Client
Mr. Houston represented me through a portion of my divorce. Mr. Houston's representation was adequate initially, however, the law is not his passion in life and, from my experience, he does not possess the character, professionalism, resources or basic decency to do it well. If your divorce matter is an easy one (what divorce is?) and requiring minimal effort, then he could probably get you through it. If it is not, you should find a different resource. I mediated my settlement and, with some exceptions, had little interest in fighting much in the court. Mr. Houston's responsiveness in this period was lacking as well (it's just him at his office) and while he knows enough of the law, he just doesn't really care. In fairness, he did extend enough effort to get me through most of my divorce, but his attention and responsiveness was lacking during our entire time working together. I addressed this issue (and he acknowledged it with me) repeatedly. If you are new to divorce, you will quickly learn that there are many personal decisions that are highly impactful and long lasting that you will work through during the process which is largely unfamiliar with unknown outcomes. Pretty stressful. Having good legal guidance and support during this time is almost as important as the representation you might receive from your attorney. You are not going to get this from Mr. Houston. One issue that was not resolved in our mediation was child support. This was reserved for a hearing post settlement. Upon request to Mr. Houston to petition the court for this hearing, he did so. Subsequently, however, Mr. Houston abandoned his representation, failing to respond to opposing council filings along with innumerable phone calls and emails from myself as I watched this unfold. It didn't take too long for the opposing council to realize Mr. Houston's lack of action and the end result of his abandonment were uncontested judgments against myself. I then ended up having to find new council after Mr. Houston's abandonment which cost me a significant amount of money just to get them up to speed, have past orders reversed/paused, and to have the final hearing required to finally resolve my divorce. Mr. Houston's actions were so far beyond unprofessional. They represent a total moral failure. I'd never gone through a divorce before or been close with anyone who had, so the entire process was new to me. It's emotional, impactful, subjective and destructive enough just as it is. I had no idea just how detrimental it can be to you to have such poor representation. Mr. Houston does have a good personality about him and is someone that you'd probably enjoy having a beer with, but that's not what you are paying him for. In retrospect what struck me most is that he frequently discussed his own feelings about the law and his desire to shift from this to personal counseling. I liked that at the time, but seeing his actions of abandonment gave me a deeper perspective of his limited character and internal conflicts. He's not a good lawyer and the lack of substance shown in his actions demonstrates that he wouldn't be any good as a personal councilor either with such limited principals, ethical failures, and limited concern for those that might mistakenly trust in his support. For someone who expresses professional interest in providing others with emotional support, Mr. Houston doesn't seem to possess the traits needed for this occupation either. You really don't want to add another layer of stress to your situation (however constructive or un-constructive it may be) by having such poor representation and responsiveness from your council. If you are just starting a divorce, good luck. There is nothing here that you'll find enjoyable, but life will certainly be better for you on the back side. For your own benefit in getting though this as best you can, I could not stress highly enough that you consider other alternatives for representation.