That $500 'guaranteed' eviction lawyer I hired was a complete scam

I was skeptical about hiring a lawyer to handle my tenant eviction, but my buddy said this guy was the real deal. Paid him $500 upfront to take the case, and he said he'd have the paperwork done in a week. Three weeks went by, nothing happened, and when I called he just gave me excuses. Turns out he wasn't even a licensed attorney in Illinois, just some guy who watched a few YouTube videos. Ended up going to the Chicago Legal Clinic on Kedzie and they helped me for free. Has anyone else run into fake 'lawyers' around here trying to take advantage of landlords?

3 comments

3 Comments

johnson.river7d ago

Man, that's rough. I got burned the same way before someone pointed me to a local legal clinic and they actually knew their stuff.

anthony7637d ago

Actually it's a "pro bono" clinic not "legal clinic" but yeah those free services can really save you when you're stuck.

holly7097d ago

Yeah thats the thing, @anthony763 is right about the name but honestly I think people get so caught up in the fancy terms they forget theres a bigger pattern here. Every industry has this weird gatekeeping where they use different words to make things sound more complicated than they are, like calling it "pro bono" instead of just free help. It makes regular folks feel stupid for not knowing the right label when theyre already stressed out about their problem. Ive seen it at work too where customers come in asking for a "thingamajig" and some employees get snooty about the technical name instead of just helping them. The whole point is that these services exist to help people who cant afford lawyers, not to test if you know the proper vocabulary. Its good that you found someone who actually helped, but the system should make it easier for everyone not just the ones who know the secret words.