Complaint Review: Phillips And Associates - Phoenix Arizona

I received a check from Phillips Law firm today after five years. That's what brought all of this back to my mind.

In 2005 I was in the process of getting a divorce. I hired Phillips to handle a bankruptcy for me. Mean time my husband passed away. I notified Phillips. They requested that I come to their main office in downtown Phoenix so they could decide what course of action they needed to take. All of my paperwok had been filed with the court.

I spent over two hours talking with different attorneys. Finally one young attorney came to ask me a couple of questions. He left the room and went to get clarrification. This happened over and over.

I left for home after I was advised the Senior attorney would make a decision and get with me. I never heard from them again.

I hired another attorney and paid him again. Fortunately, he had some morals. He notified the Judge of Phillips Law Firm's behavior. I had to write a letter to the Judge providing him with all of the details. Once he read my letter Phillips was ordered to repay me almost the entire $1,500 dollars that I had paid to them.

Today after almost 6 years I received another check for my filing fee. Sweet Justice!!

Consumers in Arizona need to be aware that this law firm is not typical of the vast majority of law firms in Arizona and would be well advised to stay clear of them. Their approach to the practice of law is very much akin to that of a high pressured car dealership: i.e. makes the sale pitch, reel you in, take your money and aren't much concerned about the product or service they're selling. In fact it is the only legal firm I know of where staff (many of whom have no prior legal experience) and attorneys alike are actually required by management (particularly in the bankruptcy context) to follow a predetermined script when initially meeting with a prospective client. Before retaining legal representation, my advise to any member of the public would be to check with the Arizona State Bar to determine whether a lawyer has any complaints filed against them. If there are numerous complaints and the lawyer has been censured or sanctioned, I would be hesitant to retain their services. They are a great number of well qualified solo or small firm practioners who will gladly provide efficient quality legal representation at an affordable price. Bigger is not always better!

I met with Mr. Turnbow earlier this year, so it sounds like he's been there a while. I thought he was a very nice gentleman. Like you, I was also in for a bankruptcy consultation. After stepping out a few times to speak with "the attorney", He came back in said I could file for Chapter 7 and have my debt wiped out. Only problem was, I suffered from sticker shock when he told me it would cost almost $2200 to file. That's over seven times the cost of $299 to file Pro Se. Granted, I probably wouldn't know the first thing about filing on my own, but I figured I could probably find competent representation elsewhere for a lower fee. At the end of our consultation, I could feel the pressure to put some money down, or at least make a commitment to do so. I can understand this, because Phillips and Associates is a private Law Firm, and obviously they don't give free consultations out of the goodness of their heart; they're trying to get new clients! They need to put food on their family just like you and I do.... Anyway, I told Dean I would need some time to think it over. He followed up with me a few days later, as expected, and I declined services. He respected those wishes. As to the original poster, I can sympathize with your plight of having jumped in with both feet into this bankruptcy without really thinking it through, but I don't believe that's the fault of Dean Turnbow, the answering service, or anybody else at Phillips and Associates. With the advent of the internet, there's no reason not to be well researched on any topic before going in to see an attorney for a free consultation, which includes a free sales pitch if it's with a private firm. Anyone who can read between the lines should know this. I'd be interested to see how your lawsuit has worked out, and if you ever got your $400 back.

All of the alleged victims of Phillips & Associates can't be crazy. The lawyers over there need to start disclosing all the charges that are forthcoming to clients. Instead clients get shocked and ripped-off. An agreement is not an agreement unless both side mutually understand and agree. Apparently Phillips feels comfortable not disclosing all the facts and is continually charged with ripping people off. This matter needs to be sent to every newspaper in Arizona to inform the public not to do business with that law firm. The state legislature needs to know why the licensing and renewing of lawyer licenses needs to be back in the control of the state legislature regardless of the arguements posed by the State Supreme Court. Keep fighting unless you enjoy being a victim. I know you don't! The public is behind you.

You haven't given much information about your fee agreement. Maybe they earned the $400 in question. Bankruptcy is part of my practice and let me tell you, filing bankruptcy is a pain in the neck with a lot of paperwork. If the lawyer or the lawyer's staff has met with you and gathered information about your debts and assets, chances are they have invested a significant amount of time into you case. If they are to the point where there are ready to file case, they have done about 80% of the work already.