I'm at a loss of how to proceed. Made a claim against someone that owes me an amount too large for small claims court and not quite large enough for a whole litigation. Background - I loaned LARGE sums of money to someone (on a handshake deal- I know - in a state that honors handshake) They have nickel and dimed the repayments for over a decade and finally ghosted me on the remainder. Nearing the statute of limitations I filed a claim. They did not respond until past the deadline. while making default judgement they responded. Started negotiating with bad faith(offering an NDA completely irrelevant to the claim) for half the amount owed (that was also egregiously protective of themselves - no protections for me). At this point I'm out thousands in Attorney costs, on top of what was already owed due to all the procedures done up until now. The cost of continuing litigation would most likely be more than the total owed, meaning at this point I would be litigating in hopes to pay myself back the additionally lost attorney fees. My question - what kind of options could I look at to recover anything at this point? would I have options for follow up if I were to win a judgment? what could I do if I stopped this litigation now and tried to take it to small claims. would there be anything I could follow up with after a win in small claims?

This has a been a total nightmare, and I feel like I keep getting robbed.

I posted the billing below in the comment section. Notice he included no dates, which seems suspicious.

My Aug. 31 discovery/deposition deadline was approaching, but significant discovery remained unanswered. He filed my motion to compel in mid-July, said the judge would decide, but never scheduled a hearing.

In late July, he twice promised a draft motion to amend the scheduling order but never sent it. He then ignored my calls and emails for three weeks in August, forcing me to file my own motion. He later copied my motion almost verbatim, deleted my introduction explaining I was appearing pro se for the limited purpose of preventing prejudice, and billed me another 1.5 hours for that motion.

With the deadline looming and no court action, I went to the court on Aug 31. A helpful clerk explained that neither motion had been set for a hearing and helped me get an emergency fiat motion before the judge. She remarked that it looked like my attorney was intentionally letting the deadline pass. At the hearing I appeared by myself and the judge threw out the scheduling order.

My attorney repeatedly told me he had filed the motions and that “we need to wait for the judge to respond.” Meanwhile, even the court clerk knew the motions had to be set for a hearing and brought before the judge, which my attorney never did. Attorney is local, knows the court and has 20+ years experience. Do you think he is incompetent or was this intentional?

I am trying to apply for disability. I have multiple illnesses and autoimmune problems. I have applied and gotten denied already once and I was seeking to hire a lawyer in my area of Oklahoma but I don't know what I need to look for to know that it was somebody that I can trust. What do I need to look for? What kind of questions should I ask?

Hey everyone! I'm a BYU student working on an entrepreneurship class project where we're trying to better understand the challenges people face working in the legal field.
I'd really appreciate your help with a quick question!
Over the past three months, how often have you personally lost money or paid unexpected expenses because of your work as a lawyer or legal assistant?
☐ Never
☐ Once
☐ 2-3 times
☐ 4-6 times
☐ 7+ times
Feel free to just comment with your answer, but I'd also love to hear what kinds of costs or lost income cause the most frustration for you (unpaid invoices, unbilled time, software, licensing or CLE fees, etc.).

Hi,

I am a young adult considering law school. There is a lot about the profession that seems very appealing to me, and I think I have the skill set to be a decent lawyer. I have started studying the LSAT and will explore the application process for next year's cycle. As this decision has lived in the back of my mind over the last few months, I keep wondering how lawyers deal with life circumstances that take them off of their game, or other unexpected challenges in life.

For example, I have severe celiac disease. I am very careful with my health, but sometimes things happen by accident or in ways that feel out of may control, and when I get glutened, I experience very intense Brian fog for a few days. When this happened to me recently, I thought "what the hell would I do if this were to happen to me with a trial starting the next day?" There are plenty of other circumstances like that, but you get my point.

Just really curious, what is the culture around that in the law community? Are lawyers wrapping themselves in bubble wrap in the lead up to important dates, or are courts lenient to rescheduling things when the person requesting the accommodation is counsel?

Just really curious about this aspect of the career as I contemplate it. Would love to hear lawyers' thoughts and experiences. Thank you!

i am just 19 years of age and was assaulted by a man in a mixed gender inpatient facility that i stayed at for about a week . i want to sue them because this stay was involuntary-i didn’t consent to go their my family didn’t believe it was necessary either but i was sent there because i had previous history of being inpatient in hospital twice before . although that was two years ago . i left feeling more traumatized and heartbroken by my assault than when i entered .

how can i sue this place and get my dignity and respect back and make sure they’re held accountable ?

for context im in new jersey and this place has extremely low ratings anyways- it wouldn’t be hard to prove they’re negligent towards patients .

This is NOT a request for legal advice. I am simply asking what these words / phrases mean as defined by a lawyer. I have utilized Google but it has become unreliable with the AI overviews. And the majority of actual websites with answers are complex and I do not understand. I know this is a reflection of my low intelligence, but I am at my wits end trying to interpret and comprehend what these things are asking about. I'm hoping for an "explain like I'm 5 years old" type of answer.

From a Domestic Relations Financial Affidavit:

- Gross versus Net monthly income.

- Monthly payment to creditors.

- Capital Gains

- Fringe Benefits.

- Assets in all / partial nonmartial.

Canada. AB

So lets say ive gone through the step by step process of being pulled over. taken out of my truck, detained, put in the back of a police cruiser, and taken to the jail to be booked, processed, and thrown in the cell. EVERYTHING was done legally correct.

At what point did it go from detention to arrest?

How much do real estate lawyers cost on average?

Hello
I (39f) had mediation today and completed disagree with mediators recommendation. There was a DVRO in 2024 and she completely bypassed family code 3044 and family code 3011. My question is..is there anyone who has gone to court after mediation (we have court next week) and objected to the recommendation and the judge actually listened and helped? How did you do it? I need some hope. My sons physical and emotional safety are at risk and is suffering severe psychological trauma.
We are in California

Why do some attorneys get so offended when clients ask questions?

I’m considering a fairly complicated bankruptcy involving personal and business debt. I had a consultation with an attorney who was very nice and knowledgeable, but I still had questions about his recommended strategy. He advised to reach out of if I had other questions, which I did.

I admittedly struggle with organizing my thoughts, so I used AI to help put my questions into words. I also specifically offered to pay for a more in-depth consultation because I wasn’t expecting free legal advice.

His response was that he doesn’t respond to “AI slop” and that he’d already spent sufficient time assessing my situation. And if I wanted to retain him to pay 7500.00.

Literally that was his response.

I wasn’t questioning his expertise. I was simply trying to understand my options before making a decision that could affect my businesses and family’s livelihood.

Is using AI to organize questions really that offensive? I understand attorneys’ time is valuable, but isn’t helping clients understand their options part of the process? I’m really bothered by his response, clearly. Also bummed because he seemed knowledgeable. I did respond thanking him for his time and asked if he would answer my specific questions with a retainer on file but he didn’t respond.

For instance, if your fellow lawyer was a graduate from a non-ABA school, what would you think if you worked with them? Do you consider them full lawyers?

My neighbor started a fire in my apartment complex that resulted in me being displaced ,my unit is uninhabitable, the fire department came , no smoke alarms went off and the fire extinguisher did not work. No attorneys seem interested. Yes I have insurance .

I am in the process of making my first stickers and sticker sheets for my small business, I own a stickerbook that has a page full of postage stamps in it, I love it and wanted to make something similar from my small stamp collection. Then I started to wonder about copyright laws and I can't figure out if I would be allowed to scan the stamps and turn them into stickers to sell or if I need to search out specific ones that are public domain. I know it's probably the latter, but I'm fairly certain some of the stamps in the book I own are copyrighted.

Location: Oregon

I'm not asking for legal advice, just general information as to finding an appropriate personal injury attorney. My civil case that I am trying to pursue includes premises liability/insurance, sexual assault, employment and other things as well. I have reached out to a handful of attorneys and they all keep referring me to the next who refers me to the next. I have a very hard time believing that it is not a worthy case but I'm just struggling to find an attorney who I guess feels like they are specialized enough or something? I'm not sure, the paralegal or legal secretaries never seem to have insight as to why the firm is not interested.

Bit of background: I am a process server, I was serving a commercial eviction on a car lot. The landlord/real estate broker was supposed to meet me at the front of the lot to unlock the padlock fence so I could serve the notice. He instead told me that he was there earlier in the day and I can just enter through a hole in the fence. I did so and was attacked by a man claiming to be the owner. I now know that he was not the owner but I believe he was given permission by the owner to sort of live in an RV onsite as maybe a groundskeeper or guard or even mechanic (he is a mechanic). Anyway, once in the lot, it was more like a junkyard than an auto lot. It was a death trap. The man attacked me, dragged me to a more secluded spot, pinned me between cars. I stabbed him twice, we fought for the knife. He eventually took control of the knife, tried to unalive me and after begging for my life, he sexually assaulted me. I escaped as he was pulling up his pants.

I am pursuing a civil case against the landlord/broker who told me to go in through the hole in the fence. If I find out that the car lot owner really did authorize my attacker to be on-site, then that might be something to pursue as well.

As you can see, there are a lot of things going on here. I have sued and won a few civil cases in my life for other types of issues and have never ever had so much trouble getting legal representation. Does anyone have any direction to share with me as to which specialty I might pursue in regards to the type of attorney/firm?

I own a condo unit in Ontario and I’m looking for advice on a parking dispute that has dragged on for months.

The situation: My car (a 2026 vehicle) is parked in my assigned spot. The spot next to mine is assigned to another unit under the condo declaration, but it’s being used by a resident (tenant) from a different unit. That resident keeps hitting their door against my car, leaving several dents on both passenger-side panels. I paid to repair the damage, and there is now new damage on the same side.

I've tried the following so far:

Feb 2026: Spoke to the resident directly and was met with hostility. Her child basically attacked me.

Went to the previous superintendent, who couldn’t help.

Contacted the new property manager, who kept saying he was “working with the Board” but nothing happened.

July 2026: Raised it at the AGM. The Board’s lawyer said the resident would be moved since it isn’t their assigned spot. That never happened.

After months of follow-ups, a Board member (who owns the unit the spot is assigned to) told me the Board had decided to swap the resident into the spot he currently uses, and he’d return to his own. Weeks later, nothing changed. He then told me the resident refused to move for "personal family reasons".

Other context: Another neighbour told me they’ve dealt with the same problem for years, and the previous owners of my unit say their car was damaged by the same resident.

My questions:

Can the Board or management enforce use of assigned spots, and what leverage do I have if they won’t?

Would the Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT) be a realistic route, or is this more of a Small Claims or Superior Court matter?

Can I recover repair costs, and from whom: the resident, the corporation, or both?

Does the resident’s stated personal reason change the Board’s obligations (the resident's child is on the autism spectrum), and how would that interact with my rights as an owner?

Does the history of similar complaints from other residents strengthen my case?

I have photos, repair receipts, and a paper trail of emails. Thanks in advance!

So i work at a company and its been hell so starting off i came in and my manager seemed to really hit it off always checked on me and seemed genuinely nice. working down the lines maybe months i had a friend (im a guy hes a guy both heterosexual) genuinely my buddy. we did hang out alot and was sort of close friends at work. my manager proceeds to put out a rumor that me and him were dating and when we found out it was devastating. My buddy was furious l was as well but mostly embarrassed we were still cool but you can tell that the rumor made him feel different or embarrassed to continue to be my friend or just hang out also it affected how others felt about me at work. i have messages and and countless proof of my manager name calling me also her assistant verbally told me things like gay jokes that other people were around could hear. i told my manager before im heterosexual and i dont like the comments especially infront of ppl. i know i should report it to hr but im embarrassed i really do hate coming to work but bills and economy needs me to. is this a lawsuit?

someone pleas guilty under the first offenders act (in GA) to felony aggravated stalking and was sentenced to 10 years probation. A year later he was arrested for 6 counts of entering automobile, convicted of 2, which are felonies, sentenced to 5 years probation for each charge so 10 all together, was transferred to first felony county due to VOP under first offenders act, what are the chances this person gets to roam free again?

Trying to keep the details of the underlying legal situation brief, but happy to provide more context if needed.

We hired an attorney in July to handle a parenting plan modification and paid a $2,000 retainer. The scope of work has expanded slightly in recent weeks to include negotiations with opposing counsel and discovery.
Last Friday, we received a bill showing approximately $3,000 outstanding. I’ve attached the fee agreement and an itemized invoice (with identifying information redacted).

My first concern is that we had not received any monthly billing statements or updates regarding the status of our retainer, despite paragraph 6 of the fee agreement stating that statements would be provided monthly.

Additionally, paragraph 6 states:
“The additional amounts will not exceed the initial retainer amount.”

Given that the outstanding balance is approximately $3,000, I’m unclear how that provision is being applied or whether I’m misunderstanding its meaning.

I’m a former paralegal, so I’m certainly not naive about the costs associated with legal proceedings or the fact that attorney fees can add up quickly. That said, I was surprised by both the amount of the bill and some of the individual time entries.

Maybe this is just based on my own experience, but I also found it unusual that tasks such as “reviewed court filings and ensured petition and PPP were filed properly” or “communicate with process server and client to coordinate filing and service” were billed at an associate attorney’s hourly rate rather than being delegated to a paralegal, particularly when the fee agreement specifically outlines a separate paralegal billing rate.

I’m not suggesting that the work wasn’t performed or that the attorney shouldn’t be compensated for their time. I’m simply trying to understand whether these billing practices are typical and whether my expectations are reasonable.

Essentially, I’m wondering how others would recommend approaching this conversation with the attorney. Are my concerns valid, particularly regarding the lack of regular billing statements, the additional retainer provision, and the delegation of administrative tasks?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12P8JJB9kcEipCosjl2EyJswAk9n2VHYd/view?usp=drivesdk

Hi . I am an architecture student and I haven asked to design a villa for lawyer , I wanted to come here and ask all of you what you might prefer what possible I can take from your work profession that can be used , it can be anything from the way lawyers think to what personal need

I have what I hope is a broad enough question. My son was injured during a routine c-section with vacuum extraction. The obstetrician was the doctor on duty, who I won’t be seeing again. My son has brain damage and possible blindness, and right now it appears that the aggressive vacuum extraction was the cause. Either way he will likely require additional support for the rest of his life. While I’m unclear whether there was a dereliction of duty of care, I’m considering pursuing a birth injury case.

Although I’m of course heartbroken that my son will have a different life than was expected, we have a great medical support team in the hospital system where he was born. It’s the only Childrens hospital in the state. If we choose to take action, would we still be able to see providers in this hospital system? I don’t want to be shut out or be retaliated against. Will the providers know that we are suing?

Hi! I’ve been working with an in-house attorney to settle an intellectual property theft claim for the past six months.

I was asked to send a settlement offer, which I did last month, and have been ghosted since they confirmed receipt.

Why would they be ignoring me at this stage? I’m worried I asked for too much money, and they’re trying to force me into litigation. Are there any other reasons they might be ignoring me? If the amount was too high, why wouldn’t they send me a lower counter? I would probably take it!

Any thoughts or insights would be so appreciated!

I paid every month on time for two years and was notified 10/26 that my items were mistakenly discarded due to an error when transferring customer information into a new property system. I am absolutely heartbroken. There were keepsakes from my deceased mom, my baby's childhood clothes, expensive purses, clothes, shoes, furniture. All gone. I've filed a police report and have confirmed everything was discarded at least a week ago. I've never been through anything like this and my mind is so scattered, I don't know what direction to go in.

I've been having a hard time finding criminal appeal attorneys in Seattle, Washington.. So far after searching, it seems like most of the appellate firms don't handle criminal cases. Is this correct ? Don't need a court appointed representative. I am looking to retain someone with proven positive experience in the Court of Appeals.

The convictions are felony drug delivery charges with gun enhancement. Would love to find someone who has dealt with similar cases.

So I figured I'd ask Seattle attorneys if they can point me in the right direction or have any tips on searching. Please let me know if I can provide anymore information to help.

Thanks !