Neall Michael S

My experience with this law office has been extremely disappointing and disheartening. What should have been a straightforward matter turned into months of unnecessary stress, enormous legal fees, and a complete lack of compassion or urgency. We did everything we could to resolve our HOA issue responsibly. The original balance was under $2,000, yet we ended up paying nearly $6,000 in legal fees. Even when we corrected a payment that was returned for being less than a dollar short, more fees were added. Every time we tried to communicate, we were met with hostility instead of help -- especially from the legal assistant, Shirley, who was repeatedly rude and dismissive, even hanging up on us while we were simply asking for status updates. Life can change in an instant, and I became very ill during this process, which made things even harder. We were not avoiding our responsibilities -- we were fighting to keep our home while also fighting for my health. The way this office handled our situation showed no empathy or understanding, and that is unacceptable. If you are an HOA or anyone considering working with this firm, please know that they may act quickly when it comes to adding fees, but not when it comes to treating people fairly or showing basic human decency.

If you're looking for professionalism, transparency, or even basic honesty, look elsewhere. On August 5, 2025, this law firm confirmed in writing that my balance was $548.55 after my $300 payment. Less than three weeks later, they suddenly demanded $918.91 with zero explanation. That kind of bait-and-switch behavior raises serious questions about their ethics and credibility as attorneys. No law office should be allowed to treat people this way. Proceed with extreme caution.

Not only is my HOA full of it, as most are, but this law firm is too. They're greedy and so are most HOA's. I've paid what I owe IN FULL and they've not even acknowledged my payment. I've called and left messages and my calls have been ignored. I guess they didn't expect me to pay them in full. I love that KARMA is real and for those who have to deal with these people, please keep good records!

This firm is absolutely awful. They are retained by the enclave at seven oaks, which is an absolutely awful home association. They (and I'm sure others) have constructed a system with Michael Neall's firm where any time a payment is missed, they don't contact you. Instead they send this blood-sucking lawyer to collect their payments, as well as whatever amount of fees he would like. My upcharge was 100%. He literally doubled the amount I owed to the association via "fees." I emplore everyone who has to deal with this attorney to file a complaint with the Maryland Attorney Greivance Commission, like I have. He has already been reprimanded by them once, and if it happens again the punishment could be more severe. This lawyer should be disbarred. He systematically turns small debts to home associations into gigantic financial problems for people who sometimes don't even know their payments aren't going through. Please continue to report this man so his license can be taken away, and those he has tormented for years can finally be left alone.

Well... I had a very pleasant experience working with Lora Smith...she was very kind and nonjudgmental though the entire situation... I felt as if she did NOT want to just take my property and that she wanted to help me in any way she could... Lora was very understanding, she listened without interrupting and she will try her best to help wherever she can... She was upfront and transparent With details about what was owed. The added fees...bc my HOA told me it was only $55 extra bucks-that was a lie She told me what would happen if I was able to pay in full and what I needed if I needed to make payments...she also was very direct when she explained what could happen if I didn't pay... I'm very thankful that I was able to work with her, I paid in full on the website and my HOA and myself received the confirmation the next day...