Smith & Bledsoe Family Law - Austin, TX

I honesty cannot recommend this firm to anyone after my own experience. I paid this firm $7,500 for services in a custody case and a court date that never materialized. Their dishonesty regarding my court filing and inflated billing is deeply concerning. In the beginning, the attorney fed me bait-and-switch tactics claiming he’d be my attorney to represent me in court. After highlighting his experience, courtroom prowess, and his direct approach, he built my rapport. He made me feel confident in his ability and based on this impression I paid the retainer. Once I hired this firm, I was told one of the associates would be handling the case in the courtroom. He said that if I wanted to use him it would cost an additional $10,000. Here began the eroding of trust and distress not because the associate would not perform well, but because I was misled and blatantly told he would be the attorney during a time when I was vulnerable and seeking expert guidance. Overall, if an attorney intends for an associate to handle the case or be the primary courtroom presence, this should clearly be communicated before the client signs the contract. In addition, superfluous charges for simple tasks and costs for unperformed actions, such as billing for contacting an expert witness three times when only one contact occurred, highlights serious concerns about billing practices. In one incident after a 14-minute phone call, I emailed a quick question and received a one sentence reply and was billed $150. Inflated billing, charging for work not completed, and billing for trivial tasks at a high rate constitute unethical conduct and fraud. At the heart of the issue is the fundamental duty of a law firm to provide competent representation and act with diligence, honesty, and transparency. When a firm accepts payment for a specific course of action, like filing for a court date, a client has every right to trust and expect that action to be taken promptly. In my case, I was told a court date was set so I paid my expert witness and they scheduled to be in court on that date. However, when I contacted the district clerk they said no court date existed or was ever filed. My attorney should have received confirmation and proof if he had filed it and should have known better. Saying I had a court date set when in fact I did not is a severe breach of trust, deceit, and a significant professional failing. Losing $7,500 without any real legal action is substantial especially when I was told it would get me through to my court date. Beyond the monetary loss is the lost time and emotional distress from the outcomes it caused.