John E. Cereso, Managing Partner, Nevada Law Group, LTD. Breached Legal Obligation Ripoff Henderson Nevada

I retained the above mentioned attorney with the expectation that his firm would represent me in obtaining joint legal custody of my son.

I was originally scheduled to appear in court on Friday, July 13, 2007. On Thursday, July 12, 2007, Mr. Schneider, a partner in the firm, contacted me by phone to inform me that the court had rescheduled the court date to Thursday, August 9, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. On Tuesday, August 7, 2007, I contacted the firm by phone to re-confirm the court date and that Mr. Schneider would be in attendance because I had been previously advised that he would be handling my case, although Mr. Cereso was originally retained to do so. I also asked the member of the staff who answered the phone to update my file with the correct contact information in case either attorney might need to contact me for any reason.

On Thursday, August 9, 2007, I arrived at Family Court in Las Vegas, Nevada at 10:00 a.m. At approximately 10:15, I began to get anxious because Mr. Schneider had not arrived. I called the office and was immediately placed on hold. The bailiff started to call people into the courtroom at approximately 10:20, so I asked a friend who had accompanied me to court to stay on the phone and find out where Mr. Schneider was.
When the employee came back on the line, he proceeded to tell my friend that the attorney was on his way. My friend asked how long it would be before he arrived, to which the employee replied he did not know. My friend asked who would be coming and was told that, "It was not certain because the firm employed several attorneys but that it would probably be Louis or Aaron".

At approximately 10:45, a gentleman walked into the courtroom and told the bailiff that he was standing in for the attorney who was supposed to represent me. The bailiff showed him who I was and he asked me to step outside with him. This attorney, who was heretofore unknown by me, explained that he was not a member of the Nevada Law Group staff. He had gotten a call from Mr. Schneider earlier that morning and was asked to step in because Mr. Schneider had suddenly taken ill. Since this attorney was completely unfamiliar with my case, he asked me to give him the specifics and advised me that he would argue to the best of his ability, if necessary. He also advised me that he would have handled the situation differently and that it would be wise of me to request a refund because no one from Nevada Law Group notified me of the situation or showed up to represent me.

As of Monday, August 13, 2007 I had yet to receive a phone call from any representative of the Nevada Law Group advising me of what transpired on Thursday, August 9. No one attempted to apologize for causing me an enormous amount of worry, stress and inconvenience. No one contacted me to find out what occurred in court or to speak with me regarding what the next step in the process should be. This is definitely not the type of treatment I expected to receive. The entire situation was handled in an unprofessional and discourteous fashion. Not to mention the fact that a member of the staff deliberately gave me inaccurate information by implying that the attorney who "stood in" was a member of the Nevada Law Group staff. At this point, I felt the opportunity for me to obtain joint legal custody of my son would be seriously jeopardized if I continued to retain Nevada Law Group as my legal representation. I made the decision to retain the services of a more competent attorney.

So, after waiting four days with no contact from the Nevada Law Group, I visited their office on Monday, August 13 with the intention of presenting a letter which stated my grievance and requested that a refund be issued as expeditiously as possible.
When I entered the offices, there was no one seated at the reception desk to greet clients and I waited for approximately ten minutes before I was even acknowledged. After I initiated contact with a member of the staff, who had walked past me several times, I was finally asked if I had been helped. I replied that I had not but that I wished to speak with my attorney, Mr. John E. Cereso. I was told that he was on the phone but he would be with me shortly. After waiting a few more minutes, Mr. Cereso greeted me and asked me to step into his office.

I proceeded to explain my reason for visiting him, which has been described in detail above. Mr. Cereso's response was that there was no possible way that I would be receiving a refund. I explained to him that he did not meet his contractual obligation to me by failing to keep me apprised of the status of my case.
Furthermore, he breached his legal obligation by failing to ensure that an attorney employed by his firm, who was well versed in the particulars of my case, would be available to represent me in court.

Mr. Cereso's reply was, "I was really doing you a favor by taking your lousy $1500 in the first place".

I was utterly shocked that he would respond to my concerns so tactlessly. At that point, I felt that he couldn't have cared less about my case. It was also apparent to me that his law firm's only concern was to make a quick buck without consideration for its clients. In addition to all of this, he attempted to blame his business partner and stated that several occurrences such as this had resulted in his taking action to dissolve their partnership.

What Mr. Cereso fails to realize is that personal issues he has with his business partner, should not affect how efficiently and competently his firm represents the best interests of its clients. I would just like to warn people who are dealing with this law firm, or have contemplated allowing them to represent you, to think twice!

Mike
N. Las Vegas, Nevada
U.S.A.

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