Complaint Review: Bishop Law Offices - Bill Bishop Divorce Attorney

I am the original poster - the person who wrote the first report on Bill Bishop and his firm.  There has been some interesting dialogue on here for the past few years and I wanted to provide everyone reading with an update and some clarity.
 
In early 2011, I accepted Bill Bishops invitation to sit down and try to resolve my issues with his firm. I am happy to state that everything was resolved to both parties satisfaction.
 
I would point out the following items for clarification:
 

- Bill Bishop correctly notes that he did not personally represent me.  I was represented by another person in his firm who has subsequently left and moved out of state.
 

- I wanted to clarify my statements regarding the attorneys fees charged. My total attorneys fees and costs for six months of representation averaged about $4,000.00 per month (10 to 15 attorney hours per month) and was collectively $24,000.
 

- I realize that my case was very adversarial, had a lot of moving parts, compounded by an obtuse and a scorch-the-earth, ex-wife.  Large divorces like this require a great deal more attorney time (and money) to address as opposed to an average divorce case.
 

- I also acknowledge that I wanted Bishop Law Office to continue to represent me after the attorney I was working with moved away. The firm turned down representation of me at that point as Mr. Bishop explained in his response.  Mr. Bishop did, however offer to reduce my fees in an amount that would allow me to get another attorney on board.
 

- It became apparent to me after I met with Mr. Bishop in 2011 that we both misunderstood the others position. I met with Bill in a neutral setting (my current lawyers office) and upon meeting, found him exceptionally professional.  I was able to understand his initial reaction, where he labeled my commentary a threat and he understood my position of dissatisfaction with the results from his firm.  We agreed that we both could have handled it better and would have changed the tone of our communication.
 

- When I wrote my report, I was upset about my treatment by Bill Bishops firm. I would venture to guess that Bill Bishops reply was in the same vein. In hindsight I would think that Bill Bishop and I agreed we would have handled this differently if we had to do it over again.
 

- I have personally sent a request to the owner of Rip Off Report to remove this whole thread from this site.  He has not replied and if you are still reading this, they have not honored my request.
 

- I wasnt threatened, coerced or sued into posting this statement.  Bill and I met as gentlemen, shook hands and agreed to move forward.
 
Throughout the process, I have talked to various people familiar with Bill and his firm, and have reviewed many of the positive testimonials regarding his firm.
I have no doubt that Mr. Bishop is a competent attorney and that his reputation as such is well deserved.   Bill Bishop was recommended by a mutual friend.  That is probably one of the best referrals one could get!  When I tell people that my first attorney was Bishop, they have nothing but good things about him.
 
Sometimes you have a bad meal in a 5 star restaurant or a bad stay in a world class hotel.  It happens.
 
I wish Bill and his firm the best.  I know that Bill is still well-renowned as a top divorce attorney in Phoenix. Divorce is tough and it isnt easy especially going through what I went through.  When picking an attorney, I would suggest you outline the strategy and goal early on and ensure the attorneys style and persona match with yours.  If you do this, you will have a much better time regardless of the counsel you choose.
 
I still believe that a personal referral from others is best. Talk to people who have used an attorney.  I would still offer and suggest people to sit down with Bill Bishop and his firm to discuss their needs and to judge what is best for them in their own situation.
 
 
Original poster AKA Mr. X
 

Another lawyer replies in defense of Bill Bishop? Pleeeeease!

Asking for refund from Bill Bishop is now extortion? This sounds like the lawyer who is suing the buyer on Ebay for leaving a bad opinion on his purchasing experience. Asking for refunds in now extortion; so leaving opinions here must now be slander? Maybe Mr. X should sue Bill Bishop for disclosing on the web attorney-client privileged information and slander?

Padding a bill is padding a bill. It looks like Bill Bishop pads his bill and this other lawyer shrouds it in Discovery? HA! Dont trust these lawyers! The best advice here is to find lawyers from referrals. This Bill Bishop guy sounds pretty dirty and it sounds like this other lawyer is cut from the same cloth. I have never seen a judge sanction anyone for Discovery issues. What a joke. I think the only "discovery" going on at this point is a couple of lawyers feeling that they can't control this.

Maybe you lawyers should Google yourselves more often then every 2 years. It might help your business. It appears to have bothered Bill Bishop enough to reply here.

It would be great to see if Bill Bishop took the advice or get an update from the original poster Mr. X. Also using lawyer arbitration involves dealing with lawyers and dealing in a forum that most of us are not used to. How about it Mr. Bishop?

I live in Arizona and see how bad Andrew Thomas is, and yet the AZ bar sits back and allows it. When was the last time a lawyer was disbarred or forced to give a client a refund? The latest was the ambulance chaser Philips and Associates, but his commercials still air on TV. Mr. X shouldnt have wasted his time with useless arbitration and it is hardly an indictment of his case against Bill Bishop.

Using rip off report was perfect and the sweetest justice of all.

Here's my perspective on the report and rebuttal. I am an attorney, but am not currently practicing law. I don't know Bill Bishop and have never heard of him or his firm until today.

I have never practiced family law intentionally. When I did dabble in the area it was because a certain project was thrust upon me (young lawyers don't have much of a say, at first, about what kind of law they'll be practicing). I avoid the field like the plague. It is by far the ugliest area of the law. No client is ever fully satisfied, and at least half of them will be pretty pissed off about the outcome of their case.

And while the lawyer is necessary, if for nothing more than to minimize the inevitable familial, emotional, and economic damages, his bills are like salt in the wound. No individual is better poised to be a scapegoat.

I feel that Mr. Bishop did an outstanding job of refuting the majority of the complaint. Yes, it took two years. But we don't all sit around googling our own names on a regular basis, and any potential client that read the complaint probably never came his way. So it wouldn't take too much of a stretch of the imagination to assume that he only recently came acoss the report.

Mr. Bishop was exactly right about the "reminder letters" issue. Discovery is suuposed to be a cooperative process that occurs with minimal court intervention. So the rules require that the parties take steps outside of the courtroom to resolve issues before asking the judge to demand compliance. And if you want the ourt to sanction the other party for failing to comply with a discovery request, you'd better be able to show that you put forth some effort to resolve the issue on your own.

This client was very high maintenance, his case presented more issues than most divorces, he didn't take his attorney's advice, he defied court orders, and in the end committed extortion. While his bills were high, I don't see anything that would make me think the lawyer didn't earn his fees. A client like this is just alot of unavoidable work. This firm obviously has enough business, in fact it sounds like they have more work than they can handle, so it doesn't make economic sense to spend an inordinate amount of time on one client.

And Mr. Bishop offered an in-person review of the bill and the client turned it down. Mr. Bishop then informed the client of the bar's fee arbitration program. This would have afforded the client the opportunity to dispute the bill with a neutral third party at no cost. If the client feels he has a viable dispute, with thousands of dollars at stake, why wouldn't he submit his dispute to fee arbitration? So I have to think that the client recognizes the weakness of his claims.

As for the revealing of personal information of another client, whoops! BIG time no no. And Mr. Bishop failed to address it in his rebuttal. So I've got to give that one to the client.

I guess that's all I have, best regards!

Bill Bishop Divorce Lawyer from Bishop Law Offices in Phoenix Arizona has been in business for years having served several happy clients. Unfortunately, in a divorce case there is some give and take with each case.

This is actually an interest reply from this law firm and i wanted to reply as an outsider reading this thread. I just joined RoR looking for an attorney and came upon this.

If this is Bill Bishop or his firm replying, let me give you an outsider perspective on RoR and why this makes you look bad and maybe a resolution on how to get this fixed in your favor.

1) It took you 2 years to reply to this? 2 years? Are you living in a cave?

2) While you bring up some good points, the one that stuck me as the worst infraction was your Mr. X receiving another client's personal data. You failed to address that! Very typical of a lawyer to do that. That's huge to me.

3) $9,000 a month sounds pretty extreme for billing, no matter how hard the case. You claim the average divorce costs $19,000, but this guy would have paid over $100,000 with your firm.

4) Mr. X said your guy was a hard worker, but lacked a strategy. That's a fair assessment. it's not like he called him a worthless A-hole or anything derogatory.

5) You claimed that Mr. X's file was a bankers box full of stuff. Having used attorneys in the past myself, I know the way to pad bills is endless letter and memos. C'mon Mr. Bishop, you aren't dealing with morons here!

6) You offered to meet with him to review the case? Why would he want to meet with you? Your guy moved out of town and you want to host a meeting? Sounds like closing the barn door after the horse left to me. Did you meet before he left and complained? Was Mr. X complaining? At $9,000 per month, maybe you might have wanted to retain a client who could afford such billings?

7) And finally, your comment on extortion is actually funny. He demands a refund (which 10% of what Mr. X paid to you is pretty fair, assuming it was 9k for a few months, and would amount to a couple of grand) and you claim it is extortion? Mr. Bishop you are in the service business. If someone doesn't like your service, you need to be prepared to deal with it, not threaten with legal action. If you were a restaurant and he complained, your argument is analogous to saying he ate too much food, was picky with what he ordered, he didn't like his menu or his waiter and then you refused to serve him any more food.

This is why sites like this exist. I don't think you did yourself any favors by replying to this. I think it made you sound desperate, bitter and the tongue and cheek comments made you sound glib and snott at a former client.

A friend of mine complained to the AZ Bar and it went nowhere. Especially if you are an attorney with many years of experience in Arizona.

Your reply should have shown how you worked with Mr. X to resolve your issues, not to threaten him with a lawsuit (so typical of a lawyer to do so). I know after reading this report, I still wouldn't call your office if I needed a divorce lawyer. What really hurts you is when I googled your law firm, this report was 3rd in the ranking. Each and every reply will bring it higher and longer in the rank.

You would be better served to resolve your issues, have Mr. X post a positive response and then you would get more business. Paying him a refund of a few grand (with the guarantee of a positive resolution here) is hardly extortion, as opposed to spending the effort of writing your response and dealing with this on your internet search record would be a far better and prudent move. Time for a little humble pie Mr. Bishop. Mr. X got you and you don't like it because he didn't use your established channels. The internet drives business, both postively and negatively. Hate to break this news to you. It sounds like you might be 2 years, too late though.

You don't know me and I don't know you, but you should read through ripoff and see how things are handled and get resolved.

Just sayin

This response is with regard to the Ripoff Report.Com and the My3cents.com complaints filed against me by one former client, who I will call "Mr. X" (I use the name "Mr. X" as a professional courtesy to this former client).

To begin with, I never represented Mr. X myself. His attacks on me are extremely unfair in light of the fact that I was not his attorney. Regardless, the attorney who handled his case, an associate with over eight years of experience, did everything possible to get this client on course and to attempt to keep him from hurting his own case. The associate has practiced law for over ten years, and worked with another Certified Family Law Specialist before joining Bishop Law Office. This attorney is diligent, fair and a hard worker. I have reviewed the case file and concluded that the associate did everything in his power to advocate for Mr. X in an assertive and professional manner. While many attorneys receive complaints that they do not communicate with their clients, this was the opposite case in this manner. The file is replete with consistent communications between the attorney and Mr. X.

With regard to Mr. X's contentions that the associate provided too many "polite reminders" to opposing counsel regarding discovery requests, the associate was simply following the rules of procedure. Such reminders are required under the rules of family law procedure prior to filing a motion to compel. The associate in fact filed such a motion after such measures were taken.

Mr. X was provided copies of all pleadings filed with the Court in advance, and approved each such document before it was filed. All arguments supporting Mr. X's claims were properly submitted to the Court.

Contrary to Mr. X's contentions, Mr. X did not discontinue services with the firm. Rather, the firm turned down representing Mr. X after the associate moved to Tucson to be closer to his elderly parents and left the firm. Although Mr. X now attempts to persuade the public that he was unhappy with the firm's representation, Mr. X wanted the firm to continue representing him after the associate resigned. Mr. X asked me to personally represent him, however, I had two trials scheduled in the near future and do not take on new cases if I do not feel that I can provide adequate attention to the case. I also was aware that Mr. X had great difficulties following directions from his attorney. For example, Mr. X continued to exchange scathing emails with his wife despite an Order Of Protection being issued against him that prohibited such communications. Such conduct led to criminal charges being filed against Mr. X. Mr. X also published negative websites about his wife which ended up being used against him during the trial and during his custody evaluation. Accordingly, we suggested that Mr. X find a different attorney. As a professional courtesy to Mr. X (in case people who know him review this rebuttal), I have omitted many of the custody evaluator's conclusions regarding Mr. X's conduct as well as the Court's conclusions. In the end, Mr. X was ordered to pay over $30,000.00 of his wife's fees as a result of his actions and positions. Such orders were entered well after Bishop Law Office terminated his representation. A review of Mr. X's case docket shows that Mr. X and his ex-wife have continued to have conflicts and continue to litigate in Court to this day.
With regard to Mr. X's statements that clients should not be "fooled" by an attorney's credentials (such as being a certified family law specialist), I respectfully disagree. Mr. X is correct that such credentials are in part a result of a peer review. However, contrary to Mr. X's suggestions, the attorney must also have demonstrated substantial experience in the many areas of family law, must pass a very stringent written test (many attorneys fail to pass the test), must establish superior legal skills, and must demonstrate high standards of professionalism and ethics. If people think that attorneys go out of their way to give other attorneys good reviews, they are very much mistaken. Attorneys are very competitive by nature and many inherently believe that they are better in their profession than anybody else. If an attorney is judged as being top rated by other attorneys and judges, such is based upon them seeing the attorney in action. The attorneys who provide peer reviews include attorneys who have served as opposing counsel. It is not a popularity contest by any stretch of the imagination.

When a person hires a good attorney, the attorney should not only act as the client's advocate, but should provide them sound advice to help them through a horrible time in their life.

I receive many referrals from the public and other attorneys - more than I can accept. I do not need to or desire to charge a client any more than is absolutely necessary to properly represent them. When you hire an attorney, a commitment is made by both the attorney and the client. The attorney commits to provide valuable, competent advice and diligent representation. The client commits to provide truthful information and to at least listen to the attorneys' advice, including what the consequences will be of failing to comply with court orders, which is legal advice garnered over many years in the Courtroom.

Mr. X's claims regarding the amount of fees he paid are inaccurate. Mr. X's claims that my firm overcharged him are equally misplaced. Mr. X's file was over a banker's box full of documents. The associate spent numerous hours corresponding and talking to Mr. X about the various matters. There were many issues to address in his case. In all cases our firm attempts to settle the cases out of Court if possible. However, it takes both parties to effectuate a settlement.

A recent Arizona Republic article stated that people pay over $19,000.00 on average to get a divorce. Most of our cases cost much less than that. However, high conflict cases like Mr. X's are quite expensive.

Mr. X correctly states in his report that I informed him that his threats against me constituted extortion. In fact, Mr. X's threats did constitute extortion. After we informed Mr. X that we could no longer represent him, Mr. X threatened that if his fees were not returned to him (even though they had been earned), he would draft negative reports regarding me on the internet. I informed Mr. X that such threats in fact constituted extortion under the Arizona Revised Statutes. To date, I have not pursued criminal charges against Mr. X because I attempt to keep things professional. With regard to attempting to resolve the fee issues with Mr. X, I offered to submit the matter to the State Bar of Arizona Fee Arbitration Committee, which is a free program. Mr. X rejected my offer to address the matter through the Fee Arbitration Committee. I also offered to sit down with our prior associate and Mr. X to review his billing statements and fees. Mr. X did not respond. I also asked Mr. X to specify any specific billing entries that he felt were unreasonable. Mr. X failed to offer any examples, but rather made only general allegations without any specifics.

Mr. X himself states in his report that I have a good reputation as an attorney (i.e. that I came "highly recommended"). I believe that my reputation is well earned. In this case, I did everything I could to be fair to Mr. X. Unfortunately, he is placing the blame regarding his case results (which happened well after we were no longer his attorneys) in the wrong direction.

Fortunately, we have many testimonials regarding the great work we have done on behalf of our clients. Some of such testimonials are published on our website, www.bishoplawoffice.com . The firm was selected to the Martindale Hubbell Bar Registrar Of Preeminent Attorneys. We have the highest rating amongst attorneys through Martindale Hubbell, which is the main rating source for attorneys. I personally speak on a number of issues to other attorneys in Continuing Legal Education programs, including how to conduct trials in family law cases. We pride our selves in providing diligent, professional and assertive representation for our clients. I believe that our credentials speak for themselves.