Business ProfileforReeves Law Office PLLC

They gave me a lot of I don’t know replies and failed to respond back in regards to representation they advertise in specializing in. They failed to provide a clear budget expectation and I question their actual professionalism. They also are predatorily motivated in regards to your budget and money.

I am quite flabbergasted. When I first spoke with Mr. Jostworth by phone on August 6 after reading the notes he had sent to my email address he thanked me at the end of the call for spending so much time with him and told me that I was the first attorney who would even speak with him about the matter he wanted to discuss. I did in fact tell Mr. Jostworth "I don't know" a couple of times related to some of his questions because I did not know the answer to Mr. Jostworth's questions, because he could not provide me with enough factual information for me to answer his questions unequivocally. The answer would be different depending on facts that Mr. Jostworth could not provide me. For example, Mr. Jostworth could not tell me who was the owner of the property that he wanted to discuss. At first I got the impression he was suggesting that he owned property that a neighbor was encroaching upon. But then it became apparent to me that he did not own the property, and did not know who did own the property, and even then he could not tell me whether it was privately owned or whether it was owned by the state, agency or subdivision of the state. He could not tell me whether the other parties were encroaching on the property that he wanted to talk about or whether they were merely partying on adjoining property, thereby causing a nuisance. He had what was a somewhat novel complaint and I told him that I had concerns that he did not have standing to bring a lawsuit. Mr. Jostworth did not want to hear my opinion and persisted in arguing with me that in spite of the fact he didn't own the property that he did have standing. When he ask the cost I quoted a very modest retainer and told him I had no idea what the total cost would be as I could not narrow the issues down since he could not provide me with complete or accurate information about the property. Furthermore, I told him that the cost would vary depending on whether his case was immediately thrown out of court or whether he was able to withstand a motion to have it dismissed for lack of standing on his part.

Mr. Jostworth told me that he should not have to pay attorney fees, but someone else should be paying them. I explained to Mr. Jostworth that unless there was a statutory provision in the law or a contract provision for the opposing party to pay legal fees that each party is responsible for his or her own attorney fees. I am completely taken aback and shocked by Mr. Jostworth's claim that I was "predatorily motivated in regard to budget and money".  I had told him I could not file a lawsuit of the type he requested assistance with and expect someone else to pay his legal fees, particularly when in my opinion he did not even have standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place. I also informed him that I really was not inclined to take his case because I did not want to charge him a fee for a case that I did not think he could win. When he persisted and asked what it would cost to start a lawsuit I quoted him a very modest retainer and very modest hourly rate. Again, he continued to argue that someone else should pay his legal fees, and that he could not be responsible for paying for my time or litigation expense. He wanted me to incur his expenses and then try to recover them from someone else. I told him that while I did not think he had standing to bring the suit that I would in my spare time do a little digging (pro bono) to see if I could find any case law that supported his position. I would submit that someone who is predatorily motivated would not spend more than an hour on the phone with him trying to explain why I did not think he had standing to file suit, or offer to do a little research on my own just to help him out..free of charge. Thereafter, Mr. Jostworth did not even wait 48 hours for me to respond after telling him I would try to do a little research for him in my spare time. After our August 6 telephone call, on August 8 he sent the below email to me:

"Hi there I just wanted to follow back up after the last phone call conversation. It was nice speaking with you and seeing your concern on having standing".  In that same email, Mr. Jostworth concluded, "I appreciate you listening to the situation and am a disabled veteran on a budget who truly needs the support of the law firm."

Of course I had not had the time inside of 48 hours to do the research needed, although I was pretty sure he did not have standing. Furthermore, I expect that Mr. Jostworth expected that I should/would reduce or waive my already modest fees quoted when he told me he was a veteran on a budget, all the while arguing that someone else should have to pay his legal fees.

However, when I did not compromise on August 21, I received another email from Mr. Jostworth wanting me to quote fees again, I expect thinking that I would reduce them for him. Mr. Jostworth thanked me again in that email: The email read: 

"Good morning I just wanted to follow back up with you to see the cost for representing my case in this matter I appreciate your help and am willing to play the long game with it taking time as good things take time. Please let me know the first steps to make. Thank you and it was nice talking to you about the case."

On September 10th another communication from me to Mr. Jostworth read as follows:

"Brandon, I really have serious doubts that you have standing to file suit in this since you don't own the land they are encroaching on. I was reading a case where a city was trying to annex a highway and a private party who did not own land next to the highwsy sued to prohibit it and the case was dismissed for lack of standing. Question is, are you willing to spend money take that risk? I don't want to take a retainer from someone without them knowing the risk.
Sandy"

So you see from the tenor and tone of my communication with Mr. Jostworth that I was in no way "predatorily motivated with regard to money."

Mr. Jostworth responded on the same day with a message which read in part, "No risk no reward." and again requested representation from me. 

I am completely baffled by Mr. Jostworth's complaint. He certainty knows that what he said in the complaint is false. I have no idea why he would have said the things that he did about me or my office. It is very discouraging to know that I have spent so much time and energy trying to assist this gentleman and trying to explain to him over and over why I didn't think he had a valid lawsuit that could be sustained, and why I was not inclined to take his case, only to have this type of response. This only proves that old saying, "No good deed goes unpunished" is certainly applicable to this matter.

I have done nothing wrong. I have been patient with Mr. Jostworth in attempting to explain the legal ins and outs of what he wanted to litigate, and I have done this without asking a single dime from Mr. Jostworth. I have been honest with this man as to the viability of his case.  As you can see from his emails to me, what he said to me is contrary to what he has stated in the complaint. 

As you can see from some of the excerpts from our correspondence Mr. Jostworth certainly did not express displeasure with any aspect of our communications and continued to request representation from me.