Client
Karen Halverson defended me in a parole matter, and while she was willing to meet in person, the rest of the experience was disappointing and unnecessarily expensive. Billing: She charges $425/hour, but billed that rate for basic administrative tasks a secretary should handle--like an $85 charge just to reply to an email about billing. She also charged a full hour for an initial consultation I never agreed would be billable, before I had even decided to hire her. In the end, she cost twice as much as two other attorneys who do the same type of work. Preparation: I didn't receive her written brief until the day of the hearing, and was never shown the exhibits beforehand. Because of this, she missed a key defense argument I could have given her if she had shared the evidence. Afterward: Once the hearing was over, she basically disappeared. It took over a year--and a complaint to the bar association--to get the leftover retainer back. Overall Impression: Karen is clearly skilled in the law, but the lack of preparation and overbilling weren't worth it. If she now has administrative support, use her if you can afford it. If she's still flying solo, I'd steer clear.