Gallagher Reedy & Jones

I was referred to Rebecca Sue Jones of Gallagher Reedy & Jones by another law firm, and am so thankful that I was! I had been trying to untangle myself from a complicated divorce and poorly written MSA for years, and things were stalled and getting worse.
Before we met or a fee was paid, she was giving me strategic advice on what my next steps should be. My entire experience with her (and her office) was amazing. With past attorneys, I felt like I was just another «billable hour», but she truly cared about me, my situation, and finding a fair resolution. She was responsive, available, patient, thorough, strong, and fought for my rights even when things got really rough.
It’s been a long and involved case (we’ve gone to court 3 — 4 times) and her attention/​passion never wavered. I also appreciate the team work/​support her office provides — she had other leading attorneys to confer with, and they would back each other up if a sudden conflict arose. Everything has been resolved now, and I feel so much lighter. I can finally move on with my life, and I have Rebecca Sue Jones to thank!

Michael Bays is an associate attorney of Gallerger, Reedy & Jones and has been our family lawyer, tax lawyer and financial consultant since 1983. I can’t imagine getting through the ‘mindfield’ that we went through without him.
Ten years ago, our daughter was badly hurt in an accident at someone’s home. Michael Jones was her lawyer, in a suit against the homeowner’s insurance company. A group of people who had also gotten hurt had different lawyers, but Michael took the lead since all the other lawyers were apparently disinterested and were only too happy to let someone competent take the lead. He was able to get a very difficult situation resolved.
I have recommended Becky Jones to a relative and also to a friend. How Becky represented my relative was NIGHT and DAY different from the incompetent representation he had previously. I don’t think anyone is really a ‘winner’ in a divorce, but I felt that at least my relative got a fairer appraisal by mediators and judges with Becky as his representation.
The friend that I had sent to Becky Jones, had been dumped by her husband (along with their 3 kids) because he had a younger woman. He told her that because he was the ‘breadwinner’, everything that they had acquired, their home, his profitable investments and his IRA accounts all actually belonged to him, and he was going to keep everything and give her $ 30,000, which was also supposed to be, not just settlement of their goods, but also child support. She was completely emotionally destroyed and I suggested that she go get Becky Jones as her representation. Long story short, she did, and the judge said, no, everything needed to be split in half and he had to pay child support. Becky saved her.
I cannot explain other people’s experiences with the attorneys in this office, but our family, as well as those people that we have recommended to go there, have been represented very competently. This place is our go-​to place when we need a lawyer.

Michael was a great attorney… if you want to prolong your case and argue over the most minuscule of issues. My estranged wife had hired Michael for some time during our dissolution proceedings and he just argued about everything and then some. Seriously, if you go through a divorce, both parties and their attorneys should try every conceivable way to get the two of you to agree and come to an agreement to end the marriage. Michael did exactly opposite of that. He argued over the smallest of things. For example, I had paid for my estranged wife’s belongings to be packed professionally and shipped to her (400 miles away) via PODS and he wanted to argue over it? I couldn’t believe it. I paid for it! All there was left to do was park the POD in her driveway and wrap a bow on it. It was unbelievable to me because I was trying to resolve issues and move on so the healing process could of begun. So, buyer beware. If you want to prolong your case forever then this is your guy.

Jump forward to May 2011 — I’m always the procrastinator, but Rebecca’s been awesome about sending me reminders letting me know when I must act on an estate planning matter. She also just recently referred me to a terrific lawyer who handles green card, immigration issues so that my hockey playing hubby doesn’t end up back in Canada rooting for someone other than the Sharks!

You said it sister!
I mean Jones is not a bad guy, but what a total waste of time and money. Three long years and a huge amount of money. It’s just awful. I feel he should have paid me and my kids for all the time we spent in useless meetings. And the way my husbands attorney whipped him around was sick. She might still have one of his balls in her pocket.

TOUGH TALK — NO FOLLOW THROUGH — NO ACCOUNTABILITY
I engaged the services of Rebecca Sue Jones to act as a consultant in my marriage dissolution (divorce) case. She came highly recommended as a tough litigator who would protect my interests in this matter. When faced with a high-​stakes-​time-​sensitive issue:
1. It took 5 days to get on her schedule
2. 40 minutes late for the appointment
3. Dropped the ball when called to action
4. Failure to act in timely manner; Results in $ 50K loss to client
5. Profusely apologized, offered to waive fees associated with the meeting and drafting of a letter that was never sent.
6. Bills for time anyway
7. Refuses good faith gesture to offset client’s loss
8. Threatens collection for $ 100 disputed fee.
TIME SENSITIVE ISSUE WITH $ 50K AT STAKE:
When my husband cashed in community property stocks to invest, with the intent to independently invest all the funds into a pizza business. I asked my attorney, Ms. Jones, to act on my behalf to stop this action. Her answer was to draft a «cease and desist» letter immediately as this was a time sensitive matter. The letter was to be a first step, prior to asking for a court order to freeze his account.
The letter was good, it would have informed my husband of his legal restrictions with regards to community property named in our divorce preceedings. Unfortuately, the letter got «lost under a pile of papers» on her desk for 3 weeks! In that time he was able to invest all the funds into a business that failed within 3 months.
Due to her failure to act in a timely manner, I lost $ 50K — money that was slated to pay off the credit card debt that I incurred in the divorce. To add insult to injury, I am also being billed for the meeting time with Ms. Jones.
At the suggestion of my family’s attorney in Michigan and a local consumer advocate, I contacted Ms. Jones to remind her of her offer to waive the fees connected to this matter and to request that she offer some of her time, pro bono, to help draft a new settlement to include a repayment plan of the spent funds. Her response: The 20 minute meeting was to discuss the marriage dissolution and therefore not connected to the drafting of the letter that was never sent! She has also declined my request to provide pro bono services as a good faith gesture to redeem herself as legal counsel. Instead she accepts no responsibilty in the loss of assests due to her lack of action in a timely manner and continues to demand payment «within 5 days or be sent to collection!»
BOTTOM LINE: Rebecca Sue Jones has proven to be a terrible resource for legal services. Lack of professionalism and failure to accept responsibility, makes her a risky choice.