My husband met with Hank Graddy regarding a planning and zoning issue in April '18. After consultation, he charged for his time (we had no problem with that) and then requested a $2500 retainer to further evaluate the case.
My husband gave him instructions to only use $1,000 of the retainer to evaluate the case and meet with him to determine how to proceed. This was done and after a few months of consideration, we decided not to move forward with the potential case.
Several attempts to reach Mr. Graddy regarding refund of the retainer over 2-3 months were largely unsuccessful and unreturned. Finally, I was able to get his cell phone number from his receptionist, who though answering the phone with "Hank Graddy and Associates" would then disclaim that she didn't work for him and he only rented space from them.
At this point, Mr. Graddy told my husband that he had used all of the retainer and no refund was due. This was contrary to initial instructions. A breakdown of expense was requested and to date we have still not received that which would justify $2500 for one meeting and what should have been 2-3 hours of review.
I can't speak on Mr. Graddy's actual legal acumen because we did not get that far. However, if you choose to retain his services, I would request everything in writing (our mistake) and be very cautious of handing over a large retainer.
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My husband gave him instructions to only use $1,000 of the retainer to evaluate the case and meet with him to determine how to proceed. This was done and after a few months of consideration, we decided not to move forward with the potential case.
Several attempts to reach Mr. Graddy regarding refund of the retainer over 2-3 months were largely unsuccessful and unreturned. Finally, I was able to get his cell phone number from his receptionist, who though answering the phone with "Hank Graddy and Associates" would then disclaim that she didn't work for him and he only rented space from them.
At this point, Mr. Graddy told my husband that he had used all of the retainer and no refund was due. This was contrary to initial instructions. A breakdown of expense was requested and to date we have still not received that which would justify $2500 for one meeting and what should have been 2-3 hours of review.
I can't speak on Mr. Graddy's actual legal acumen because we did not get that far. However, if you choose to retain his services, I would request everything in writing (our mistake) and be very cautious of handing over a large retainer.