Four Red Flags that you hired the wrong attorney. How to know if you hired a bad attorney.

Warning signs that should make you consider getting a new attorney.
The Law Offices of Michael J. Gravlin, LLC
134 North LaSalle Street | Suite 2020
Chicago, IL 60602
P: [phone] |F: [phone]

[@Liutgard]

So, back in... 2005, I was looking for an attorney for an appeal for a Social Security disability case. I was just going through the phone book, picked this guy at random. Made an appointment, sat down across the table from him with my 4" tall stack of medical records, etc. I started to tell him about my case, but he stopped me, said I was too young (I was 41 at the time) and too pretty and didn't _look_ disabled, so we wouldn't win and he didn't want to waste his time. I was so shocked, I'm sure that my jaw left a bruise when it hit my chest. I managed to pull myself together, picked up my papers and stood up. I said "Well, I thank you for your time. I will engage someone else." Just before I stepped out of the door, I turned around and said "And I will not lose." I got a referral from one of my doctors, found an excellent attorney, and won my appeal. And I don't know where the first guy went, but his firm no longer exists.

[@kinsley7777]

Maybe down the toilet (?) ... What a jerk ... SSDI claims are difficult enough, due to your health, and you don't need a clown like that to waste your time ... Sorry that happened ❤️

[@MayimHastings]

Same! I'm autistic and terrified as it is to talk to people, but the creep was really angry that i wasted a moment of his time and yelled at me to leave because he has ACTUAL clients waiting. Ngl i had a full-blown meltdown on the way to my car. I ultimately won my battle on my own! A hell of a thing to go through when you are sick. I'm so sorry you were treated like that, too!

[@edgarrmartinz]

Seems like he was trying to sleep with you without asking you directly

[@brownie1341]

If your attorney tells the judge that he is a private attorney general. That's pretty much a red flag too.

[@boomer2095]

Oh Yeah! Also we know attorneys don’t have actual licenses, so trust him when he/she tells you they graduated from YT Law School

[@Chris0708]

I hired one that lied over and over, even continued 3 hearings out of 6 without my knowledge, (insane) I fired him, then I hired another one and haven’t even met, just to get the money, he won’t replay by email or send me a summary of what he is doing, I had to fired him too! So 20k and nothing has been done. And all because city screwed up and they are protecting themselves. Now hiring the 3rd one. We ll see… so far bad experience with lawyers,

[@lisahinton9682]

This was very helpful. (And it's weird to see you in a shirt and tie, Mike! I found you recently so have only seen your 2022 and 2023 videos so far.) Years ago, I was hit by a drunk driver. Not only could I rarely reach my attorney, but when I did, he was rude two times in a row, and the third time, he made me cry (in the not-good way). I called the owner of the firm a few days later (at the insistence of my then-boyfriend, a police officer) and told him how the conversation had gone. Now the owner of the firm became my attorney, and that other guy doesn't work there anymore. (Apparently, he'd had several complaints of rudeness and condescension toward clients. We clients are not attorneys, so though our questions may seem "dumb" to an attorney, a good attorney realizes we're not attorneys, and doesn't hold our "dumb" questions against us, the very people who are paying for their services, after all.) Thanks for posting this, Mike; it's very helpful information, indeed.

[@carlajimenez5975]

❤

[@wc153221]

Great information that applies to any business. If you are not happy with the way you are treated, take your money and go someplace else.

[@LawTalkWithMike]

👍

[@9Dan22]

My solicitor was so responsive at the start i was receiving communication about twice per week, but now i will be lucky to even get a reply back after a month. This silence is so uncomfortable and as someone who have serious matter that led me to seek an attorney this adds to my stress.

[@garygordon373]

Awesome and Advice ⭐️I wish you were my attorney. Thank You !

[@boomer2095]

Great video as always, kind of off topic of the law, but would love to see you video some of the food spots Chicago is known for and maybe also the PIZZA that is supposed to be as good as New York style

[@360glue8]

Thank you for sharing.

[@LawTalkWithMike]

My pleasure!

[@marksummers463]

Sage advice. Also HIGHLY recommend reading the last chapter of The Hatchet Man's Playbook.

[@toddhoover5178]

Mike, Thank you!

[@deesnuts1965]

Wow finally a worthy video from you and you're not ripping on The Sovereignwrong citizens. Keep it up and you will earn a new subscriber.

[@LawTalkWithMike]

😂😂😂

[@nargly8208]

Look who I stumbled upon?! I just so happened to be looking something up for... Personal reasons. This is a more serious Mike than I'm used to. Maybe the past few years have lightened his take on life. Haha

[@privatej.m2295]

Hey Mike, treats and belly rubs to the boys this was a great and informative video and I just loved it.

[@LawTalkWithMike]

Thank You 😊

[@privatej.m2295]

@@LawTalkWithMike You are welcome. I have an attorney that is truly trying to get me to sign up with him for my Department of Veterans Affairs Disability claim. In all reality what happened was a friend of a friend of a friends Mothers boss is an attorney and I guess she said something and now he is calling me almost daily and promises we will win 100 percent for sure and he claims that I will get a huge payout for back pay, but I never called him.

[@LawTalkWithMike]

Why not? He might be legitimate. I wouldn’t know because I don’t do that but you might want to see.🤷‍♂️

[@privatej.m2295]

@@LawTalkWithMike Ok well I kind of really wanted to see the input you have, cause I do at this point really need counsel. I have been fighting on my own since August 3rd 2004.

[@johannanguyen9101]

We wanted to get the best attourney of our city, in regards to my inmigration progress, even though we made everything legal by the book, he addressed that he will be needed because " many USCIS officers don't want legal inmigrants and they don't even like interracial couples like us" . We felt shocked and disgusted to hear such unprofessional and passive-aggresive racist words coming from a 20 year old license inmigration attorney. We decide not to proceed with him after that terrible consultation.

[@AlbinoWhiteGuy]

Mike’s oldest video! Look where it’s at now, love channel 😂

[@NDAsDontCoverIllegalActs]

Additional. 1. They haven't identified themselves as a lawyer 2. They appointed themselves without your express consent 3. They aren't communicating with you/confirming they are in fact your lawyer 4. They're taking payment yet you don't see results/what they say they're doing for you. 5. They aren't discussing your case/telling you where to find docs related to your case 6. As far as you can tell they aren't compelling the opposition to produce exculpatory evidence.

[@thenoisyone9131]

Oh my gosh I just had a public defender attorney standing in court while I was presenting my Motion to have an ineffective attorney removed in front of judge. Soon as that Motion was granted and I was told to contact public defenders office for new attorney, no sooner then I turned to leave in front of judge this attorney wiped his card out and told me to ask for him when I called. Glad I didn’t.

[@kinsley7777]

All good points ... ❤️💙❤️💙❤️

[@Mxl100]

I had never had a good experience with any attorney, I've hired, but My current attorney is by far the worst as she's overcharging me for everything. $30-45 to receive a damn email come on are you kidding me!? sounds like someone who's desperate to pay back their student loans and don't care who they burn and get this, I went into family mediation only to find out that my bozo attorney didn't even submit any evidence that could support my concerns for my child. Im so infuriated!! And have the right to be. I wish I had the $ to start over and fire this attorney who has done close to nothing but sucked 4k out of my pockets 😡😡😡

[@EW-uw7dg]

$30-45 is cheap actually but I agree we need more lawyers like Camille Vasquez. Scam artists, certainly cannot hire them by reviews either. You consult with them and they agree to represent you. They don't lift a finger. Is it on purpose? It's to the detriment of their client, filing complaints is B.S., you get nowhere.

[@stayswervin554]

She’ll realize soon enough when her clients aren’t referring people, and or coming back themselves lol She’ll be out of business real soon

[@angelfortruth12]

@@EW-uw7dg mine is 300.00

[@TrailVapor]

Always avoid the lawyers who have ex clients who want to kill them. Also avoid lawyers who will not accept Russian gangster clients. Avoid lawyers that have no pupils- just black hole eyes to hell. Immediately leave prospctive lawyers who ask how much money you have in liquid assets. Any lawyer who has checked out your home or business property online (he's going to take it). A lawyer that persuaded you to litigate when you're actually trying to settle privately but with a court order. At 5 minutes passed the free interview, if your prospective lawyer wants to now charge the full 35minutes then simply leave, don't look back. If you've engaged a lawyer but he calls you everyday painting the worst horrific scenario whilst charging £50 for 4 mins then feel lucky and cancel his retainer immediately. A bad lawyer will crucify your soul & undermine any good character because they like to make everyone evil like themselves so they can feel normal. .

[@LawTalkWithMike]

Apparently there were some things I forgot.😂

[@belindamoore3518]

I'm confuesd (and have never been in court).... why wouldn't you want an attorney who won't accept Russian gangster clients?

[@USER9999255]

Hellllll yeah. Old school Mike!

[@LawTalkWithMike]

😂😂😂

[@jortsChannel]

Attorneys are crooked no matter what - seek to fund their pockets; had an attorney hack into my school, tamper evidence, hacked my laptop, tampering with my usps, setup burglaries, created a false support in court (perjury) and officially followed me for stalking purposes - obviously I am not resourceful as this attorney but man…..they did a lot of stressful and traumatizing events upon my life over my exes jealously and his I’ll regard over our children’s lives (as in I had so much video and photo proof of his negligence) but they went towards me. Grosd

[@DebraJean196]

So much fun watching this from late 2023 - things have changed sooooo much lol

[@user-ih1uu9xn4p]

Thanks

[@LWRC]

How about OVERBILLING? How do you even begin to challenge that??!!

[@nitanita4253]

Thank you for this very informative video!!! I have a question regarding Personal Injury Attorneys? If a client visits an attorney and they have you sign a contract, but don't take ANY of your paperwork, "Is this a bad sign?" Also, if an attorney is on contingency for an injury claim, and I don't plan on suing the insurance company anytime soon, and I terminate the contract; can I be sued? I signed on a Wednesday, and I want to terminate the agreement by Friday? All suggestions welcome.

[@cameronlawoffices898]

Criminal defense lawyer. I schedule my return phone calls. Clients like it and eliminates telephone tag. I may call a client spontaneously but returns are scheduled .”tomorrow at four forty. Mr. Cameron will initiate the call.”

[@LawTalkWithMike]

👍

[@BornLoveandEnergy]

Attorney curses and paralegals are rude just like him. You can't get another attorney to take over cases that have an attorney already. It's just inviting all these attorneys to know you have a case. You are seeking and speaking.

[@raygv1]

One thing I keep on experiencing over and over is getting cut off or interrupted while explaining my situation and I get a lot of “stop stop stop” when I’m trying to communicate to my attorney. And I dunno if that means I’m wrong or they just don’t want to hear it but it’s to the point that I just don’t say anything and I let whatever happens happen and I don’t saying anything and just sit there thinking my attorney will defend me but he doesn’t because he won’t listen to my concerns until it was too late

[@leslie49]

In NYC, all attorneys and their paralegals are rude, and some have ghosted me. All I'm trying to do is hire a probate attorney, but I'm told they don't handle estates less than seven figures.

[@betsybabf748]

What if the attorney asks you out when you are there in shock because your husband just suddenly died 3 weeks prior. Yes, happened. Had friend with me to take notes because I was a grieving mess. When she found out he called after the initial consultation and asked me to dinner because he "felt a connection", she found me a different attorney. When your spouse dies, you feel like the world is suddenly The Twilight Zone, and that was part of my Twilight Zone.

[@LawTalkWithMike]

That is not good

[@ThereseRogers-eu1xj]

Weired

[@alaskandude9078]

What if your attorney told you that they are there to just check the case in and they are not the ones going to jail?

[@wingedbull1257]

I am having big problem with my attorney for misleading and all red flags raisin need help, is dealing with contract lawyer for green energy my invention research.

[@LawTalkWithMike]

Have you ever hired the wrong attorney?

[@patriciakarsner-nation4104]

Several times

[@biga4442]

I think I just might've.

[@leslie49]

Yes, but I fired her when she screamed at me that I didn't do all the footwork and then turn it over to her as she requested.

[@mr.nguyen3222]

2:50 I think I have this case. I am in a union, and it pays the attorney. At this moment, I feel like I'm being thrown under the bus. She's rather condescending when talking to me, and her advices are questionable. Lastly, I feel she assumed that I'm guilty from the start, and I am not.

[@Lexibaby516]

My attorney took over 4 years to get a succession done to keep making money. I had the most condescending attorney ever and the lies. Of course she got me when I was grieving but I fired her and hired someone she never would’ve thought. She did so much unethical things that she gave me no other choice but to go against her. Little that she knows I have so much evidence on her. It’s a shame that attorneys like the one I hired took $67,000 that I know of so now we are going through every thing with another attorney I have a feeling she will be caught red-handed. They do have a lot of great attorneys out there, but the one like I hired makes you not trust. Just do your research before.

[@busterthe2]

When i got sued falsely in a fender bender...i never bothered my attorney. And I won.

[@ToddDWebb]

Wow how the channel has changed since then.

[@LawTalkWithMike]

🤦‍♂️😂

[@savagekeyz408]

but how do I go about proving its un ethical??? I want to fire them and sue the firm... I was told contact the bar...

[@kyrareneeLOA]

Here is a red flag...... not mentioned, my partner hired a divorce attorney from a popular book (the ten stupidest mistakes men make in divorce...,The lawyer blows the retainer and does not confir with you!!!!!!!! they took is retainer, 2700 and he did not get to ask them one question... he just did two half hour get to know you chats, then left a voicemail choosing to ask questions . Next thing we know they blew through the 2600 before he got to clarify and ask questions themselves..... Instead of waiting for his letter They did nothing but send him two canned documents on what he needs... and another that was half canned with things filled in the blanks ... they never informed him... they used that money to Docus the case with colleges and send those three get ready letter to him! There was nothing left for him to ask one question.

[@charlesbrewer3362]

I was Solicited threw the mail after an injury at work

[@AL-vw7kx]

What if I paid the retainer fee let's say few days ago and haven't got to me yet about my case? Called me up yesterday left a message saying he was in court all day .. he'll try to call me back during evening... still waiting!

[@michaelchenevert3363]

Do you have any advice on handle a probate case where I have an attorney that appears to be more interested in billing my parents estate rather than advocating for me. It appears my attorney has rolled over on me and is more interested in siding with the opposing counsel than my best interest. EX: selling my parent's house and liquidating their stocks. They are claiming it's for tax exemption reason to protect me.

[@LawTalkWithMike]

Consult another attorney in they jurisdiction

[@michaelchenevert3363]

@@LawTalkWithMike - Thank you. I appreciate the information.

[@LawTalkWithMike]

I wish I could be more specific but that is intricate stuff

[@michaelchenevert3363]

@@LawTalkWithMike - It most definitely is. Do you have any advice on how to find a heavy-weight attorney. Not a bacon & eggs one. What do I look for in a highly skilled litigator. I've gone on those websites for attorney referrals, but didn't really have a lot of luck there.

[@twizz420]

@@michaelchenevert3363 go to court for a few days and just sit there and see which lawyers have a good rapport with the judges and prosecutors. It makes a world of difference.

[@cncwizard]

Holy moly, this is old!!

[@Brandon-nd8jb]

So after I was arrested for misdemeanor dui I got something in the mail from different attorney offices. How did they know I got in trouble?

[@LawTalkWithMike]

Prosecutor filed charges then its public information. Or they could be dirty and have a connection or chaser feeding them the information. 🤷‍♂️

[@TheOneTrueAJ]

How about watching them spam the court with the same motions again and again?

[@4bangervector763]

I asked my attorney if we have a case she said I think we do is that something to worry about? Because she replied same way saying I think we do idk

[@LawTalkWithMike]

I need some context

[@Jason-kp4sb]

So I’m looking to hire an attorney for my first case I had contacted an attorney and he said that he could come down and pick up my retainer fee can I trust this?

[@irmasigala8884]

Hi! I’m in California my lawyer have my case for more than 13 years don’t answer my phone calls what can I do?

[@pfdrtom]

Hey, man, not every lawyer can call you back quickly. I knew this attorney in New Mexico named Saul.....

[@StandardGoose]

He won't call you because you're supposed to call him.

[@LawTalkWithMike]

😂

[@cedricm8465]

Is my brothers attorney bad because From what i heard from my mom and dad. The attorney was speaking fast, and was speaking in a tone like it was personal my brother was imprisoned but was later released idk why but he was in prison due to drugs, and now is reporting in, but the attorney seems to not give my brother, mom and dad, a chance to speak.

[@cedricm8465]

And they keep pushing the positive drug tesy of theirs but my dad took my brother to a approved drug test place but came out negative

[@cedricm8465]

My parents are scared to file a complaint cuz of their high authority and im also telling them to consider it but i am scared too. Specially since we are from the Philippines and for example we file a complaint and the attorney loses her job im scared that she might have a grudge and hire people to kill us, even though Philippines is all nice from the internet its really a toxic country there are alot of people embarrassed to be even filipino

[@LawTalkWithMike]

🤷‍♂️

[@LawTalkWithMike]

😬

[@Pyotr_Troyan]

I need someone to draft a document, is anyone out there want to quote a price

[@LawTalkWithMike]

What area of law?

[@davebar2017]

What's better single or large firm of attorney's And Young or old

[@LawTalkWithMike]

Depends on your temperament.

[@Fabian6980]

They have anger issues when my lawyer is acting like a b I just troll him by acting indifferent to anything he tells me then compliment his wife in his face lmfao

[@cindyduncan7049]

It helps if the Attorney is cute! But the ones who are no good will break your heart! Especially the unavailable ones😉😘

[@LawTalkWithMike]

😂

[@cindyduncan7049]

@@LawTalkWithMike 😐

[@Gokywildcats11]

Definition of a incompetent attorney??

[@patriciakarsner-nation4104]

I'm in Kentucky what if they already screwed up the cases?

[@LawTalkWithMike]

Well it all depends on the circumstances

[@patriciakarsner-nation4104]

@@LawTalkWithMike can I email you?

[@LawTalkWithMike]

Sure

[@DBZluvz]

so........ this is mike without a cocktail! but i guess to be fair he's working right now and it's not happy hour.

[@maisumsobreviventedeabuson5277]

Do I have one?

[@dustinhicks3667]

Got a question... I was injured in a city bus accident, had surgery on my inner lobe (crack) and a fe other things, my attorney told me he had one amount on the phone, 90,000, and wen I get there.. he gives me a check for 36,000... it felt wrong lol. To say the least..... who can I call and have them look into this