“We did not have a personal recommendation for a lawyer to help us create a nonprofit, so we tried using UpCounsel. We received several quotes that seemed promising, and the attorney we ended up selecting did a great job. The platform was easy to use and helped us feel more confident navigating this world for the first time.”
“LAW OFFICES OF LEE SACKS
A Professional Corporation
16851 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90272
Telephone: (310) 451-3113 · Facsimile (310) 451-0089 · Email: SacksAPCLaw@aol.com
December 5, 2024
VIA EMAIL
Rochelle Conroy
Re: Lerner & Weiss
Case No.: 24SMCV03632 (the “Litigation”)
Dear Rochelle:
Please provide the attached information to UpCounsel regarding the manner in which
Lerner & Weiss poorly represented Craig and you, in an email from you.
1. An offer was made by the Defendants to settle the matter on terms acceptable to the
clients, but Lerner & Weiss failed to accept the offer. Instead, they proceeded with the
litigation.
2. The Complaint Lerner & Weiss filed failed to state any proper cause of action.
3. Lerner & Weiss recorded a Lis Pendens on Defendant’s property based on an improper
theory of an easement, which could have caused the clients to be sued for defamation of
title to real property.
4. Lerner & Weiss attended a meeting with counsel for Defendants and their respective
experts, at which an agreement was discussed, but Lerner & Weiss failed to document the
agreement.
5. Lerner & Weiss charged the clients exorbitant sums of money, with little or no benefit to
the client.”
“Michael brings tremendous energy and enthusiasm to every aspect of the project. His thoroughness and expert understanding of the business have been invaluable in managing many elements of getting my startup ready for launch. He is friendly, supportive, and genuinely committed to helping, all while offering his services at a fair price. I highly recommend Michael for anyone seeking a dedicated and knowledgeable partner in their journey”
“It was smooth working with attorneys via Upcounsel, I've used it on two occasions and both the times the experience was smooth, we got quick proposals from attorneys and we're able to select the best fit who solved our problem. Broadly happy with the experience!”
“Initially I was apprenhensive about having an online service handle a complicated legal filing. But the assigned counsel explained everything in simple language that i could understand. All deadlines were met and there were no hiccups. Also the convenience of being able to do this on my own schedule without having to interrupt my workday was a welcomed bonus. Great experience.”
“I posted my legal needs and within minutes at least 4 attorneys reached out to me with their experience and how it related to my needs with quotes for the work. I immediately related to Brandon Pittard, we had a brief chat and within a week I had the contract. Excellent Service from Up Councel and Brandon Pittard!”
“I would never use UpCounsel again. Customer support is non-existent. The reviews for the attorneys on the website are 99% only show good ones and feel like that misrepresents the quality of the attorneys. Hired someone with very good ratings and reviews and ended up with a bad project where I spent $1,000s and a lot of it was not clear. Also its been over 30 days since the project ended and their website doesn't allow me to leave a review as if they prevent people from leaving negative feedback.”
“Our request for legal counsel was met with several qualified lawyers. Our overall experience with UpCounsel was very positive and we will gladly use UpCounsel in the future.”
“This was my first experience of Upcounsel and to say that it was attrocious would be the most positive thing I could say.
They do not mention that the client is charged 8% on every invoice from the lawfirm - or if they now do, it is very hard to find. I questioned their first invoice which included a footnote stating:
"† Lawyers offer discounted rates exclusive to UpCounsel. Our fees help maintain the platform and cover critical client benefits such as quality and insurance. The fees amount to 7% of your total invoice."
When I questioned this, they responded (eventually) saying that it was to cover their admin and credit processing fees. Hold on - surely their clients should be paying that- i.e. the Lawfirms?
I wouldn't expect to pay a building trade site to find a plumber, electrician, gardener etc. Would You?
Anyway - their actual invoice included an 8% fee. I questioned that and they simply said, “Yeah sorry, our mistake it's 8% not 7%.”
After terminating the law firm's services, Upcounsel kept trying to take funds from my Debit Card for "outstanding invoices". Invoices had been submitted by the law firm to top up their retainer. I told Upcounsel that I had terminated the law firm and thus was expecting a return of the remaining amount held in the retainer. It fell on deaf ears and they became rather persistent in chasing me for unpaid invoices. Both the lawfirm and Upcounsel ke[pt blaming each other.
It took nearly two months to sort this out. Luckily, I had frozen my Debit card or they would have automatically taken more money. I dread to think how difficult it would have been to recover that!!
My advice - avoid Upcounsel!
They provide no value beyond what a simple Google search does! Their fees do NOT provide any client benefits (such as quality and insurance).”
