So sad but true. When I lived in So Ca and was studying law, I knew an attorney that didn't quite fit the mold. He lived at his office, drove a clunker, and bet the ponies. When you walked into his office he was usually sitting at his desk reading the daily racing forms. He was an awesome attorney and did not charge an arm and a leg to handle a case. He mostly dealt with family law and did not refuse the occasional personal injury case that crossed his path. Many people that need the services of a family law attorney don't have piles of money to pay for one. I appreciated the fact that If there was something a person could do on their own and save some money, he would tell them what to do. He did not think it was fair to charge someone for something that they were perfectly capable of doing for themselves. Surprisingly, for a guy that was a gambler, he was honest to a fault. As long as he made enough money to pay his staff and his bookies, he was happy. I learned a valuable lesson about not judging a book by its cover when I was young and I got a good education on how the legal system actually works. I enjoyed our talks.

I can relate to your story. I had a personal injury case after an accident when I was hit by a drunk driver. It really messed me up with injuries that were not apparent right away but developed more as time went on. I was hospitalized several times for ongoing problems related to the accident. The guy that nailed me worked for Honeywell Corp. When the accident occurred, he was on company time after apparently indulging in a liquid lunch. It was a hit an run. Medically, it was not the slam dunk that most PI attorneys deal with because the damages evolved and were unusual injuries that required several specialists. I had to have a procedure that was completely experimental at the time. There were no workable alternatives and ignoring the problem was not a tenable option. Because of the complexity of the injuries, I had to fire the first two attorneys that agreed to take the case. The third attorney was good but not long after he agreed to take the case he realized he was in over his head. At least he was honest enough to admit it. He didn't abandon me and found me someone that could handle the case and handed it off to him. The new guy was close to retirement and did not need the money. I knew I was in good hands when other attorneys at the courthouse seemed to be curious about what Jack was doing. Once I was in the elevator leaving the courthouse after a settlement conference when another lawyer slipped into the elevator just to ask me if Jack was my attorney. After I said yes he stated that my attorney was really good. He seemed to be a genuine fan. Being a professional myself, I know that others within the same profession know who their colleagues are and where on the scale of competence they each fall. After my experience with the other two shysters it was reassuring to get this vote of confidence from a colleague.

The moral to my story is to not give up - keep looking if you are still within the statute of limitations for your state. There are some good honest attorneys out there that are not bought and paid for by the system. It is just that you may not find them in the usual way. Good luck.