David R. Olan Accident Attorney from Hell (David R. Olan) Olan Law Corp. Santa Monica California
First off, i'd like to say that it takes quite a bit to make a guy like me steamed. And this guy hit the "WMD" button plenty of times. It all started in early 2009 when I was searching for an attorney to take my case. Given the sheer convenience of the situation; chiropractor and his office, I figured what the heck, i'll hire this guy. Boy did that turn out to be the biggest mistake of my life.
Red Flag 1:
His contract is ridiculous when compared to another attorney's. First off, David Olan charges a fee of 1/3 to 45% but he charges that fee against the entire settlement, including the cost of treatment. This has got to be ethically wrong according to the bar association.
Imagine your case settles for $10000. Your medical costs are $5000. David Olan will make $3333.33 and you'll walk away with $1666.67. Add in his "investigator" and "litigation" costs, you'll get just over $1000 for months of pain and suffering.
An attorney down the street charges 1/3 of the total settlement minus the medical costs. Bears the burden of finding insurance on his own. And says, "i'll take care of all that for you." Whereas David Olan charges you for everything from checking your ID to sneezing in his office. David Olan takes advantage of young kids like me on a day to day basis.
Alternate scenario using information from above.
$10000 - $5000 = $5,000 * 2/3 = $3,333.33 would be your settlement. Almost 3 times as much.
Red Flag 2:
After completing 2 months of treatment this guy says to me, "We cannot locate the insurance information of the driver. You can complete treatment without cost." I have been in an incident before where I had incorrect insurance information and my own insurance company was able to track it down. After consulting with other attorneys, I find that it is only 3 forms and a $40 to get the information.
Ask yourself this, what attorney in his right mind would bear the burden of $3000 in medical bills? How can it be possible for someone to operate like this? It's not. He probably wanted to settle the case himself and pocket the cash!
Red Flag 3:
After 4 months of treatment, this guy stops responding to my e-mails for a period of 2 months. Then I tell him, "If you don't want this case, say so and i'll go." He finally responds to my e-mail. Acting as if this case was too small for him.
Red Flag 4:
A seasoned 20 year attorney still cannot find insurance information(After 6 months!) and wants to charge me $200 to hire an investigator. And says, if the investigator cannot obtain the information, it will be obtained through litigation ($350) and his fee would be raised from the 33% agreement to 40%. Essentially, he wants to charge me upwards of $550 + an additional 7% just to find insurance information.
Stay as far away from this guy as possible.
Find an attorney that will charge you anywhere from 20% to 33% on your settlement but not on your medical costs. And someone who is interested in taking care of your needs.
Daniel
Santa Monica, California
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
David Olan, Esq.
Santa Monica,California,
United States of America
Pleased With Her Settlement
#6REBUTTAL Individual responds
Wed, March 09, 2011
We are saddened that Pamela is disappointed about how we handled her case. We were very pleased to earn her – relatively quickly – a $100,000 settlement.
When a case is filed with the court, the lawyer fee is increased. That is standard legal practice, and is discussed with a client prior to representation. It is also clearly stated in the retainer agreement. However, in Pamela’s situation, we did not charge her attorney fees at the higher rate.
I think maybe Pamela doesn’t understand that she – not we – are responsible for any money she may owe. We only take money out of the settlement to pay doctors or therapists that we refer the client to and who agree to take a “lien,” meaning they agree to be paid when the case is resolved.
We paid all the liens. We did not pay bills for services that Pamela contracted on her own. It is not our place to determine how Pamela uses the money she received from her settlement.
We always liked Pamela. We wish her well.
Winemaker
San Luis Obispo,United States of America
Also injured by David Olan
#6Consumer Comment
Fri, February 18, 2011
Sir,
I was on line looking for Mr Olan's address to send him a demand letter when I discovered
your report. First of all I'm very sorry this happened to you. There's nothing worse than being hurt, turning to an attorney who's greed makes your situation much worse.
Mr. Olan represented me in an injury case. To make a long story short he claimed to have
filed a demand with an insurance company who after some weeks said they never received
the claim. Olan's remedy for this was to litigate at a much higher percentage of the
settlement. Fortunately I declined and insisted that he mail the claim again. Odd that he never
sent it via registered mail, nor did his staff track the package to make sure it was properly
delivered. His declarations where incomplete and critical documents that I had submitted to him
to support my case were lost.
But here's the kicker. This accident occured in 2005. I recently applied for a loan to expand my
business and discovered FIVE unpaid bills on my credit report that he was to have paid out of
the settlement! And that he alleged he had paid when we closed the case. His fraud had cost
me valuable time not to mention credibility with my bank. I AM LIVID!
Thought you would enjoy this. I would welcome an email if you can help me bring this guy
to justice. Please contact the Rip Off report to learn how you can receive my contact info securely.
John
Stanton,California,
U.S.A.
The outcome
#6REBUTTAL Individual responds
Thu, June 24, 2010
I think people should know the outcome of going to an alternative attorney.
A little background information on Mr. Olan:
After two months of treatment, Mr. Olan called me and told me, "I could not find her insurance, you can resume treatment and not pay." What kind of accident attorney cannot find the driver's insurance? I was told by multiple attorneys that all that is required is a simple filing with the city or dmv to obtain insurance information. Some attorneys offered to do it for free.
Let me ask you, what type of attorney operates in that manner? How could he have possibly afforded to lose out on $4000 of treatment. Who was going to pay for it? We all know the obvious answer.
By the time, I completed 4 months of chiropractic work, Mr. Olan advised me to close the case, even though I was still in pain.
The above reasons are why I fired you, Mr. Olan. Not to mention my own little acid test. ANYBODY can google the statute of limitations on a car accident claim. You should not have lied to me and told me it was 1 year(I have the e-mails). I was already well aware that it is two years. But you got arrogant, your mistake.
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Moving on, my new attorney scheduled an MRI immediately and a consult with a MD orthopedic doctor. My MRI showed a herniated disc. It is a very severe injury that requires surgery.
If I had listened to Mr. Olan, I would still be in pain and only receive a fraction of medical treatment that I needed.
STAY AWAY FROM DAVID OLAN.
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If you're wondering why i've gone to these lengths, I do it to protect others. Good luck dealing with my new attorney, he's an animal compared to you.
John
Stanton,California,
U.S.A.
The outcome
#6REBUTTAL Individual responds
Thu, June 24, 2010
I think people should know the outcome of going to an alternative attorney.
A little background information on Mr. Olan:
After two months of treatment, Mr. Olan called me and told me, "I could not find her insurance, you can resume treatment and not pay." What kind of accident attorney cannot find the driver's insurance? I was told by multiple attorneys that all that is required is a simple filing with the city or dmv to obtain insurance information. Some attorneys offered to do it for free.
Let me ask you, what type of attorney operates in that manner? How could he have possibly afforded to lose out on $4000 of treatment. Who was going to pay for it? We all know the obvious answer.
By the time, I completed 4 months of chiropractic work, Mr. Olan advised me to close the case, even though I was still in pain.
The above reasons are why I fired you, Mr. Olan. Not to mention my own little acid test. ANYBODY can google the statute of limitations on a car accident claim. You should not have lied to me and told me it was 1 year(I have the e-mails). I was already well aware that it is two years. But you got arrogant, your mistake.
================
Moving on, my new attorney scheduled an MRI immediately and a consult with a MD orthopedic doctor. My MRI showed a herniated disc. It is a very severe injury that requires surgery.
If I had listened to Mr. Olan, I would still be in pain and only receive a fraction of medical treatment that I needed.
STAY AWAY FROM DAVID OLAN.
================
If you're wondering why i've gone to these lengths, I do it to protect others. Good luck dealing with my new attorney, he's an animal compared to you.
David Olan, Esq.
Santa Monica,California,
United States of America
Olan Law Is Proud Of Its Service to Its Clients
#6REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, November 20, 2009
I read this attack on me from Daniel and am compelled to respond with the facts of this situation.
The vast majority of our valued clients are appreciative of our hard work and our dedication to their cases. As in every profession, there are always a few insecure and sour people who are convinced they are being ripped off, even when they are not. As such, the minute I read this I knew exactly who wrote it.
So let me respond to these charges made against me.
First of all, our contract is standard for aCalifornia
Most trial lawyers working on a contingency basis charge the standard fee of 33 1/3 prior to litigation. If the case must be taken into the court to get results, the standard fee is 40%.
As an aside, there is no legal or ethical prohibition regarding the terms of a contract. A contract, by definition, is freely entered into by both parties.
It is true that we were not able to immediately secure insurance information in this situation. Usually the clients come to us with this information.
In this case the client was a passenger in a vehicle in which the driver, whom he said he barely knew, was driving erratically and at speeds of over 100 mph. Apparently she caused the accident.
After the accident the only information the client obtained from the driver was her driver's license number, though he spent the weekend with her inLas Vegas
Our repeated calls to the phone number went to voice mail. The driver never returned our calls. Through the services of an investigator, and some extra effort on our part, we eventually were able to secure the insurance information.
This young man emailed me constantly. I responded to his emails until they got out of hand and became, in my opinion, obsessive. I offered him the opportunity to change lawyers, which he eventually did.
Quite honestly, I was happy that he changed attorneys because his emails had become threatening. Here is a quote from his June 19, 2009 email:
Im a nice guy but not a total push over. I come from a rough neighborhood. People dont have posh lofts near the beach but they have their word and their word is worth everything. And if you continue to take advantage of kids like me, eventually, one guy will wait until someone leaves that security gate to get his own. [Emphasis added by me]
I have all his emails to prove the above facts.
I have spent more than 20 years helping people who have been wrongfully injured get justice. I am proud of the work I have done and the respect I have been accorded by both my clients and the legal community.
Thank you for the opportunity to tell my side of the story.
David Olan, Esq.