge us more money for no services rendered. AGAIN, CERTAINLY, SERVICES WERE RENDERED [DOZENS AND DOZENS OF EMAILS AND MULTIPLE DOCUMENT DEVELOPMENTS ... WITHOUT REVEALING ANY CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION, MANY CLIENTS WILL HAVE THEIR WISHES, WANTS AND NEEDS EVOLVE OVER THE DISCUSSION TIME SPAN ... AS WE PRESENT SERVERAL STRATEGIES FOR THE CLIENT TO ACHIEVE THEIR DESIRED GOALS. IF THIS CLIENT WILL AUTHORIZE THIS OFFICE TO SHARE CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION, WE CAN CLEARLY SHOW WHERE EACH SERVICE AND EACH DOCUMENT REVIEW AND DEVELOPMENT WAS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED BY THE CLIENTS. THERE WERE MULTIPLE DIFFERENT DOCUMENTS REQUESTED AND MULTIPLE SERVICES PROVIDED ... AS REQUESTED. IF AUTHORIZED BY THIS CLIENT, WE CAN SHOW THAT THE ESTIMATE. BY EMAIL, FOR THE WORK WAS TO BE GREATER THAN $3500.00 NOT COUNTING THE MANY CHANGES THAT SOMETIMES OCCUR IN THESE SITUATIONS WHICH INCREASED THE CHARGES ... AT THEIR REQUEST.

  We immediately brought up our dissatisfaction and disagreement once we realized ***** was attempting to invoice us for $1,795 in a single billing, bringing our total up to over $4,000 and still providing us with no completed product.  WELL, NOT TURE ... IN OVER A FIFTEEN WEEK PERIOD ... WITH OVER 40 EMAILS BACK AND FORTH, THEY NEVER ONCE, EXCEPT WITH THE LAST INVOICE EMAIL ... EVER OBJECTED TO OUR SERVICES. IN FACT, IF THIS CLIENT ************************* WE CAN SHARE AN EMAIL ON THE LAST DAY OF SERVICES THAT EXPRESSES THEIR APPRECIATION FOR OUR WORK.... 

  We would not be filing a complaint on the BBB or with the State BAR association if we were not dissatisfied and felt we were taken advantage of. WELL, IT APPEARS THAT THIS CLIENT HAS HAD A CHANGE OF HEART ... THEIR COMPLAINT IS A BIT LIKE THEM GOING TO A RESTUARANT SEVERAL DAYS OVER 15 WEEKS ... ORDERING FOOD ... EATING THE FOOD ... THEN COMING BACK FOR MORE DINNERS AND LUNCHES CONSUMING DOZENS AND DOZENS OF MEALS ... THEN ONLY TO SAY THAT THEY WANT TO BECOME A VEGETARIAN ... AND SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THE FOOD THAT THEY ATE OVER THE LAST 15 WEEKS ... MAKES NO SENSE!

  After we told him our dissatisfaction, we attempted to settle and pay him just so we could receive our LLC operating agreement. He then proceeded to bully us by refusing to close out our agreement. WELL, FLAT OUT ... NOT TRUE ... WHAT I SAID WAS THAT THE DOCUMENT WAS NOT YET COMPLETED AS A RESULT OF THERI LATEST REQUEST FOR CHANGES ... AND WANTED TO BE PAID FOR THE CURRENT INVOICE ... AND SOME LEVEL OF ASSURANCE THAT THIS OFFICE WOULD BE PAID FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS TO UPDATE/COMPLETE THE DOCUMENT AS THEY REQUESTED. ... AND THE "BULLYING" COMMENT IS JUST GASLIGHTING THE SITUATION. 

  He had told us that the operating agreement was complete but after we expressed our dissatisfaction, he told us the operating was NOT completed and would cost us even more than the final payment. AGAIN, FLAT OUT ... NOT TRUE ... THIS OFFICE WAS INSTRUCTED TO UPDATE THE DOCUMENT AND TO COMPLETE OUR LEGAL COMPLIANCE REVIEW ... THEN, THEY CLEARLY STATED THAT THEY DID NOT WANT TO PAY FOR THE CURRENT INVOICE ... AND WANTED ME TO COMPLETE "WHATEVER" THEY WANTED ON THE DOCUMENT ... INCLUDING AMBIGOUS LANGUAGE ... AT NO COST TO THEM ... WHICH, *******, CONCERNED ME GREATLY, WHEN ANY CLIENT ASKS AN ATTORNEY TO DRAFT "WHATEVER THEY WANT" ... REGARDLESS OF LEGAL OR ETHICAL COMPLIANCE ... WHICH WE WERE UNWILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH AN AMBIGOUS REQUEST.

  This attorney works extra diligently to ensure that your scope of work is never complete so that he can keep creating more work, more time billed and place you in a position so that you will always need to return to him. AGAIN ... NOT TRUE ... AS WITH ALL CLIENTS, EACH EMAIL AND EACH DOCUMENT DEVELOPMENT IS AT THE EXPRESS DIRECTION OF THE CLIENT ... SO, THE ONLY WORK THAT WAS GENERATED WAS AT THE DIRECT REQUEST OF THIS CLIENT. 

  We are confident all we needed was a simple members managed LLC, however he turned his advice and a little guidance into a circus. WOW ... AGAIN, IF THIS OFFICE IS GRANTED AUTHORIZATION TO SHARE CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION, WE CAN CLEARLY SHOW HOW THE PROCESS DEVELOPED OVER TIME AND HOW MANY CHANGES .. AND DIFFERENT STRATEGIES ... AND DIFFERENT DOCUMENTS WERE REQUESTED BY THE CLIENT
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

   

   

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