Legal Authority Scam

A. Harrison Barnes, I think I know what "A." stands for.

2009-01-29T00:11:00.000-08:00

YAY! I am thrilled to report that somebody from Legal Authority found this blog. I know this because this blog received three obviously fake "positive" comments re: Legal Authority, all within a span of four minutes.

I have no problem with LEGIT comments to this blog, positive or negative, but I did take the liberty of deleting the fake ad-copy posted by the company itself. The comments were obviously just as fraudulent as the company they promote-- three comments were posted within a four-minute span, purporting to be from three different attorneys. However, NONE of the names correspond to real attorneys.

For example, one comment was from a "Sandra Carter" in Michigan, who claims to have obtained some lucrative position with a Detroit firm thanks to Legal Scam-thority. LOL!!! However, the blogger profile is "unavailable" and THERE IS NO ATTORNEY WITH THAT NAME IN MICHIGAN. Ditto for the other comments posted simultaneously. Sandra, please feel free to clarify this discrepancy.

Ultimately, I have enabled comment moderation. So besides utter incompetence and disregard for the law, I suggest that we should add a lack of scruples to the qualities of this rubbishy company. And that's its good side!

***

As for me, I have prepared but still not filed my Complaint for damages against Legal Authority. I am aware of the statute of limitations, so I have time. Finally, a couple positive notes:

There is important news developing re: Legal Authority, but I've decided to withhold it for the time being. Watch this space, though it may be a couple months before it's ready for primetime.
My law school (who referred me to L.A.) has severed ALL ties with this company, and has advised regional law schools to do the same!

YAY!! Perhaps the free market works after all.

CAVEAT EMPTOR -- BUYER BEWARE! STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY and all their "Whatever-Crossing" subsidiaries!

Legal Authority at the BBB

2008-12-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

Within the last couple months, Legal Authority has raised their rating at the Better Business Bureau from an "F" to a "CC".

Basically, they had someone post vague denials of all complaints received, instead of ignoring them as before.

Legal Authority responded to my October 2007 complaint in September 2008. Yes, after nearly one year. Basically LA denied everything I said-- i am sure they copied and pasted from their other denials at the BBB. Word against word. The email notification went to my SPAM folder for some reason and so i missed it. The BBB closed my complaint because i didn't post a rebuttal within 10 days of LA's response (which itself was 11 months overdue!).

I was told i could petition to re-open my BBB complaint, but i am suing LA in civil court, so i'm not even going to mess with that.

Suing Legal Authority.

2008-12-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I have reached the end of the road. Legal Authority submitted my fraudulent, nonexistent debt to a collection agency, testing my promise to them that I would sue them if that eventuality came to pass. I have drafted a Complaint for:

Injunctive relief
Declaratory relief
Recovery against bond of employment counseling service
[in the alternative] Breach of contract

I hesitated to include #4, but it will give me an excuse to allege all the problems with LA's service so i don't just look like a whiner. When i get around to it i will try to post a redacted version of my complaint. I am only entitled to $2,200 in statutory damages, but I will seek punitive damages as well and see what happens. I spoke with a consumer rights attorney who agrees with my evaluation of the case, but declined to take it because my damages are less than $25,000, which confines the case to small claims court.

I was disappointed to learn that an attorney appearing pro per in California cannot recovery attorney fees. Here is the state of the law in California on that issue.

The 'attorney fees' recoverable pursuant to CC § 1717 refer to the sum a litigant 'actually pays or becomes liable to pay for legal representation.' When a party litigating in pro per (whether a nonattorney or attorney) neither pays nor becomes liable to pay attorney fees, fees are not recoverable under CC § 1717. [Trope v. Katz (1995) 11 C4th 274, 292, 45 CR2d 241, 251 (pro per attorney); Jacobson v. Simmons Real Estate (1994) 23 CA4th 1285, 1292, 28 CR2d 699, 704 (pro per nonattorney); compare PLCM Group, Inc. v. Drexler (2000) 22 C4th 1084, 1096- 1097, 95 CR2d 198, 207, fn. 5 (distinguishing Trope rule as 'not intended to imply that [§ 1717] fees can be recovered only when, and to the extent that, a litigant incurs fees on a fee-for-service basis' (brackets added))--§ 1717 fees awardable for services rendered by in-house counsel; see also Mix v. Tumanjan Develop. Corp. (2002) 102 CA4th 1318, 1321, 126 CR2d 267, 269-- successful pro per litigant in contract action can recover § 1717 fees for legal services of assisting counsel even though they did not appear as attorneys of record]

credit

Letter #3 to Legal Authority

2008-02-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

Long story short: Legal Authority ignored or avoided responding to my multiple calls, letters, and emails-- as well as my complaint at the Better Business Bureau. I had the below letter notarized and sent via certified mail, return receipt requested, for proof of receipt that will stand up in court (if I am forced to sue them). I consider the letter below to be a great synopsis of my whole Legal Authority experience. Personal information is redacted for privacy.

***

February 12, 2008

[My name and address.]

Legal Authority
175 South Lake Avenue, Suite 200
Pasadena, CA 91101

Account Number: ###
Order Number: ####

Dear Legal Authority, Inc. (hereinafter “Legal Authority” or “you”),

Please note that this, my third letter to you, is notarized and sent via certified mail, return receipt requested, for evidentiary purposes. You have forced me to such extreme and drastic measures because of your inexcusable pattern of avoiding and/or ignoring my multiple complaints, whether issued to you via phone, post, or e-mail.

1. Please correct my mailing address in your records.

You continue to mail purported bills and invoices to my previous address, after I have notified you repeatedly as to my correct address in multiple written correspondences, as well as telephone conversations on December 10 and December 14 of 2007. My correct address, for the fifth and final time, is:
[My name and address.]

Besides casting doubt as to whether you even bother to open letters from your so-called customers at all, your repeated failures to update my address further delay my receipt of your purported bills and/or invoices, which currently reach me only after being forwarded by the postal service.

2. Legal Authority has repeatedly ignored or avoided my multiple requests for customer service.

Inexplicably, you have elected to ignore my previous letters, which were mailed on October 15, 2007 and November 19, 2007, respectively—I have not received any response addressing my concerns and questions. You have also elected to ignore my October 2007 complaint at the Better Business Bureau (Complaint #), where you are distinguished with an “F” rating.

I called your customer service number on the afternoon of December 10, 2007, in an effort to follow up on my written correspondences. I was assured by “Dean” of your company that he would e-mail me: (1) confirming that my address had been updated in your records; and (2) confirming whether you had received my second correspondence to you, mailed on November 19, 2007. After no response, I again spoke with “Dean” on the afternoon of December 14, 2007. Dean assured me that my address had been corrected, but stated that he lacked information with which to confirm your receipt of my November 19th correspondence. Once again, “Dean” assured me that he would e-mail me written confirmation of the above two items. Two months later, I have not received an e-mail or otherwise heard back from “Dean,” or from anyone on behalf of your company, for that matter. On the afternoon of January 23, 2008, I left a brief and polite voicemail message for “Janae” (phonetic) of your company, simply requesting a return call at her first convenience regarding customer service. I received no response. On January 29, 2008, I received an automated birthday greeting from “theresa@legalauthority.com”. I immediately replied, requesting customer service again via e-mail. Yet again, there was no response. The above background of facts has forced me to have the present letter notarized and sent via certified mail.

3. Any purported contract between Legal Authority and me, [name], is void and unenforceable as a matter of law.

After analyzing the pertinent legal authorities (pun intended), I have concluded that any purported contract between Legal Authority and me, [name], is void, unenforceable, and illegal as a matter of law. Consequently, any purported arbitration provision within that void contract is equally void.

Initially, note that Legal Authority is an “employment counseling service,” as defined by the California Employment Agency, Employment Counseling, and Job Listing Services Act. (Civ. Code §§1812.500 et seq.; 1812.501(b).) As an employment counseling service, Legal Authority is expressly subject to California Civil Code section 1812.510 et seq.

A contract for employment counseling services must be in writing and signed by the customer. (Civ. Code §1812.511(a).) The purported written contract, if such exists (which, here, it does not), must also contain certain specific information. (See Civ. Code §§1812.511, 18512.512.) Significantly, a written disclosure concerning the customer’s right to cancel must be “in immediate proximity to the space reserved for the customer's signature.” (Civ. Code §1812.511(a).) Absent such conspicuous disclosure of the cancellation policy, the customer may cancel the contract altogether at any time. (Ibid.; Civ. Code §1812.523(c).)

I never saw any written contract from Legal Authority; I certainly did not sign one. If you believe I am mistaken, please kindly provide me with a copy of the written contract which both (1) complies with relevant statutes and (2) bears my written signature. In the meantime, I am forced once again to notify you of my full cancellation/avoidance of the purported contract (which is unenforceable, in any event). (Civ. Code §1812.523(c).)

Additionally, several of Legal Authority’s practices are patently illegal. For example, a copy of Legal Authority’s fee schedule must be provided to the customer “prior to the customer being interviewed by a counselor, agent, or employee.” (Civ. Code §1812.512(a)(1).) My first contact with Legal Authority was a telephonic interview with [name] of Legal Authority. I did not receive a copy of Legal Authority’s fee schedule; certainly, I did not receive such a copy prior to the initial interview(s) of May 8/9, 2007.

Furthermore, California Civil Code section 1812.512(c) makes it illegal for an employment counseling service to “accept, directly or indirectly, a registration fee of any kind.” (Civ. Code §1812.512(c).) Legal Authority’s one-time non-refundable membership fee in the amount of $195 therefore amounts to an illegal “registration fee.” (Ibid.; Civ. Code §1812.501(k).)

Finally, California Civil Code section 1812.513(b) prohibits fraudulent or deceptive ads. To cite just one example, Legal Authority blatantly concealed the purported term that makes the fee for employer contacts non-refundable. In the e-mail that induced my order , the $195 Fee is described as “This non-refundable fee” and the Per Employer Fee is set apart and described as “This fee”. Clearly, Legal Authority intentionally concealed the fact that it intended the Per Employer Fee to be non-refundable as well.

Statutory violations are subject to treble damages, fees and costs, and, where applicable, punitive damages as well. (Civ. Code §1812.523(d).)

4. Even if an enforceable contract were formed (which it was not), Legal Authority materially breached the purported terms, in any event.

Although the code is clear that no enforceable contract existed or exists between Legal Authority and me, [name], Legal Authority materially breached the purported terms of that purported contract (which is void and unenforceable, in any event). This is hardly surprising, as it fits into the pattern of inattention and incompetence outlined above, which pattern likewise corresponds with Legal Authority’s “F” rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Soon after my initial interview and purported enrollment with Legal Authority, I received several enthusiastic e-mails entitled, for example, “We’re Working Hard for You!”. That particular e-mail informed me that writers and editors were already revising my resume and cover letter. I later learned that this representation was completely false. In fact, nobody was working hard for me at all due to problems that existed entirely on Legal Authority’s end.

After nearly two weeks and many repeated attempts to contact Legal Authority, I was informed that Legal Authority’s customer service agent, with whom I had been directed to correspond, “no longer works for the company”, and that work on my papers had not yet begun. I did not receive drafts of my resume or cover letter within the advertised period of 5-10 business days, and several of my attempted contacts with customer service were not answered within the advertised period of 1-2 business days. “Dean” of your company has acknowledged these breaches to me in our telephone conversations; in refusing to negotiate or compromise, he insisted that the above breaches do not excuse payment for the full amount.

Additionally, despite Legal Authority’s express satisfaction guarantee , I was anything but satisfied by the work of Legal Authority’s editors, billed as “professional experts who specialize only in legal resumes.” On first glance at my butchered cover letter, I noticed fundamental writing errors including a split infinitive and a run-on sentence. Beginning sentences with dangling modifiers, the writing style is also extremely awkward and unprofessional. [sic]

Suspending arguendo the reality that such contract is void and illegal, Legal Authority breached their own contract, and refused to honor their express satisfaction guarantee. Even if the void contract in question were somehow enforceable (which it is not), I believe I would have a legitimate basis for nonpayment due to multiple breaches by Legal Authority, in any event.

5. Conclusion.

This letter, being both notarized and certified upon your receipt, will be my final attempt to contact you. If you still believe that you are due any payment from me, please address all the issues raised above. Because the California Civil Code expressly (1) renders void any purported contract between Legal Authority and me, [name]; and (2) provides for the civil recovery of treble damages, fees and costs, and punitive damages, I must therefore expressly reserve any and all rights and remedies I may have as against Legal Authority. (Civ. Code §1812.523(d).)

Sincerely,

[Name], Attorney at Law
California Bar Number #

Cc: [Name], Assistant Dean, Career Development, [alma mater] School of Law
Cc: Better Business Bureau (Complaint # )

Wisconsin Attorney: Epilogue

2007-11-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

Our Wisconsinite heroine informs me that the audience of her meticulous correspondences, Harrison Barnes, the mastermind of Legal Authority, never responded.

She pursued various avenues including the Better Business Bureau and the California Attorney General's Office. Ultimately, she received help from her stronger big brother (i.e., her credit card company) who successfully fought off the mean bully that is Legal Authority. Yes, she successfully challenged the charge to her credit card as a fraudulent transaction.

***

Comments, including other experiences, are welcome.

Wisconsin Attorney's Letter #2

2007-11-19T19:31:00.000-08:00

If you manage somehow to survive phases one and two-- customer service and the torturous editing process-- you then get to look forward to receiving erroneous or incomplete contact information for potential employers. (Personally identifying information has been redacted for privacy.)

***

[Date

[Legal Authority Customer]

Harrison Barnes, CEO
Juriscape
175 South Lake Avenue
Suite 200
Pasadena, CA 91101

Re: Legal Authority Research Findings

Dear Mr. Barnes:

As a follow-up to my letter of [Date], in which I explained to you my extreme dissatisfaction with the materials I received from Legal Authority earlier this week, I thought I would share with you the results of a portion of the research I conducted today.

As I mentioned in my previous letter, I received contacts for DC, MN, IL and WI.
I have attempted to verify the names of the contacts and companies provided, and to find the names of General Counsel contacts if possible. The latter was done in light of your representation on legalauthority.com that, “many companies keep the name of the general counsel and or lead HR executive confidential, for obvious reasons. In the event we are unable to determine the identity of such individuals, we direct the mailing to the most senior decision maker at the company.” Thus, I interpreted the absence of a General Counsel or legal officer contact as an assertion by Legal Authority that that name was not readily available.

Of the 38 contacts I received for DC, 21 were erroneous in some way. Specifically:

1. AARP: William D. Novelli, CEO provided as contact. Joan S. Wise is the General Counsel and is listed on the AARP website.
2. American Dental Education Association: Frank A. Catalanotto provided as contact. Mr. Catalanotto was the President no fewer than two Presidents ago.
3. Black Entertainment Television: Debra L. Lee provided as contact. Ms. Lee is Chairman and CEO, but Byron Marchant is General Counsel.
4. Cogent Communications Group, Inc.: David Schaeffer provided as contact. Mr. Schaeffer is Chairman and CEO, but Robert Beury, Jr. serves as Vice President, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary.
5. Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Patricia S. Harrison provided as contact. Her actual name is Patricia de Stacy Harrison and she is the President and CEO. Westwood Smithers, Jr. is the Senior VP and General Counsel.
6. Danaher Corporation: H. Lawrence Culp provided as contact. H. Lawrence Culp, Jr. is the President and CEO. Jonathan P. Graham is Senior Vice President and General Counsel.
7. Hanley-Wood, LLC: Michael Wood provided as contact. The company’s proper name is Hanley Wood, LLC (no hypen). Mr. Wood left his position as CEO in 2005 and is now the Ambassador to Sweden. Frank Anton is the current CEO.
8. InPhonic, Inc.: David A. Steinberg provided as contact. Mr. Steinberg is the CEO. Walter W. Leach III is General Counsel and Secretary.
9. Liquidity Services, Inc.: William P. Angrick provided as contact. William P. Angrick III is the Chairman and CEO. James E. Williams is Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary.
10. National Aeronautics and Space Administration is a government agency and my cover letter is applicable only to “a corporate client.”
11. National Geographic Society: John M. Fahey provided as contact. John M. Fahey, Jr. is the President and CEO.
12. National Journal Group: John Fox Sullivan provided as contact. Mr. Sullivan is now the President of Atlantic Monthly. Suzanne Clark is the President of the National Journal Group.
13. Reusch International, Inc.: Thomas P. Staudt provided as contact. Mr. Staudt is the President and CEO. David R. Fontaine is the EVP, General Counsel, and Chief Administrative Officer.
14. Smithsonian Institution: Lawrence M. Small provided as contact. Mr. Small is the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. If I were to modify my cover letter to apply in this situation, I would submit it to John E. Heurta, the General Counsel.
15. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: Michael M. Kaiser provided as contact. If I were to modify my cover letter to apply to the Kennedy Center, I would send it to Maria Kersten, the General Counsel.
16. The Washington Post Company: Donald E. Graham provided as contact. Mr. Graham is the CEO and Chairman of the Board. Veronica Dillon is the VP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.
17. United States Department of Defense: Donald Rumsfeld provided as contact. I discussed this in my letter to you of January 10, 2007.
18. U.S. News & World Report, L.P.: Fred Drasner provided as contact. Mr. Drasner relinquished his CEO title in 1998. William D.Holiber is the current President.
19. United Press International, Inc.: Chung Hwan Kwak provided as contact. Mr. Hwan Kwak is the Chairman and President. Nicholas Chiaia is the COO and General Counsel.
20. Washington Nationals: Tony Tavares provided as contact. Mr. Tavares announced in May of 2006 that he would resign as President. The current President is Stanley H. Kasten.
21. Washington Sports & Entertainment, LP: Susan O’Malley provided as contact. Ms. O’Malley is the current President. The issue is that the next entry provided was the Washington Wizards, with Abe Pollin provided as a contact. The Washington Wizards are owned by Washington Sports & Entertainment and Mr. Pollin is the Chairman of Washington Sports & Entertainment. There is only one contact here.

My evaluation of the Minnesota and Wisconsin information has yielded similar results, which I am happy to share with you if you would find it instructive. I have yet to complete a review of the 300 contacts I received in Illinois. All of my research was done on my nearly 6-year-old computer using nothing but free, publicly available information. I expect your staff has superior resources at its disposal.

As you can imagine, I am angry, disappointed, and frustrated. The service you advertise was intended to obviate the need for precisely the type of work I am doing now. I struggle to see the value added Legal Authority has provided me. Instead, I have lost valuable time and money in reliance on an organization that had assured me significant, high-quality assistance with my job search.

I await your prompt response to my now two letters in order that we can work together to reach some resolution. I will continue to contact your office until I receive a response.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

[Legal Authority Customer]

A Wisconsin Attorney's Experience

2007-11-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

I have been contacted via this website by a Wisconsinite attorney who described to me her Legal Authority nightmare. She descended further into the Legal Authority maelstrom than did I, and somehow survived—truly an amazing feat of endurance!

I will be publishing at this website her letters to Legal Authority, with her kind permission. Personally identifying information will be redacted, of course, in the interests of privacy. :)

Both of us are sharing our negative experiences regarding Legal Authority in the hope that future lawyers will be forewarned about this F-rated company.

***

I welcome feedback in the comments. You are welcome to share your experiences with Legal Authority, whether positive or negative.

Wisconsin Attorney's Letter #1

2007-11-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

(Personally identifying information has been redacted for privacy. Instances of bold-print are due to my, the blog-owner's, editing.)

***

[Date]

[Legal Authority Customer]

Harrison Barnes
Juriscape
175 South Lake Avenue, Suite 200
Pasadena, CA 91101

Re: Legal Authority

Dear Mr. Barnes:

The purpose of this letter is to indicate my extreme dissatisfaction with the quality of the assistance I have received from Legal Authority. I formally request your intervention in ameliorating the situation.

I am a cum laude graduate of [a top twenty law school] For the past few months I have used your job board, LawCrossing, to look for a job. I decided to increase the intensity of my job search and contacted Legal Authority for assistance.

My first significant contact with Legal Authority was with [Ms. X] who informed me of the types of services available and indicated that Legal Authority has an 85% success rate within 90 days. [Ms. X’s] comments regarding my resume and cover letter were insightful. Based on my conversation with her, and on the representations on your website and in advertisements I have seen regarding the quality and uniqueness of your database, I signed on in anticipation of significant professional assistance. [Ms. X] informed me that my cover letter and resume would be forwarded to the resume team for revisions and wished me well in the process.

At some time later, I received the first draft of my resume and cover letters. If you visit the list of Archived Files at my login site, you will see the comments I posted regarding their content indicate that the documents were a complete mess, and likely had not been proofread. Among the problems were: 1) the resume contained nonsensical phrasing like “drafted . . .depositions” and “responsible for client attendance”; 2) the format wasn’t consistently used, e.g., one law firm entry contained the words “Antitrust Group” after its name, while another did not, though I had been in the Antitrust Group at both places; 3) there were lines through the resume at various places that made it difficult to read, some were dotted and others were solid; bullet-points were varying sizes; 4) there was about three inches of blank space at the bottom of the resume and the rest was jammed up into the remaining space on the page; 5) the fact that my [State] license is inactive had been deleted; 6) one of my cover letters indicated that I had spent the past year working DC, which is incorrect; and 7) District of Columbia was misspelled as District of Colombia throughout.

Obviously, I was disappointed and frustrated at the poor quality of the work. I contacted [Ms. X] and indicated to her that the materials were unsatisfactory. I asked if she could have a new writer assigned to the process. The next day a new writer called and said she had reviewed my document and my comments and agreed with them all. She said she was unsure how the documents had been released in such a form but that she would work to revise them. She did. I received much improved copies of the resume and cover letter, but with each draft it was necessary for me to correct typos and inaccuracies in both documents. Eventually, we ended up with a product that I found satisfactory and, when I pressed the button to put the documents into production, I assumed the hassle and lack of quality control was behind me. I awaited delivery of my over 500 letters and looked forward to signing them and sending them off as a good way to start the New Year.

The materials arrived yesterday; their quality and content was an utter disaster.

The type of precision you advertise was nowhere to be found in the materials I received. I am looking for in-house jobs in four regions: WI, MN, IL and DC. The first and most obvious error was that all 300 of my letters to Illinois contacts state that I will be relocating to DC. Plainly no one even glanced over the body of the letters before sending them off. But the more exasperating fact was the quality of the list: It was unbelievable.

[List of 20+ specific errors in the employer contacts.]

Your website advertises that “Every one of your letters will be addressed to someone we have determined is a hiring contact within that office.” I feel like I have been completely had. Even the most cursory glance at this list would have unearthed some mistakes: we could start with Donald Rumsfeld. The service I believe I purchased from you was the “precision” information you advertised. In contrast to your website’s assertion -- “All you have to do is sign the cover letters, stuff the envelopes, stamp each envelope, and mail them. Then you can sit back and remain confident that your resumes and persuasive cover letters are reaching a carefully tailored market of potential employers.” – I find myself with a list of 500 companies, each of which needs to be researched and verified, all for the princely sum of over $1200.00

I contacted [Ms. X] today, who directed me to Customer Service. I spoke with [Mr. X], Customer Service Manager, who had already received, from [Ms. X] the email I sent to her earlier outlining my complaints. I would describe his initial response as not helpful. My request for a refund was flatly refused. While [Mr. X] offered to correct, free of charge, any errors I found, I pointed out to him that that put the onus on me to do the research I believed I had paid Legal Authority to do, and, in addition, would allow Legal Authority to benefit from my labor. [Mr. X] maintained that Legal Authority does not guarantee the accuracy of its information and that it instructs its customers to check all information before sending out any letters. As I indicated to him, this seemed directly at odds with your representations that, “All you have to do is sign the cover letters, stuff the envelopes, stamp each envelope, and mail them.” While I may be wrong, nowhere in your materials have I found the caveat that each contact must be vetted by the consumer before being used.

Just this evening I received an email from [Mr. X] in response to my request for a status report. He offers me the following:

We are happy to issue credit for the law firm contacts that were included in your search, as I understand you wanted the search strictly limited to in-house positions. We can correct the letters that incorrectly imply that you will be relocating to the DC area, as well.

On the subject of the contact list, I’ve confirmed that the information shown on each market’s contact lists (Los Angeles, DC, etc.) is updated between 2 and 4 times a year, depending upon the size of individual market. We do state that we unfortunately cannot verify that all information on these lists will be up-to-date due to the tendencies of employers to shift, hire, fire, and promote personnel without being able to notify us in advance. It is for this reason that we [Legal Authority] ask that our customers review ALL documents in their entirety before mailing anything, as mistakes can be made that we can correct once brought to our attention. We can also offer credit as compensation for the contacts you’ve found incorrect in your search, and we would like to offer you 100 free contacts in addition to this. We will also be sure to cover any and all costs associated with reprinting and shipping anything that requires correction, as it was our error, not yours, that required these issues be corrected.

I have not yet responded to [Mr. X]. I would like to hear from you first. I would like to know if you believe that Legal Authority has lived up to its representations with regard to my experience, and if you believe that what Legal Authority provides to its consumers is a list of contacts for the consumer to verify before using. If not, I would like you to propose a solution, either in the form of a refund or new, guaranteed list, or some combination thereof, which you believe would remedy the situation. As you know, and, indeed, point out in your materials, time is money in a job search, and there is a not insignificant opportunity cost for each day that I am unable to send out letters due to Legal Authority errors or the necessity for research.

I cannot believe that you have created a successful business running it this way. Thus, I offer you the opportunity to make this right.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

[Legal Authority Customer]

Letter #2 to Legal Authority

2007-11-19T01:51:00.000-08:00

(I have removed personally identifying information.)

***

(My name & address)

Legal Authority
175 South Lake Avenue, Suite 200
Pasadena, CA 91101

Account Number: ###
Order Number: ####

Dear Legal Authority, Inc. (hereinafter “Legal Authority”),

I am in receipt of your so-called “Monthly Invoice” purporting to bill me in the amount of $821.06 at 23.99% interest. I must once again demand that you immediately retract your demand to me for payment and, further, that you immediately acknowledge in writing that any purported contract between Legal Authority and me, (name), is void.

Initially, please update your records to reflect my current address. I had previously alerted your company of my new address when I called last month to follow up on my previous complaint letter. I notice that, like my numerous and well-documented complaints, my new address has likewise gone unnoticed by you as well. I have yet to receive any substantive response whatsoever from Legal Authority.

You will recall that in my complaint letter I requested a full refund and/or cancellation, on several independent grounds. These multiple grounds, being unaddressed by you, remain valid and standing as of the date of this correspondence. Enclosed for your convenience is an additional copy of my previous complaint letter.

Because you have elected to ignore my several complaints—even sending me a purported “Monthly Invoice” in lieu of a substantive reply—you have now forced me to bring to light a selection of your company’s many illegal practices. After analyzing the pertinent legal authorities (no pun intended), I believe I am entitled to a full refund as a matter of law.

Initially, note that Legal Authority is an “employment counseling service,” as defined by the California Employment Agency, Employment Counseling, and Job Listing Services Act. (Civ. Code §§1812.500 et seq.; 1812.501(b).) As an employment counseling service, Legal Authority is expressly subject to California Civil Code section 1812.510 et seq.

A contract for employment counseling services must be in writing and signed by the customer. (Civ. Code §1812.511(a).) The purported written contract, if such exists (which, here, it does not), must also contain certain specific information. (See Civ. Code §§1812.511, 18512.512.) Significantly, a written disclosure concerning the customer’s right to cancel must be “in immediate proximity to the space reserved for the customer's signature.” (Civ. Code §1812.511(a).) Absent such conspicuous disclosure of the cancellation policy, the customer may cancel the contract altogether at any time. (Ibid.; Civ. Code §1812.523(c).)

I never saw any written contract from Legal Authority; I certainly did not sign one. If you believe I am mistaken, please kindly provide me with a copy of the written contract which both (1) complies with relevant statutes and (2) bears my written signature. In the meantime, I am forced once again to notify you of my full cancellation/avoidance of the purported contract (which is unenforceable, in any event). (Civ. Code §1812.523(c).)

Additionally, several of Legal Authority’s practices are patently illegal. For example, a copy of Legal Authority’s fee schedule must be provided to the customer “prior to the customer being interviewed by a counselor, agent, or employee.” (Civ. Code §1812.512(a)(1).) My first contact with Legal Authority was a telephonic interview with (name) of Legal Authority. I did not receive a copy of Legal Authority’s fee schedule; certainly, I did not receive such a copy prior to the initial interview(s) of May 8/9, 2007.

Furthermore, California Civil Code section 1812.512(c) makes it illegal for an employment counseling service to “accept, directly or indirectly, a registration fee of any kind.” (Civ. Code §1812.512(c).) Legal Authority’s one-time non-refundable membership fee in the amount of $195 therefore amounts to an illegal “registration fee.” (Ibid.; Civ. Code §1812.501(k).)

Finally, California Civil Code section 1812.513(b) prohibits fraudulent or deceptive ads. Please see my earlier correspondence to you, starting at the bottom of page one, for my argument pertaining to this provision.

Statutory violations are subject to treble damages, fees and costs, and, where applicable, punitive damages as well. (Civ. Code §1812.523(d).)

I believe this matter may be cleanly resolved if you immediately (1) retract your demand for payment; and (2) acknowledge in writing that any purported contract as between Legal Authority and me, (name), is void. Nevertheless, pending your reply, I must expressly reserve any and all legal rights I may have as against Legal Authority. I look forward to your prompt reply. [I filed a complaint at the Better Business Bureau one month ago (Complaint # (number)). I am copying the BBB on this letter, and I await your response there as well.]

Sincerely,

(name), Esquire (State Bar Number (#))

Enclosure, 17 pages.

Cc: School of Law, Career Services Department
Better Business Bureau

Letter #1 to Legal Authority

2007-11-19T01:48:00.000-08:00

(I have removed personally identifying information.)

***

Dear Legal Authority,

I began as a hopeful and enthusiastic purchaser of your services. At the suggestion of a trusted Career Services Advisor at my alma mater, I called Legal Authority on the evening of May 8, 2007 and promptly ordered 241 employer contacts for $720.

Soon after my enrollment, I received several enthusiastic emails entitled, for example, “We’re Working Hard for You!”. That particular email informed me that writers and editors were already revising my resume and cover letter. I later learned that this representation was completely false. In fact, nobody was working hard for me at all due to problems that existed entirely on Legal Authority’s end. Specifically, the requisite “questionnaire” was never made available to me until two weeks later after I had repeatedly pestered Legal Authority for status updates on my lucrative order. See enclosed records.

My enthusiasm (and patience) were replaced by disgust as I endured Legal Authority’s exceedingly poor customer service—the worst I have ever experienced as a consumer. My multiple emails, comments, and phone calls were uniformly ignored and unanswered for nearly two weeks. See enclosed records.

After nearly two weeks, I sent yet another desperate plea for customer service—this time to multiple email addresses at Legal Authority. I was informed that Legal Authority’s customer service agent, with whom I had been directed to correspond, “no longer works for the company”. (See enclosed email records.) Two days after my final, desperate plea, revisions of my cover letter and resume appeared for me to review and finalize.

The editing department appears to be only slightly less incompetent than customer service. On first glance, I noticed fundamental writing errors including a split infinitive and a run-on sentence. Beginning sentences with dangling modifiers, the writing style is also extremely awkward and unprofessional. (sic) See enclosed cover letter. Despite Legal Authority’s guarantee (fn.1), I was hardly satisfied by the work of these “professional experts who specialize only in legal resumes”. See enclosed Cover Letter.

I wish to express my concerns about the no-refund clause that is apparently incorporated into the services contract. First, this term was not expressed over the phone, when my financial commitment was made. Second, Legal Authority blatantly concealed the contractual term that makes the fee for employer contacts non-refundable. In the email that induced my order , the $195 Fee is described as “This non-refundable fee” and the Per Employer Fee is set apart and described as “This fee”. Clearly, Legal Authority intentionally concealed the fact that it intended the “Per Employer Fee” to be non-refundable as well.

Third, and most troubling of all, is that Legal Authority’s business model seems to be designed to profit from its own delay. Indeed, if Legal Authority stalls long enough (two weeks in my case), the customer will grow annoyed and frustrated and eventually secure employment on his own devices, whereupon Legal Authority will be in the rare position to collect payment for services never provided due to its own delay. In fact, there is no reason for a customer to purchase employer contacts at such an early stage—particularly if Legal Authority requires two weeks of begging and prodding just to set its lengthy process in motion, by which time the customer’s patience, trust, and confidence in Legal Authority are irrevocably exhausted.

Consider the fact that the target market—unemployed attorneys with staggering student loan debts—is vulnerable if not desperate. Also consider that the billing process in my experience is unconscionable—locking the customer into a non-refundable contract for many hundreds of dollars, and then ignoring him altogether until he begs repeatedly to obtain the services for which he has bargained, and which services turn out to be grossly incompetent anyway! I believe Legal Authority installed the no-refund clause in an attempt to absolve itself of its further incompetence, breaches of contract, and any accountability generally.

My experience with Legal Authority has been overwhelmingly negative and far more depressing than my job search itself. I frankly struggle to maintain a diplomatic tone in this letter. Ironically, the firms and employers who received my applications were far more responsive, courteous, and helpful to me than my so-called “employee advocate,” (name), at Legal Authority.

I simply request you to retract your demand for my payment of $720 for services that were never provided and never will be provided. You concealed the no-refund terms while inducing my order, then completely ignored my repeated efforts to contact you for two weeks, and only after much begging and prodding delivered a grossly incompetent product that would be hardly passable for a junior-high grammar student, much less a licensed attorney. I trust that my experience was an aberration and that your customer service department will redeem itself.

I have copied this letter to my law school’s career services department, who referred me to your service, and they have expressed interest as to how this matter is resolved. Thank you.

Sincerely,

(Name)
California Bar Number (#)

***

Footnote 1: From http://LegalAuthority.com/wwd/pricing.html: “Perhaps the best part of your membership is the resume and cover letter service we provide …. Attorney Resume's writers are professional experts who specialize only in legal resumes …. [Y]ou'll be satisfied with their services ... guaranteed.”

"F" Rating from the Better Business Bureau

2007-11-19T01:46:00.000-08:00

Legal Authority, Inc. has earned a well-deserved "F" from the Better Business Bureau.

Legal Authority, Inc. of Pasadena

2007-11-19T01:28:00.000-08:00

I believe the company is a scam operation. That is my opinion, but not necessarily a fact.

I am a California attorney who, unfortunately, enlisted Legal Authority to assist in my job search at the suggestion of the career services office of my alma mater. Legal Authority forced me to commit to a purchase in excess of $700+ upon my initial enrollment. I was thrilled and enthusiastic. I soon received letters entitled, for example, "We're Working Hard for You!" I was comforted by the peace of mind that comes with knowing that my employment status would soon stabilize.

A week went by. I contacted several times Legal Authority's representative, with whom I had been directed to correspond. No response. I left comments at the Legal Authority website. No response.

By this time, I became concerned. Was Legal Authority really "Working Hard" for me?? Or had I been duped?? I sent a few more emails. Finally, I was informed that the customer service agent, with whom I had been directed to correspond, "No longer works for the company." I had been corresponding with a ghost, and zero work had been done on my behalf. I felt betrayed. The warm, fuzzy feelings and peace of mind evaporated. I was assured that the Legal Authority would commence work on my materials el pronto.

A few days later (over two weeks after my enrollment), first drafts of my resume and cover letter appeared for my review. I was horrified to see countless fundamental writing errors. I literally felt sick to my stomach.

It only gets worse, folks.