15 years ago, I was living in Thailand but had to sue my x-GF in the US for funds she owned me from the sale of our co-owned house. I was near broke at the time and had no way to pay a high priced lawyer. I went onto Craigslist with my story and a lawyer got in touch and agreed to take my case for a fixed fee to be paid on settlement. It sounded dodgy. My Brother-in-Law met him and was less than impressed but I really had no choice, the "No Money, No Honey" axiom applies to lawyers as well. Very long story very short, he managed to win my case, got a lien on the property and I got my money. He stuck to the originally quoted fee: $2000. I gave him $3,000. One year later, my Brother-in-Law sent me a local newspaper headline: "Lawyer Busted Sneaking Drugs Into City Jail For Client." It was my boy. He had worked his way through law school while working as a mailman. He was also an obsessive gambler. He later told me he had gotten deep into debt to a drug dealer and was coerced into delivering the drugs. He was a nice guy and smart in a book way but not street wise. All his work, gone to waste. Last I heard, he was working in a rehab center.
