Cordell And Cordell

I am the full time father of three going through a divorce. We moved to Oregon from Idaho.

Idaho ruled that Oregon had jurisdiction for the divorce. My ex appealed that decision and I retained this firm. They were very hard to keep in contact with and i seemed to have to suggest things to file and how to fight the appeal so that they knew what direction to take. The appeal was won however, the court didn't specify that my ex was responsible for attorney fees.

My lawyer said that he would file a motion for clarification. I paid them the $5000 retainerin the beginning. They racked up an additional $12k plus in expenses in just a few months. About a month after I had last spoken to anyone about my case I saw that they still had not filed that motion like they said they would.

After asking them what happened, they sent me a nasty email on how they weren't going to file anything unless I paid $2000/ month or paid my bill in full! WTF?

So they refused to finish the job on literally the last thing needed on this case because I had not yet paid them in full? I paid my retainer and never once had a conversation with them close to this except with my lawyer when I told him about my financial circumstances and need for them to pursue my ex for funds because I am raising the three kids on my own with a severe disability and no support from anyone.

Sever ethical deficiency with this firm!

Hired this firm to represent me in my divorce case. Within the first 6 weeks, I was billed close to $16,000.

Within the first 3 months I paid approximately the firm $30,000 based on their billing. The real kicker is that I had nothing to show for it. Not a single objective had been achieved. I was actually in a worse off position than before I hired them.

They have no commitment or loyalty to clients. They ate quick to threaten withdrawal for an outstanding invoice. There are periods when there was absolutely nothing being done to move the case forward in court or otherwise and I got a bill for over 4 figures. Absolutely ridiculous.

Needless to say I had to fire them. Wish I had done so sooner as I am now $30,000 poorer and credit score has plummeted as a result of paying their high bills in such short period.

I invested several years and many thousands of dollars in Kristin Zurek and in Cordell & Cordell. They advertised themselves as lawyers dads can count on.

But both behaved unethically and unprofessionally.

As my case drew to a close, I raised concerns with Kristin about the quality of legal services I had received. In short, the judges position contradicted the vast majority of Kristins legal advice. Rather than discuss my concerns, Kristin filed a motion to withdraw, leaving me without representation only days before trial. Because I followed Kristins advice, my ex-wife's harmful parenting remains unchecked, and I am in no better position to help my children.

Follow-up attempts with the firms Client Care division, with management partner Kimberly Gray, and with founding partner Joseph Cordell were unhelpful.

I posed questions about quality of legal advice, commitment to clients, major discrepancies between projected and actual costs, truth in advertising, value of services, and the client care process. Across emails and phone calls, my concerns were repeatedly sidestepped, and in every interaction I was treated more like a witness to be cross-examined than a paying client. When the Missouri Bar became involved, both Kristin and Cordell & Cordell refused to cooperate.

I cannot recoup my investment, nor can I reverse the negative outcome for my children. But if youre reading this, you can avoid my missteps.

Dads: dont hire Kristin, nor any Cordell & Cordell attorney. You cannot count on them.

I spent thousands of dollars on Nadine Martin. Her bed side manner is horrible and you can barely understand anything she says.

She never listened to anything I had to say because she was so consumed with finding MY faults and wrongdoings. Yes, this was supposed to be MY attorney! Terrible representation. She never discussed ANY of my rights as a man, very false advertising on that part.

This was one of the worst experiences I have had and it's even more terrible that you are paying for this type of treatment. And yes, they price gouge you for absolutely zero service!

DO NOT use this company - the biggest mistake I could have made!

I had a consult with who I thought was going to be my last and after giving them money was given to another attorney in the firm. Phone calls were not returned emails were returned sometimes but the bill was always sent in a timely manner.

I fired the firm on a Monday and was contacted on Tuesday by the attorney by phone and charged for the phone call. How can you charge me when I told you I dont want your services? When I questioned them about this they offered to refund the call charge if I would not leave bad reviews.

Stay away from this law firm they try and find anyway possible to take your money. They are just as bad if not worse than your spouse about wanting to take all that you have.

Cordell & Cordell advertises them as caring protectors of fathers' rights. It is obvious that they should be renamed Passive and uncaring OVER-Billers.

I was quoted that the entire process would cost under 10k and in 3 months with NOTHING having been accomplished they had billed ~7k. They billed for 5-10 word emails or text messages while not representing the agenda or goals of their client. When asked about billing practices and disconnection in expectations of the performance they were condescending, argumentative, and insolent.

If you are a father looking for help in a custodial matter, I would think twice about getting involved with an uncaring money-making machine like Cordell, and pick a small firm that actually cares that they are helping you! STAY AWAY!!

Based upon my own personal experience with Cordell and Cordell this firm policies was created to protect their attorneys, and generate the most income out of their clients. They are NOT for the people.

There is one attorney who genuinely cares for her clients and have their best interest at heart, however due to her lack of experience

You will be very disappointed in paying $300/hr.

I was told "all judges have some bias," after paying over $30k+ in attorney fees/hearings etc.

If I was told that statement in the beginning I would have saved a lot of my time and money from further representation from this firm. I was also told "I'm not sure how to explain what a Parent Coordinator is." And "I'm not sure what else to say." In reference to adding more Witnesses to my case.

You will be charged $25/per email, even if it is a simple "thank you." You will be charged $300/hr for a phone call. You will be given advise that can be used against you in the court of law if your opponent has a more experienced attorney.

It is great to have an attorney that cares for you but unfortunately none of that matters in the court of law.

Hire a private or small family owned law firm with an well experienced attorney. You will have a much better chance at preventing your case from getting worse or a stronger chance at winning.

Experience is what makes a difference in the court of law.

Do not waste your time with large firms. Larger firms are designed to charge higher rates and do not all have attorneys that are all on the same level of experience. (Especially this one). A client should never be charged $300/hr for an attorney that is not fully knowledgeable of the law.

In conclusion, if you are dissatisfied with your attorney.

You are not allowed to speak or contact your attorneys supervisor. According to Cordell's policy, you are only allowed to speak with your attorney in reference to your concern and the "client Coordinator" who is their customer service representative.

Cordell and Cordell...

Well, my 1st attorney was great, I won't give names. She quit and left the firm, in less than a yr.

I was given another attorney( I didn't get to choose). But I had high hopes as a dad and this was advertised as lawyers for dads and dads rights!

The attorney came to me sick recovering from covid.( thats fine, we all have are battles).

Now at this point thinking I hired someone of experience and fight. well thats what I read, was told and billed for.(300$ an hr)

Unfortunately, in my struggles through my case( which durning covid, was alot of zoom court hearings). My 300$per hr attorney had me talk the majority of the time and explain my feelings on what I felt was wanted, needed and expected to the judge.

Never once giving me advice.(but was billed 300$ per hr that he was there)The only advice I got was, sorry she will get what she wants. My attorney said I need to hire a GAL. Again I was left trying to explain my self with not help from my 300$ an hr attorney. ( but I was billed )

We did have court agreements for her to return certain items to me.

When I express my concerns that these items have not been returned.

My attorney never seemed to care.

Never made an effort to file any paper to make it happen, I lost hope.

The kicker is after paying close to 5k in the middle of my divorce and I lost rights to my child lost my childhood house and all my childhood possessions, I was told by Cordell that I owed them another 2k and if I couldn't pay it within 10 days that they had to drop me as a client.

So ya, they dropped me. for money and when you have gave it all to them because you believe there lies. You will end up with nothing and they will still bill you for them doing what you could of done on your own. Its just sad.

I did believe they could help me untill I could keep up on there ridiculous payment plan.

It would of been worth it if they did something.

But I lost everything and was left with a stupid bill. Which I dont think I should have to pay.

This whole process felt like I was buying a car from a dealership. During my initial consult, the attorneys representing the firm we're men advocating for Father's rights.

They answered my questions well and were very courteous. Once I agreed to retain them, I was immediately switched to a completely different team comprised of women, including my TRO attorney Christine Dolan. She was unempathetic towards my case and situation and also made me feel very uncomfortable with her lack of sensitivity to this matter. Her comments offended me when she began to relate her feelings to the Plaintiff's (ex-wife) in the matter.

This was a total bait and switch tactic used in many industries. I was convinced by salesmen and then switched to people that had no sympathy for a client that is going through one of the worst moments in my life. I am disgusted at the amount of money I paid this firm for nothing to happen in the end. No trial.

No in person meetings. Overcharged on the invoices, and closed my account in worse shape than when I retained Cordell and Cordell. It was clear my attorney had zero experience with foreigners. I had to explain in detail what the app Whatsapp is about.

Don't expect to be in touch with the Men from the consultation and if they call you they will overcharge you for the amount of time you are on the phone. They could call for a mistake on their end and still charge you for the phone call explanation. They may all give their phone numbers and tell you to call whenever you want, but that will come at a hefty price. In the beginning don't expect much attention to your matter, this is a big law firm with many clients and cases and only give you undivided attention the closer you get to your trial.

Yet, they will charge you from the beginning as if they give you undivided attention from the beginning. My experience was horrible and I'm left with thousands of dollars in debt for a trial that never happened.