I have not read anyone else's posts on this topic, but here is my experience.
When my mother died in 1990, we went to a JW attourney, Brother B, figuring he would be decent and honest and deal with the insurance companies for us brothers and in our best interests . . . keeping everything theocratic. I could have gotten the desired result myself with the insurance company, but I was only 23 and did not know how to deal with an insurance claim. I thought I needed help.
He had us come in for a consultation and after asking a few questions about our mother's estate and the insurance company, and after reading the policy, he told me that the entire case could be resolved with a mere couple of phone calls and all he would charge me was his normal rate of 250.00 per hour. I agreed, and it was a verbal agreement, albiet, but he was a brother, an elder, and his word was his bond and I would not question his reasonable attitude.
A couple weeks later, his secretary called me to tell me that payment had been made by the insurance company and the check was sitting on brother B's desk. She said I could come in and pick it up at my convenience.
I arrived an hour later and sat in his office once again. He handed me the check, a payment from the insurance company for $15,000.00. Then he asked me to sign it over to him and he would cut me a check from his account for 2/3 of the amount. I said, "you're taking a third of the insurance money?"
"Yes", he replied matter of factly.
"Brother B", I began, "While I understand that is customary for a lawyer to take 1/3 of a settlement or for an insurance claim payment, you told me that you only needed to make a couple of phone calls to resolve things and you would be charging me 250. per hour for your services. May I see a statement for the time you spent on this case?"
He got very red-faced and ordered me out of his office. I asked him once again to please charge me for his services according to our agreement, but he was so pissed, that he ordered me out once again. I took my check for the entire amount of 15,000.00 and walked out of his office feeling confused and disoriented.
Driving home it hit me like a ton of bricks that this JW attourney was an sob and a crook and he just tried to screw me over . . . tried to slip one over on me. What an eye-opener.
Corvin
How many Lawyers does a 'non prophet' corporation need ? The Watchtower's lead Lawyer is featured at my site,whether he like's it or not.