A CAUTIONARY TALE
about the law office of Barry I. Finkel P.A. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Let me tell you a short story.
Barry Finkel doesn't want me to talk or write about my experience with him. He recently harrassed the Legal Department at my previous web hosting companyto shut this message down. I'm maintaining this page as a public service announcement to anyone who is doing their due diligence prior to hiring an attorney. I am willing to tell my personal and private story as a service to others and a caution about choosing your legal representation.
My divorce case in Florida was relatively simple. In 2008, I hired Barry Finkel to be my attorney, after a quick consultation.
< This is a picture of Finkel. He looks like a nice guy, right?
At the onset of the case, I was asked for a retainer which I paid with no hesitation. The case went quickly. I paid a mediator separately (at Finkel's urging) to join the negotiation and when the Agreement was rushed in one afternoon and signed, that was it for Finkel.
FINANCIAL FUZZINESS: While still holding thousands of dollars as a credit balance from my initial retainer, Finkel brazenly stated that once the Agreement was signed, everything fell under Post Judgment work - which was not covered by the retainer. The balance was "non refundable".
He demanded that I remit further funds to perform the additional legal services that I had requested to tidy up the remainder of the case (such routine things as file a Lis Pendens on the property records, process my Change of Name on the Property Records etc.).
He blamed me for not knowing his billing policies, yet I never received any verbal or written description of his retainer agreement. When I pressed for an accounting of his fees, I immediately found a $500 error (a charge for case filing, yet my ex-husband filed the case). Oops, he refunded that quickly when I brought the error to his attention, but there is still a large, balance that Finkel never refunded.
When I read on his own website that Finkel is proud about not barraging his consultating clients with paperwork it makes me shudder.
Beware!
In my case, Barry Finkel's intial impression of casual confidence backfired and turned into greedy arrogance. I'm sure he didn't realize that I was capable of purchasing several domain names and posting this story, but now at least he knows that when you step in sh!t, the stink hangs around.
Other Opinions
I found some other concerning reviews about Finkel's performance on the AVVO website, which rates and reviews attorneys. Read for yourself:
- "Mr. Finkel padded my bill. If I didn't watch closely, I would have been duped. He is extremely arrogant and only cares about money. He does not care about people. If I called and spoke to him for five minutes, I was billed for an hour. Luckily I could that. He was a bit too flirtatious for my taste. I was going through a difficult time in my life and I did not need to feel uncomfortable around my lawyer. I had to fire him. I never got the balance of my retainer back. He did absolutely nothing other than take a large retainer."
- "This attorney billed me for servicers not performed. He was never prepared for court. If this attorney did a good job for me, why would I be writing this."
- "As former client, I would not recommond Barry I. Finkel. He is more concerned about padding his bill on follow up nonsense phone calls. Has no expieranced staff and abandons clients and give little guidance."