DEAN D. PAQUETTE & ASSOCIATE - HAMILTON, ON

I hired D. to defend me in case. I called 5 times and sent 2 emails, and he still did not reply. His secretary always made excuses for his inavailability, such as "he's with a client," or "he's on vacation," or "he's at court." She would then transfer me over to his voicemail, which he probably never listens to. I thought not returning client calls promptly is very unprofessional. Considering the amount that he charged and the value I got in return, I do not think that he is worth the cost. Before you hand him the cheque, he is extremely professional and will return your calls promptly. After he gets his money, he does not seem to care about your needs anymore. Knowing what I know now, I would have hired another lawyer, but if you do hire D., make sure that you do not pay him in full (pay in installments instead - this will motivate him to continue to work hard for you).

I received great attention (he would return phone calls) and a promise of a very light (no jail time) sentence from Mr. P. BEFORE he got his retainer. After that, he would not return phone calls and when I did meet with him thereafter, he suggested I would be lucky to get a deal with the crown of 2 years (federal time) for my crime, and counciled me to take that. I fired him and hired a new lawyer after he failed to return phone calls for an entire month. My new lawyer got me a conditional sentence and said he couldn't understand WHY Mr. P. would ever settle for 2 years prison, glad I didn't trust Mr. P. with my case. My advise, NEVER use this lawyer. Also, I waited almost 6 months and had to be a huge pest to get the remainder of my retainer back from him.