Law Office of Rebecca Anne Gonzalez

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: I have been told all this information in the past, but when I finally needed the court papers or agreements to gain my daughter in the system for dependents for the Air ForceThere was nothing ever officially completedI need documentation for what was done, not just hand shake agreements that cost $I know my original attorney parted ways with the law firm and *** was left to try to put it back together. I was under the impression that there was a tempmorder in place based off e-mails sent to me from *** *** my initial attorneySee emails belowI don't know what a rule is? The bottoms line is still there is no formal documents that have been provided to me.
Regards,
*** ***A matter of days, hopefully, once opposing counsel signs off on it. *** will be drafting an order terminating your child support obligation as well, but even if we got it signed tomorrow, it can take a while before going into effect and your paycheck may get hit regardless. The reimbursement provision in the agreement is simply a second layer of protection should that ha*** *** ***
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*** *** *** The Information Contained in this Email Message Is Information Protected by Attorney/client And/or the Attorney /Work Product PrivilegeIt Is Intended Only For the Use of the Individual Named above and the Privileges Are Not Waived by Virtue of this Having Been Sent by EmailIf the Person Actually Receiving this Email or Any Other Reader of the Email Is Not the Named Recipient or the Employee or Agent Responsible to Deliver it to the Named Recipient, Any Use, Dissemination, Distribution, or Copying of the Communication Is Strictly ProhibitedIf You Have Received this Communication in Error, Please Immediately Notify Us by Telephone and Return the Original Message to Us at the above Address via Postal Service. Copy that sir thank you! How long does this process take? On May 17, 2016, at 3:PM, *** *** wrote:*** ***, I have sent the attached Rule agreement to opposing counsel. It sets the child support obligation and calls for the return of any money *** *** has received. We can draft formal Temporary Orders once we have an agreement on these primary provisions. When *** *** returns from her deployment, we can talk about just making them final or setting the matter for a final hearing. Regards, *** ***
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*** *** *** The Information Contained in this Email Message Is Information Protected by Attorney/client And/or the Attorney /Work Product PrivilegeIt Is Intended Only For the Use of the Individual Named above and the Privileges Are Not Waived by Virtue of this Having Been Sent by EmailIf the Person Actually Receiving this Email or Any Other Reader of the Email Is Not the Named Recipient or the Employee or Agent Responsible to Deliver it to the Named Recipient, Any Use, Dissemination, Distribution, or Copying of the Communication Is Strictly ProhibitedIf You Have Received this Communication in Error, Please Immediately Notify Us by Telephone and Return the Original Message to Us at the above Address via Postal Service. From: *** *** *** Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 12:PMTo: ***

Thank you for reaching out to us regarding the above referenced complaint. We understand that our client did not reach the desired outcome her divorce case. Family Law matters are extremely complex and rarely does a person feel wholly satisfied at the end of a divorce. As to the
specific complaint listed, please allow us to respond to each aspect individually. In preparation for mediation, the attorney in this case met with the client to discuss potential offers and property division. The client stated that a specific account that we would be addressing in mediation had community property funds in the account. She stated, with great certainty, that her husband had deposited funds belonging to both parties into this particular account. Unfortunately, the attorney later learned in mediation that this was inaccurate. The funds that were in this particular account were not community property and they were in fact her husband’s separate propertyFurther, it is a common misconception that entering into a mediated settlement agreement means that the case is over. Although the case was settled, it still had to be formalized into a final decree. This means that one side prepares the document while the other side reviews and makes edits, and the document continues back and forth between the two attorneys until both sides are in agreement with the final draft. I believe that when the client stated that the document had to be drawn up 5-times, it was just a misunderstanding of this processIn our contract for legal services, we list our hourly rates and state upfront that the client *** be responsible for all legal fees incurred during the course of the case. We understand that this particular client did not want to pay for things such as communicating with the firm and various other correspondences, but it is not the firm’s policy to waive charges for all communication and correspondence. The client stated in her complaint that her husband physically assaulted her during the course of the proceedings, but the client did not want to proceed with action on a protective order matter because of the cost of doing so. We state in our contract for legal services and in our consultations that estimates relating to the cost and duration of the case are subject to change and we cannot give any guarantees because the circumstances in the case may change on a daily basis and we have to be flexible. On a final note, the client has also made a grievance complaint to the State Bar of Texas. The State Bar has concluded that there was no misconduct on the part of the firm. Nevertheless, we are sorry to hear that our client was not satisfied with the services we provided, and we thank the client for her business. We respectfully wish the client the best in all her future endeavors.Thank you for reaching out to us regarding the above referenced complaint. We understand that our client did not reach the desired outcome her divorce case. Family Law matters are extremely complex and rarely does a person feel wholly satisfied at the end of a divorce. As to the specific complaint listed, please allow us to respond to each aspect individually. In preparation for mediation, the attorney in this case met with the client to discuss potential offers and property division. The client stated that a specific account that we would be addressing in mediation had community property funds in the account. She stated, with great certainty, that her husband had deposited funds belonging to both parties into this particular account. Unfortunately, the attorney later learned in mediation that this was inaccurate. The funds that were in this particular account were not community property and they were in fact her husband’s separate property.Further, it is a common misconception that entering into a mediated settlement agreement means that the case is over. Although the case was settled, it still had to be formalized into a final decree. This means that one side prepares the document while the other side reviews and makes edits, and the document continues back and forth between the two attorneys until both sides are in agreement with the final draft. I believe that when the client stated that the document had to be drawn up 5-times, it was just a misunderstanding of this process.In our contract for legal services, we list our hourly rates and state upfront that the client *** be responsible for all legal fees incurred during the course of the case. We understand that this particular client did not want to pay for things such as communicating with the firm and various other correspondences, but it is not the firm’s policy to waive charges for all communication and correspondence. The client stated in her complaint that her husband physically assaulted her during the course of the proceedings, but the client did not want to proceed with action on a protective order matter because of the cost of doing so. We state in our contract for legal services and in our consultations that estimates relating to the cost and duration of the case are subject to change and we cannot give any guarantees because the circumstances in the case may change on a daily basis and we have to be flexible. On a final note, the client has also made a grievance complaint to the State Bar of Texas. The State Bar has concluded that there was no misconduct on the part of the firm. Nevertheless, we are sorry to hear that our client was not satisfied with the services we provided, and we thank the client for her business. We respectfully wish the client the best in all her future endeavors

This is a follow up in response to Ms***s responseMs***s response is a little contradictory, wherein, she states she never met with me, however, she then confirms she did and was given a credit on her account in May because of this meetingThis credit was an effort on my part to maintain a happy attorney-client relationship.As stated in my prior response, at the time, Ms*** retained our services, she signed a contract and a fee sheet agreementThe fee sheet agreement specifically states and breaks down how things are charged and billedClients are billed ,per hour (which equates to minute increments), for correspondence (letters, notes, emails, and faxes) and telephone callsThis is the customary practice of any law firm, Although Ms*** states that Lydia did not charge her for phone calls and client contact, that was against office policy and against any common practice of any law firmThose agreements were drafted so that the client understands how their retainer is used and the paralegals are to follow those agreements so they know the correct amount to charge a client and not over bill themThis protects the client and the staffIf Lydia, failed to bill Ms*** in accordance with the contract and fee sheet agreement, that was done on her own accordShe did not have the authority to "no charge" a client for any work performed without any prior authorization, Therefore, by her own admission, Ms*** received services that were not billed nor paid forAdditionally, upon reviewing Ms, ***s bills, Karin has charges, in total, on Ms***s bills, for a total time of .75, or the equivalent of minutesIt would be unfair for Karin to not be able to bill her time for the work performed, just because Lydia, failed to do so previouslyOur billing is very precise and consistentMs*** was fortunate to receive services free of charge from an employee that did not have the authorization to do soOur billing practices did not change and there was no new contract for Ms*** to sign.Ms*** may not recall that she received a business card, and even though it is my practice to hand each client and potential client a card at the end of our interview, it may have been over looked and/or misplacedHowever, my private business email is on all correspondence as well as on all the pleadings on fileMs*** could have contacted me directly, via email, without having to go through an associate attorney and/or paralegal if she was dissatisfied with her servicesAll clients and potential clients are always encouraged to maintain contact with me directly if there axe any issues. Lastly, Mr*** would not know of any dispute because he had not yet been contacted for any possible meeting and/or arbitrationWe considered Ms***s case closed when she retained the services of another attorney, as is the customary practice of Any law firm.I am sorry Ms*** feels that she is being over charged, that is one thing I do not allow my staff to doHowever, in an effort to resolve this matter, I am willing to write off Ms***s balance of $86.79, I hope this response resolves this issue.Sincerely, *** ** ***

*** ***Attorney & Counselor at Law *** *** *** *** * *** ***, Texas 78213Tel: (***) *** Fax: (***) ***-9078 *** September 12, 2016Revdex.comAttn: *** *** ** *** ***Austin, TX 78752RE: Revdex.com
Business ID: ***; *** *** *** Dear ** ***This is in response to the complaint filed by Ms***I have always been a good member in standing and this complaint has really taken me by surpriseMs*** retained our services in April to fight for custody of her sonAt that time she signed a contract and a fee sheet agreement, which specifies how clients are billed and charged per the quarter hourAdditionally, in the fee sheet agreement, it states that correspondence is billed at per hour (which equates to minute increments), and fax would be considered correspondence as well as emailsThis is the customary practice of any law firmOn July 15, 2016, an order of substitution was returned to Ms***'s new attorney, Mr***, and was entered with the Court on or about July 19, which means there is no longer any attorney client relationship.Our practice is to send all clients monthly invoices showing all the charges and remaining balance in their retainersMs***, received monthly invoices that were sent to her email, beginning on May 16, 2016, (showing all the charges for April 2016); June 13, 2016, (showing all the charges for May 2016); July 12, 2016, (showing all the charges for June 2016); August 11, 2016, (showing all the charges for July 2016); and then again all invoices were re-sent to Ms*** on August 19, to Ms***'s email.When Ms*** called to schedule an appointment to come in to discuss her case around the middle of August, she was advised that we no longer represented her and her case was closedShe was further advised that she would be charged a consultation fee if she still wanted to come in because she had a balance pendingAt no time during our representation of Ms***, did she contact me to discuss her concerns on her billing statements nor her concerns about the attorneys working on her caseAs a practice all clients are given my direct cell phone number on my business card and email so that they may voice their concerns directly to me.Sincerely,*** ***, Attorney at Law

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to meHowever, it frustrates me that this business card idea keeps coming upAs human beings, we are not perfect and capable of making mistakesAs I have stated previously, if I was given a card I would've exercised the proper use of itIt also frustrates me that my response was found "contradictory." I don't know if Ms*** read my last response carefully, but it stated that "...it is NOT true that I NEVER met with Ms.***..." meaning that I did meet with her, while Lydia was present and sitting to my right I would also like to have a copy of the write off emailed to my email address, ***@***.com, to keep along with all other recordsI am glad this is over withThank you for your time
Regards,
*** ***

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: On multiple occasions I asked for explanation of what happens nextI would ask the paralegals and I asked for them to have my lawyer call meWhen I did speak with my lawyer he stated after mediation the divorce would be over within a week or twoMay was the mediationOct was the end of the divorceOn multiple occasions I would get a drafted divorce decree that was exactly the first one that they had sent to me...I would send a list of things to correct and then I would get something completely differentI was charged for the lawyer reviewing itI *** attach these and If I can the email to go with themThe divorce decree was drafted in Feb 2017, I sent corrections after the mediation in June, the divorce decree that was "drafted" at that time was nothing that was agreed upon in mediationI sent a separate list of corrections a week later and they still were not corrected in the "final" draft they sentI have copies of emails of me complaining about this experienceI had a phone call with *** *** and was told I upset my lawyer by the email sent and he was thinking of dropping the case. I had to email his boss after attempts to reach my own lawyer for a time to go over the mediation planThat meeting ended up being a waste of time and money, other than finding out that my daughter's clothes cost less than his underwear and his mom has a fortune, yet he could not tell me what I was entitled to or notI asked on several occasions if he was sure that I was entitled to the account with my Ex's inheritanceHe said yesThat is the reason why I did not ask for much else, we owned a lot of property and could have split that all half
Regards,
*** ***

RE: Revdex.com Business ID: ***; *** *** ***Dear ** ***: This is in response to the complaint filled by *** ***I have always been a good member in standing and this complaint has really taken me by surprise*** *** retained our services on March 23, to fight for
custody of his daughterAlthough *** *** lived in Ohio, the case originated out of New Braunfels, Texas. As requested by *** ***, a Petition to Modify was filed with the Comal County District Clerk's Office in New Braunfels, Texas, on or about March 23, and the Notice of Hearing for Temporary Orders was filed that same day for a hearing on April 22, 2016, this was the first available hearing date in Comal County at the timeAdditional pleadings were filed on *** ***'s behalf including but not limited to a Motion for Child to Confer with the Judge, so that she could voice her desires to the Courtthe opposing party in this case retained the services of an attorney and the parties attempted to resolve the issues prior to the hearing through informal settlement conferencing. The parties reached an amicable agreement, and custody was modifiedA rule agreement was drafted outlining that proposal on May 17, The child went to stay with *** ***, and his child support obligation was terminated, and the mother of child was ordered to pay *** *** supportThe case stayed on a status quo basis because the parties were in agreement and because the mother of the child had been deployed, making it hard to schedule any other hearings until she returns back to the United StatesFurther, during *** ***'s conversation with attorney, *** *** on January 18, 2017, he advised *** *** to please keep the case on hold because his daughter was leaving for the military in August of The child since has graduated high school early and has already enrolled in the United States Armed ForcesSince the issues concerning conservatorship and child support were no longer an issues because the child had emancipated early, and after conferring witht he client it was advised that this matter should be nonsuitedA Motion to Nonsuit was filed with the Comal County District Clerk on June 21, 2107. It is our practice to send all clients monthly invoices showing all the charges and remaining balance in their retainers*** ***, received monthly invoices that were sent directly to his email, and it was at that time he was asked for a replenishmentIf he ever had any concern or questions concerning the status of his case and /or the charges on his account, he never addressed them with our officeThe services preformed by my firm were what *** *** had requested and the results were in *** ***'s favor. At no time during our representation of *** ***, did she contact me to discuss his concerns on the billings statements nor any concerns about the attorneys working on his caseAs a practice all clients are given my direct cell phone number on my business card and email so that they may voice their concerns directly to me. Thank you in advance for your immediate attention to this matterI look forward to your response. Sincerely, *** ** *** Attorney at Law

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: It is not true that I never met with Ms. [redacted] to discuss concerns with the attorneys that were representing me. When [redacted] was there she suggested that I speak with Ms.[redacted] regarding concerns about Mr. [redacted]. This was some time in the month of May. Ms. [redacted] was kind enough not to charge for time with her, with [redacted] present, and also gave me a credit for the time Mr. [redacted] charged on May 2, 2016. It is also not true that Ms. [redacted] gave me a business card of hers. If she had done so, I would have exercised the proper use of it. Now, back to my main concern. There is no consistency with the billing. I spent plenty of time on the phone with [redacted], on numerous occasions, who has signed documents as the Paralegal for Ms. [redacted]. No where on my billing statements do I or have I seen her initials for charges about conversations with a client, send a fax, or even receive an email. Now that [redacted] is in the building, I have charged left and right the unreasonable things. There is a discrepancy. If changes about billing was ever made, I was not aware and did not sign a new contract.I also contacted Mr.[redacted] who's name is stated in the contract for any binding arbitration. He stated in the email "...I have no knowledge of the contract agreement regarding disputes." 
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com Corporate Office 1005 La Posada Drive Austin, TX 78752RE: Complaint ID # 11784184 Dear Sir or Madam:Ms. [redacted] initially retained our office on August 9, 2016. On August 10, 2016 we prepared the necessary paperwork for a divorce action, which consisted of the Original Petition for...

Divorce and Notice of Hearing for Temporary Orders. The Original Petition for Divorce was filed on August 11, 2016 and we had prepared a request for process to issue citations on the Original Petition for Divorce and the Temporary Orders. On August 16, 2016, Ms. [redacted] sent an email requesting for us to stop the divorce process. Our office responded the same day and gave her two options. We can withdrawal as her attorney of record, or we can nonsuit her case. Ms. [redacted] wanted to think about her options and get back with us with her decision.On August 18, 2016 Ms. [redacted] sent an email stating that she would like to move forward with the option of our firm filing withdrawing as her attorney of record. On August 19, 2016, the Motion for Withdrawal was filed with the Court and a copy was provided to Ms. [redacted].On August 23, 2016, Ms. [redacted] requested for our office not to follow through with our withdrawal of counsel, and she wanted us to move forward with the pending divorce. On August 24, 2016 we spoke with Ms. [redacted] and instructed her that we would have to revise the Notice of Hearing of Temporary Orders for a new hearing date. The document was revised with a hearing date of September 21, 2016 at 9:00 a.m., and our office took the necessary steps for this notice to be set with the Court and signed by the Judge. A copy of the documents were provided to Ms. [redacted].On September 1, 2016, Ms. [redacted] met with our associate attorney to prepare her for her Temporary Orders Hearing. Between September 2, 20016 and September 9, 2016 there was communication to get Mr. [redacted] served. He was served on September 9, 2016 at 8:38 p.m.On September 15, 2016, our associated attorney was notified that Mr. [redacted] hired counsel, and the attorney for Mr. [redacted] requested a reset. As a courtesy, our office agreed to reset this matter to another date. Mr. [redacted]'s attorney represented to our office that she would be forwarding a copy of their pleadings they were filing.On September 22, 2016, our office received an email from Ms. [redacted] stating that she would like to reconcile with her husband and would like for our office to Nonsuit her case. On September 23, 2016, the Agreed Nonsuit was prepared. Our office was attempted to contact Ms. Dye's office to obtain her information to send the Agreed Nonsuit for her review and signature.We had to obtain Mr. [redacted] attorney's email and fax number from Ms. [redacted]. It was October 3, 2016 that our office was able to send the Agreed Notice of Nonsuit and the Agreed Order was sent via email. On October 6, 2016 we received the signed nonsuit from opposing counsel. On October 7, 2016 our office filed the Nonsuit with the Court and a copy was provided to Ms. [redacted].Ms. [redacted] requested a copy of the Counterpetition and I informed her that opposing counsel never provided our office with a copy even though we requested one. I informed her that we can obtain a copy of the Counterpetition from the Bexar County District Clerk. Ms. [redacted] said that she did not want to incur any more fees that she would pick up a copy on her own.We infointed her that we would be closing her file and issuing a check for the remaining funds of her retainer.On November 3, 2016, Ms. [redacted], sent an email and stated that she obtained a copy of the Counterpetition filed by opposing counsel and that there was many discrepancies on the document. That opposing counsel listed her attorney as another attorney's name and that is probably why we did not receive a copy. She also inquired when she will be receiving her reimbursement funds.Our office responded that we have her filed closed out and we will be issuing a check to her. Once the check is ready our office would contact her.In reviewing Ms. [redacted]'s concerns, our office has always responded to Ms. [redacted] with any of her questions or concerns throughout her divorce process. With regard to the obtaining a copy of the counterpetition, opposing counsel never furnished our office with a copy. We offered to obtain a copy with the Bexar County Clerk and Ms. [redacted] did not want us to do that.Ms. [redacted] was issued a check in the amount of $1,522.11 which reflects the remaining balance of her account.Very truly yoys,[redacted]Attorney at Law

[redacted]Attorney & Counselor at Law[redacted]October 19, 2017Revdex.com Attn: [redacted]RE: Revdex.com Business ID: [redacted]Dear Ms. [redacted]:  This is in response to the complaint filed...

by Ms. [redacted]. I have always been a good member in standing ad this complaint has really taken me by surprise. Ms. [redacted] retained our services on October 30, 2015 for her divorce matter. At the time she signed a contract and a fee sheet agreement, which specifies how clients are billed and charged per the quarter hour. Additionally, in the fee sheet agreement it states that correspondence is billed at .25 per hour (which equates to 15 minute increments). As we deal with the law and Judges are very unpredictable, we are not in the business of make any assurances outside of the effort we will put forth on our clients case. While we try our best to seek the most favorable outcome for our clients, unless an agreement is made we do not assure anyone what the Judge will rule on or what the award will be. Temporary Orders were requested immediately and were ordered from the court at a hearing held on December 1, 2015. These orders included Ms. [redacted]s husband being required to pay for the month of December the house payment, cell phone bill, car payment, car insurance, electricity, water, garbage, cable and internet. Additionally, her was to pay support $690 be December 4th and an additional $1250 by December 20th. Beginning in January he was required to pay the house payment,cell support and spousal support. These orders were in place through the duration of the case.  The parties entered into a mediated settlement agreement on December 2, 2016. This final agreement between the parties included $2,137.50 per month for child support, one residence was to be sold and split 50/50, a portion of the husband military retirement was awarded to Ms. [redacted], spousal support of $1,000 for 12 month, vehicles and personal property. Additionally, the parties agreed to be responsible for their own attorney fees. Throughout the case Ms. [redacted]s had 3 hearings and mediation. As is practice for the firm, I oversee all cases but assign the day to day work to m associates. [redacted] was assigned to Ms. [redacted]'s case and attended the Temporary Orders hearing with her in which she was awarded the initial support that was in place through the duration of the proceeding. [redacted] attended a hearing on October 27, 2016 in which the parties agreed to conduct mediation instead of moving to a final trail. [redacted] attended mediation and the final motion to enter the final decree. Prior to each of those hearings the attorneys billed their time adequately to prepare for the hearings or for mediation. None of the information gained throughout the course of Ms. [redacted]'s case ever left this office and the knowledge was transferred to each of the associates as the case was reassigned.   Our practice is to send all clients monthly invoices showing all the charges and remaining balance in their retainers. Ms. [redacted], received monthly invoices that were sent to her email. beginning on November 9, 2015. In total Ms. [redacted] paid $15,274.45 over the course of her 20 month case. Numerous attorney and paralegal time was written off and cost were kept down when they could be. While Ms. [redacted]'s case was completed with the court system in June, 2017 it is the practice of my firm to maintain contact with a client for up to 60 days after the final decree to insure that all closing documents, vehicle transfers, and other orders have been completed prior to our closing the file. We recently began transitioning to electronically stored filed, however Ms. [redacted] was not charged any time for having her file scanned into our electronic system. Ms. [redacted]s received her close out letter and final invoice on September 1, 2017, this invoice did include a final review by my firm to ensure that everything was final in order to close her case. We offer all of our clients an additional $100 off their invoice for providing a positive Google review, this is not a bribe it is offered as a courtesy to our clients and they are not pressured to take advantage of it. Upon review. Ms. [redacted] completed a Google review under the name of "[redacted]" and sent us an email without her name on it so we were unsure who to give credit to fro the review. Ms. [redacted]s has since deleted the positive review and replaced it with a negative review. As the parties had come to a mediation settlement agreement, Ms. [redacted] agreed to everything that was the final outcome of her case. She had the option of continuing to a court hearing and a possible award of more than she received through the mediated settlement. I will honor the credit which was offered to Ms. [redacted] for the initial Google review she did which would bring the amount that is owed on her final invoice to $1,000.00.Sincerely,[redacted]Attorney at Law