My question involves a marriage in the state of: Texas
I found a local attorney and hired her in Sept 2010; paying her the full retainer fee up front on the same date of hiring her.
I didn't have my soon-to-be ex-husband served with the papers until November 2010. (He was threatening suicide, yada yada yada.) Here it is in mid-Feb 2011, and my attorney has consistently sent my monthly invoices citing the decreasing retainer fees based on costs of small activities (e.g., me calling/emailing her office to check on status, generation of court papers, etc). This show is one clown short of a circus. Truly! Essentially, I have not gotten consistent and proactive updates from her office to manage my expectations of this process, and when I need to appear in court. I'm livid. I have just sent her and her assistant an email expressing my grievance about her inability to be responsive and basically professional...without using the word professional. I'm sure they both got the message I was conveying. I've told them that sine this is my first divorce and I'm not sure what I should know and when, or what info I should be equipped with, and would appreciate some level of connectedness w/them/their office/MY (!) divorce. Perplexing. The last call I had w/the assistant, she told me that the divorce could be completed in June 2011. What in the world?! I rhetorically asked why so long in duration, and requested that I be advised how I may help assist in quickening this process. I'm not sure if I even want to stay in this state. When I moved to the south, I didn't intend for everything to be slowed down. I mean, really. This is embarassing, and could almost a parody skit of what a common person may go through in a divorce.
At one point, I felt like, 'goodness. I almost feel pigeonhold in finding out about my divorce since every time I initiate a request for status, I am paying for it.' Extremely uncomfortable, and clearly this attorney can hang up the idea of ever getting a referral from me. She can expect feedback from me about her performance, but not the feedback she may desire to sustain her livelihood.
What are my rights in all of this? I had that I have to follow-up behing a licensed 'professional' to see this through. Please help with feedback.
Forgive the typos -it's evidence of my interest to share this quickly in my anger, and interest for help. The letter I sent her did not have one typo/grammatical error.


