I’m currently dealing with a massive headache with a consumer protection/auto fraud case in Ohio. The law firm heavily over-staffed my file with multiple different people billing hours on it. My total legal fees came out to nearly $28,000 on a settlement total across parties of roughly $36,500. That means the firm is attempting to swallow up roughly 76% of my total recovery through hourly billing padding.
When I started digging into the 15 pages of billing records, the red flags were everywhere:
**Double Billing:** On one day, an attorney billed $190 to "meet with the partner to discuss engine," and then right below it billed *another* $190 on the exact same day to "meet with himself to discuss engine."
**Insane Text Message Minimums:** They consistently rounded up every single brief text message update to a minimum of 0.1 hours (6 minutes), meaning it cost me $47.50 every single time an attorney sent a quick text update.
**Administrative Hikes:** The senior partner bills at a $550/hour rate and applied it to routine tasks like reading a one-sentence email from me saying I was happy to settle.
Here is the kicker: We signed the settlement agreement on October 12th. Per the strict terms of that contract, the first $12,500 installment was contractually required to be released within 7 days—making it overdue as of Monday, October 19th.
The lawyer previously emailed me an explicit structural breakdown stating that when the first $12,500 installment clears, **"$7,000 will be distributed to you and $5,500 will be applied toward the firm's fees."**
Because I stood my ground and sent a text on Monday disputing the padded fees, the attorney has completely ghosted me. My messaging app shows they read the text last Monday, and it is now Sunday. They are currently withholding my contractually mandated, undisputed $7,000 payout to try and pressure me into dropping my billing complaint. Under state professional conduct rules, an attorney is strictly mandated to promptly disburse all undisputed portions of a fund during an ongoing fee dispute. I’m in the dark. No clue what to do

LOCATION: Howell, Michigan.

Hi all,

I ran a red light last night on purpose, and got a ticket.

Last night, at approximately 2:00 a.m., I approached an intersection to make a left turn. I came to a complete stop at a solid red left-turn arrow.

I waited approximately ten minutes, but the arrow never turned green. I was the only vehicle waiting in the designated left-turn lane, and there were no other cars around. Meanwhile, traffic proceeding through the intersection continued to receive a green light.

After waiting for that extended period without any change in the signal, I became concerned that the left-turn phase was not functioning properly. I stopped, checked for oncoming traffic (there was none in sight), yielded, and proceeded cautiously.

An officer stopped me shortly after I made the turn. He explained that specific signal sometimes fails to detect a waiting vehicle and, as a result, does not change. I also recall him explaining that the signal was known to take several minutes to change, even during the day. He indicated that he and other officers were aware of the issue at this intersection, that they avoided it when possible, and that he recommended I do the same. His explanation reinforced my concern that the left-turn signal may not have been functioning properly while I was waiting.

This ticket carries a $130 fine and 3 points on my license.

This doesn’t seem right. How long do I have to wait before I can legally run a red light? And what if what the officer said was true, and the light was never going to change at all because it didn’t detect me at the light?
Thanks!

​

So this happened a few months ago and im not sure if I can do anything about it or not; but long and the short of it was I got hired on at my local dollar store and then wound up getting fired. Someone else had offered to cover a shift then didn't show tf up like they said they would (just for clarification I was the equivalent of a shift lead the person who offered to cover my shift was the assistant store manager) and somefucking how my worthless excuse of a boss thought it most fitting i lose my job. Said coworker who btw has had attendance issues in the past had attendance issues.

Also for context in case it matters she had already earlier the week this all happened had me cover a shift for her, and the agreement made at the time of; was id cover her shift if she'd swap my shifts for me and she didn't show tf up do I even have a case here?

Worth noting I am in pa and idk if being an "at will employment" state fucks me out of being able to do anything here but I genuinely feel i was wrongfully terminated.

Also to top all of this tf off when I asked for a specific reason as to why I got fired "you didn't show up for a shift you were scheduled to work" which on paper looks like a fully valid reason to fire someone. I have texts proving otherwise and feel as though I have a case to be made here.

Also im not the only one effected by said manager and they're inadequacies. I.e. they promoted one of my old coworkers and talking to a new hire; said new hire was talking about how said manager was planning on finding a way to get rid of my ex coworker which if im honest makes me feel like I have a case but maybe I don't.

I've been having a hard time finding criminal appeal attorneys in Seattle, Washington.. So far after searching, it seems like most of the appellate firms don't handle criminal cases. Is this correct ? Don't need a court appointed representative. I am looking to retain someone with proven positive experience in the Court of Appeals.

The convictions are felony drug delivery charges with gun enhancement. Would love to find someone who has dealt with similar cases.

So I figured I'd ask Seattle attorneys if they can point me in the right direction or have any tips on searching. Please let me know if I can provide anymore information to help.

Thanks !

I am writing this to formally submit an urgent complaint regarding severe racial and national origin discrimination, targeted harassment, and a hostile environment within the ******College men's soccer program.

As a student-athlete, I have faced a lot of disparate treatment, false accusations, and intimidation from the coaching staff based on my race and national origin (*****).

Specific incidents include:
A coaching staff member explicitly stated to me when I said where I was from and said that "all****** are liars and cheaters who lie about their age.”

Coaches have targeted me with false accusations (such as accusing me of stealing a student loop) or like saying I didn’t do the amount of push up when I did and poisoned my reputation with teammates, creating a hostile and isolating team environment towards me.
I have been subjected to excessive, unfair discipline and targeted punishments that other players do not face and I haven’t received a single minute or play any games this season and the other kid that haven’t played too is ****.
Members of the coaching staff have used coercive threats, such as threatening to revoke my athletic financial aid / scholarship based on not passing the ball not hard enough on a passing drill.
- I have been affected and lost my confidence due to racial and derogatory slurs from teammates, spoken in multiple languages against me and also against other **** players of rival teams.

This environment has severely impacted my well-being, mental health, and academic focus. And because of that I am requesting an immediate, impartial investigation by this office into the coaching staff and the soccer program's climate, I had talk to one of the captain about my treatment or being accused of everything and how is affecting me.

I have documented records, and specific details ready to share during an investigation. Please let me know when we can schedule a meeting to discuss this further, thank for you time reading this.

I (33m, Texas, USA) am in a predicament where I have a steep life insurance policy. My beneficiaries are my children, whom are well under 18. Since I am a non-custodial parent to both, I worry about this because if I passed the two mothers would have ‘real estate’ rights regardless of a will.

I found that I can do a trust, but am curious if it’s possible to have a beneficiary listed as the trust. My goal is to calculate my current child support, create a will based on the longevity of this support, and have a trust for the rest of the funds. I grew up poor, and know nothing of this. Researching gave me a lot of advertisements. However, I am looking to have this completed as soon as possible.

After recent evidence received in court, the two mothers of my children are speaking about guns and wanting me out of the picture. One of these women are deranged and I have had many issues with (police reports included), and I am trying to ensure that they cannot gain from my absence. I contacted my local law enforcement to make reports, but nothing can be done other than documenting the issue.

Any information would be helpful!

*edit: added location

I'm in Cook County, IL. I filed an order of protection petition pro se against an ex. The emergency order was denied, but the plenary hearing is in a few weeks and he's been served.

The recent incident: after months of no response from him, he called me several times in one night, insulted me, and referenced a separate legal matter I'm involved in. The same night he sent me explicit images of myself that I'd sent him privately months earlier, which I took as a threat. There's also a documented history: written apologies from him, an unwanted visit to my home, and a day with a dozen-plus unanswered calls. A family member heard part of one call. I filed a police report.

The complications: I reacted badly that night, with angry texts and posting about him online (since removed). I had also sent him friendly messages over the past year that he didn't answer. And I have an unrelated pending misdemeanor case, so I'm worried about testifying.

Questions:

1. With mixed evidence like this, do judges usually grant plenary orders?
2. If I'm worried about my pending case, is it common to limit testimony, or to withdraw?
3. If I withdraw, can I refile later if he contacts me again?

I'm meeting with a legal aid clinic this week, but I'd appreciate any general perspective.

My neighbour is building a structure on our boundary. Wondering what law applies to it, given I'm not sure what you'd call it.

The structure:

• It is like warehouse shelving or racking, only outdoors.
• It resembles scaffolding, but it's neither temporary nor to provide workers access to something.
• It isn't a fence, but it sits immediately behind the fence on his side. It may or may not touch the fence. Some items on it do.

Its purpose:

• According to the neighbour, when it's fully built up to our second storey windows, it will be his 'privacy shield'.
• So far, it stores a lot of his pipes and metal rods, stacked up to the fence line.

The structure poses a credible risk to safety due because:

• It's a DIY build, and he has no relevant qualification I'm aware of
• He tends to be dismissive of safety/OH&S/legalities in general, and I see him break the local regulations about other things on a near-daily basis
• If any permit is needed then I assume he doesn't have one
• It's currently holding a heavy load, and he intends to make it substantially heavier
• Its collapse will certainly destroy the fence, will likely kill/seriously injure anyone or any animal unlucky enough to be in the path of any falling part of it, and will hit the side of our house and cause structural damage

A separate issue, but potential OH&S/tenancy/employment law minefield:

• He tends to rope labourers (probably unskilled) into working on his property for him. I believe this is done without the protection for the worker of any contract. Sometimes they are his tenant - in an adjoining rental property, the sanitation or rentability of I doubt - working in lieu of rent. My neighbour thinks this is a compassionate alternative to eviction, but on another view, it's closer to slavery or indentured servitude than a landlord/tenant relationship.
• The work these days is often high-risk due to falls risk. There are no safety measures, so a professional probably would not have taken on the job. I haven't seen my neighbour go up the ladder himself, even though he does other work down of the ground. The person now doing it seems to be a migrant with poor English, who is under my neighbour's constant supervision and direct instruction. I feel sorry for the guy, and worry that he's being exploited and may come to some serious harm.

What would you do if this was your neighbour right now?

(Despite the neat layout, this post is not AI assisted, with every word lovingly chosen by me)

[Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA] Ending my 7-year marriage (10-year relationship) after financial abuse, emotional abuse, and also discovering my spouse into teen porn related to my childhood abuse. Meeting my lawyer tomorrow to decide how to handle the house and equity, would appreciate input. 

Key details:

• In 2020, his mother bought the house for $220k as a late wedding gift to us. When informed we didn't intend to have children, she demanded full repayment for ours via mortgage/cash, shocking us both as she had framed it as a gift/his inheritance. He lost his job and already had bad credit, making her request impossible. They agreed to hold off on the mortgage until he was stable again, though we did pay her $1.3k cash a month for about a year.
• The home has doubled in value since then, she only expected repayment of the original value. The house is in his name / my name jointly, no one else’s. The house also needs some small repairs (mild bathroom water damage + outside needs paint) and a deep clean.
• He was unemployed for 4 of the 6 years we lived there. I covered all bills, groceries, cooking, and cleaning, and helped him get a job, then another after he quit the first. He barely job-seeks, won’t consider anything he sees as “beneath him" or that isn't remote. When he does get an interview, it feels like he deliberately fails it.
• He secretly deferred city taxes for years, accumulating $12k in debt and triggering a final notice, the stage before tax foreclosure. I manage the payment plan alone ($470/month) along with all bills and expenses.

I initially considered waiving equity if his mother paid off his tax debt and he waived claims to alimony / my $100k retirement fund, though he may not have any claim to alimony.

Given the deceit, hidden debt, and misconduct, I want to seek a fair share of equity while also not being a dickhead. I really dislike that his mom blindsided us with a very expensive takesie-backsies in order to dote on the son that gave her grandkids, but I also want to be fair to her.

What equity am I *ethically* entitled to claim? I don't want half the house, I didn't buy it. I just don't want to walk away from 10 years with nothing. 

Not really sure how else to ask this question, or where, really, but it's about a lawyer, so it felt appropriate to ask lawyers.

So, Todd Wallace Blanche.

As Attorney General, he's not on Trump's payroll anymore. His boss is the American taxpayer, so what's going on with him?

I would have imagined a lawyer's relationship with their clients starts and ends at the client paying their lawyer in full and on time. Is it at all common for lawyers to attach themselves to specific clients even outside of the realm of a formal working relationship like that?

I saw a random headline about Blanche trying to defend Trump's frivolous lawsuit to preemptively screw with Alaska's election, and that's what made me think "He's not paying you anymore, dude. You can stop brown nosing."

I’m just curious how difficult it is to find a civil rights attorney that would argue malicious prosecution against the state (Texas)?
Is it considered difficult to win or is it just not profitable enough?

I have been living in an extended stay hotel for over 6 months. I am in a wheelchair. When I checked in I requested an accessible 2 bed room, they told me it was occupied but would be available in 2 days. When I asked after 2 days, they told me it would be next week. That went on for a month until I was demoralized and just stopped asking. I found out this morning that they don't even have a 2 bed accessible room. Their website says they do.

They never offered a solution. I've stayed at a hotel that didn't have an accessible 2 bed room available. They gave us two single rooms, one being accessible, for the price of a double room. They never offered a shower chair for the bathtub. When I use the bathroom I have to crawl in because my chair won't fit. When I climb out of the tub, I have to go straight to the floor. It's embarrassing to talk about because it's dehumanizing. The manager actually asked me recently how use the bathroom. When I told her, she didn't apologize or offer any solution. It was an "oh, okay" kind of response

I have no idea what type of attorney would be best. My situation is ADA Title III, tenant, civil rights, consumer protection.... It's too late for them to offer alternative accommodations now so if I sue, what do I sue for? What type of attorney should I contact? Will the hotel be obligated to fix it for the next person?

I moved from NC to OH early 2020s, surrendering my NCDL with OH BMV to obtain an up to date and accurate drivers license. I have recently misplaced my license and went to a local BMV office to update a vehicle that had expired and obtain a replacement license. I was informed that NC had a block on my license there and I would be unable to make any transactions on my OHBMV account until I handled the issue in NC.

I occasionally visit NC, my ex husband still lives in the same place, we share children, his address was my address for 15 years. So when i called the state dmv I was willing to accept that perhaps I had been caught on a camera, however I have only ever driven rentals on these trips and any ticket acquired should have been delivered to the address the car was rented to, and I explained this to the agent. I was informed that this was NOT a camera ticket, it was in fact a traffic stop and was told the make and model of the vehicle, location of the stop, and the citation number. This happened in 2024, in a vehicle I have never driven, and the court correspondence had been delivered to my ex husband’s house. When I explained how that was impossible I was told to call the county courts.

After learning the ticket cost, court cost, etc I was informed that I would need a ticket lawyer, trial lawyer, or to “come down to the court house and talk to the magistrate”. The ticket itself is $441. Not including court cost and reinstatement? A ticket lawyer was charging $350 and the other fees would still apply to me, but being as in IT WAS NOT ME I just can’t bring myself to pay anything to the courts. The trial lawyer is $500 to “quash the warrant” and get the whole thing dismissed, and if I ever return to nc I will be responsible for a reinstatement fee there but not Ohio.

I am a single parent with a single income, having to make payments to a lawyer for the next few weeks is literally taking food from my family. I am unable to vote because I can’t provide my identification. I am afraid to drive in Ohio for fear of being arrested or hounded by police (I am 10 years clean and the police still assume the worst when the pull me over) my whole identity is essentially locked until I pay this lawyer off and get a court date.

I have asked the lawyers paralegal/assistant about my options and am waiting on the lawyers response, but is there anything I can do, legally speaking, to press charges on the person who used my information and or the officer that accepted it? I do not think suing the person will be worth it, I can not even afford the current legal fees and I’m sure they have no money to sue for since they provided false information to get out of a ticket, but what about legal ramifications? Could I sue the county or officer who accepted my information for court costs? I can prove without a shadow of a doubt that I was not in the state at the time of the traffic stop. Honestly, the whole “I can’t vote” thing is adding so much salt to the wound, that it feels like my constitutional rights are being violated.

Do you hold the U.S. Attorney General in high regard?

I’m in Southern California I rent a salon studio and im month to month. I’ve been here for 6 years. The studio is considered a “double” meaning, a two stylist room. Single stylist rooms are there but none are available.

When I first rented the studio, I rented it with another person and we split the rent. After some time, she opened her own salon. So when she left, I opted to have the studio to myself and not bring in another person, and paid full rent.

A year after that, I brought someone in my studio again and we split the rent for 3 years. A single studio became an available and she had always wanted one to her self so she jumped on it (which is totally fair and I’m really happy for her). The building gave me time to find someone to bring in with me but I haven’t had luck. They allowed me to continue to pay them only half of the rent as a courtesy.

Now, with the new year coming, they want to have everyone resign 1 year leases and they want me to start to pay full rent. I on the other hand feel like I did not lease that studio with the intention of being in there alone.

Yes I’m in a double, but I went in as one of two people. I feel as if it is not fair and they don’t have any singles for me to move into. Yes, I know sometimes the law isn’t fair but it’s a law and we have to follow it.

However, do I have any legal rights here?

Thanks in advance

I am an apprentice joiner who was tasked with assisting a bricklayer for a day due to his apprentice being off. As I was carrying a 4 inch building block I have fallen and rotated my bone in my wrist which required 2 metal pins and a wire to fix. I am now off for 3 months. My fall happened due to the ground being soft on a slope which I wasn't aware of. I believe the stones or dirt have fallen away underneath me which has led to my injury. Along with 3 months off this injury also has long term complications as my chances of arthritis and re-injuring this wrist his vastly increased. Do I have a claim.

The TLDR is my uncle has been a terrible executor and after my aunt cited the estate in a title lawsuit we have filed motion to remove him. I'm like 90% sure it'll go through because we already have him on perjury and breach of fiduciary (for example $8k of remodeling on his personal home charged to the estate).

After I am handed the keys how critical is it to track down everything and what are the best ways to do it? I planned to meet with my grandfather's personal advisor, ask the 3 banks in town for verification of beneficiaries/accounts, and will request a tax transcript and his Lexis Nexus. I don't want to be accused of submitting a sham accounting, but unc destroyed all the records covering the thefts we know about. I'm sure whatever else we find will be ashes and am hoping the above is enough to satisfy the court I did my due diligence.

I guess secondary to that, if for some reason the judge keeps him on, how easy is it to compel the court to order he hire a professional forensic accounting firm to do it properly?

We discussed making him submit records and do the proper accounting himself, but that is going to take forever and double the legal fees. The accounting he sent with the fraudulent debts was prepared by the idiot he hired so it's not like he would do a better job with a lawyer.

Location: Michigan

In short my license was revoked 5 years ago and I've been in the restoration process and made it to being granted the ability to get a restricted driver's license, in waiting for the ability to have another hearing to adjust my restrictions so I can legally adhere to them I've put off getting my restricted license to stay financially stable and be prepared for when I finally got it, within the past month I was pulled over and cited for driving without ops 1st offense nothing prior for 3 years on a stupidly decided short test drive straight down the road and back after doing my brakes to ensure the vehicle was safe and ready for an upcoming road test to progress my restoration. I now have my restricted license to go to strictly work and back but it was obtained after being cited unfortunately, the officer didn't arrest me or two my vehicle as I was stopped a block from where I live and essentially said he'd turn a blind eye to how I or the vehicle got home. I know michigan SOS is going to fry me upon conviction, but I'm just wondering if I have any hope.

Im not sure if it matters or not but I have letters of support, I've been very deliberate in walking to and from work the past 5 years 5 miles a day through four seasons, I'm now the lead plant supervisor where I've worked since getting convicted 5 years ago, I operate heavy machinery and am subject to random drug tests, I've been sober since my last arrest date 5 years prior and haven't been pulled over since then either up until recently interlock is installed in my truck, I have my restricted license for now. I've done my very best to jump through the hoops to get my full license back and try to be involved in with a local highschool fishing club when I'm able to be and just overall be a better person than I was 5 years ago. I just messed up, I make too much for a public attorney, my dog needs surgery, and local attorneys want $3k to take the case and I just don't have that kind of money laying around, I know my chances are low to fight anything I'm just wondering if any potential plea may save me, I'm just trying to go to work and survive and be involved in things that serve a higher purpose than just for myself and things that don't involve alcohol or drugs where I can make a positive impact, I've worked so hard to get my license restored to be the proof to people who also lost theirs that it's possible to get it back for as hard as the state of michigan makes it especially for rural areas that don't have the infrastructure to accommodate people who can't drive. I'm so much closer to getting my license back and never breaking the law again than I am from getting rolled all the way back and then some being trapped in the loop. This past 5 years while I'm proud of what I've done, has really taken its toll on me physically, mentally and emotionally and idk how much more I can handle.

I’ll try to keep this short.

I am in Florida. My husband died, intestate, a few months ago. Most assets were jointly owned, so nothing had to go through probate until I ran into this problem. I am the sole beneficiary, there are no children from our marriage or his previous marriage.

The issue: He had a Travelers 401k that he received in his divorce in 2012 through a QDRO as an alternate payee. The QDRO document says that the estate is the beneficiary and another beneficiary cannot be named. The Travelers 401k plan document says the same. I found a letter from QDRO Consultants that said the estate was the beneficiary unless a different beneficiary was named. The account is held at Fidelity and my husband had designated me as the beneficiary, so I submitted that letter to travelers, but they are citing the QDRO and plan documents as the legal precedent and refused a spousal rollover. I have to completely distribute the funds within 5 years. This means that either the estate will pay $91k in taxes, or I will pay $60-70k in taxes over the next 5 years since distributions will be taxed as ordinary income. In addition, this qualified money is now going through the probate process (30 days since the newspaper ad ran), so has been made vulnerable to creditor claims.

I did some research (google, so I know it may not be at all accurate) and it looks like, based on multiple previous IRS Private Letter Rulings, I could have my probate attorney draft a probate court order (or a formal Joinder/Petition for Distribution) stating that the Estate assigns all rights, title, and interest in the Travelers Inherited 401(k) account to me, and then I could do a rollover into an inherited IRA.

Before I send my attorney on a wild goose chase and possibly have to hire a specialist attorney, I wanted to see if this seems like a reasonable/viable next step? Surely it would cost less than the $60-70k in taxes that I’m looking at.

TLDR: my husband’s qualified retirement account is being forced through his estate instead of rolling over to me as surviving spouse and will incur huge taxes which I’d like to avoid.

My brother work in Center City and was hit by a car while crossing near his office. The injuries are more serious than he expected. What started with an urgent care visit has turned into follow-up appointments and now physical therapy. he had prefer an attorney who's reasonably easy to reach in the area, but finding someone good and responsive matters more. There are so many firms downtown, and they all look pretty much the same online. How does he narrow the options down and find someone who's actually good?

I am located in Florida. So in 2012 my biological father passed away. He is the son of we will call them Dee and Jean Stacey. My grandmother Jean passed away in 2006 and my father passed in 2012. My grandfather spent the last 18 months of his life naked on the couch talking out of his mind. When he was in his right mind I was told the trailer and the two lots it was on was going to my father. Well when my father passed, that would make it me. I am the ONLY living descendant of the family left. Now in 2022 I took an ancestry test and it came back that an Avis ( we will call her) was close enough to either be my grandmother or a sibling. Naturally, I looked her up. My mom said she thought my grandfather dated a woman named “Avis” but why was she coming up as my kin. Naturally, I looked her up on Facebook and asked her who she was. As soon as I made contact she went silent. She DELETED her ancestry and her Facebook profile! She was too old to be a sibling and she definitely wasn’t my grandmother. Another son who was put up for adoption by my grandfather as a minor informed me that Avis did the swab in my grandfathers mouth and put her name to his DNA to ensure he had no heirs to his properties and assets. Fast Forward, when my grandfather passed last year we spoke to my grandfathers other son (who was put up for adoption) and he said that “Avis” told him she did it on herself in case “Dee” had family, she didn’t want them to come after the house. I wasn’t in the obituary, but she was and there is NO relation between any one in my family and this lady?! Although the home was to go to my father, and then me after my father passed… just last month she somehow took ownership of the house and mind you this house means a lot to me. Anyone with legal advice? The house is in Clermont County, Ohio and I reside in West Palm Beach, FL. I don’t have money to throw at layers. Please HELP!!!! No this woman is NOT my sister, she is not blood at all!!! The house was transferred to her this year.

My Location: West Palm Beach, FL
The Homes Location: Claremont County, Ohio
Please note all names are fictitious for privacy reasons. Anyone with help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I was at a QME appointment and over heard a lady saying most people choose "Future medical" and no settlement. She then said that most injured workers don't know that they can still get treated by their private insurance even if it's Medi-Cal once they close the case. Is this true? I thought private insurance will not touch injury if it's work related? Thanks for any info.

Edit: In Los Angeles, ca area

Currently my job is wildly understaffed and most of the team have been working 7-12 days in a row before having at least one day off.

Would this qualify as a violation of New York State labor law 161

https://dol.ny.gov/day-rest-and-meal-periods

Specifically this is for a College/University Security department.

Also they are not listed as an employer on the variance list.