FYI - Alexander Gallo back in business

[Diana Sasseen]

Heard a rumor and finally found proof.  See attached link.  Alexander Gallo (formerly with Esquire) has now opened Discovery Litigation Services in Jacksonville, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; and Fresno, California.

Just thought we should all be aware of who is actually who out there in our world.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/1/prweb9111970.htm

[Rosalie DeLeonardis]

Now I get what you're saying...lol...sometimes it takes telling me twice.  Maybe I will call them this afternoon and tell them that and see what they say.  Thank you for all the information.

 

[Amanda Leigh]

Hey, Rosalie, it took me a while before I stopped saying "no way" to certain agencies and started saying "no problem, but...."  Lol. I hit the jackpot one time, to the tune of several thousand dollars in my pocket--instead of roughly $700.  I billed my rates (of course) and I do my own production--and there were lots of exhibits.  Even if you don't do your own production, if you have a copy center close by that can copy, tab, bind, no problemo.  Need e-Tran?  Easy enough.  Need shipping?  Get a FedEx account and order some free laser printer labels and prepare them online and print at your office--call 'em to pick up or drop 'em off (usually you can send Ground and it will get there quickly--state to state is often overnight delivery with Ground service).  Have an office supply store around? You're good to go.  It's pretty easy, really.

[Mary Ann Payonk]

Hi, Rosalie!  I'm sure you were one of those attys' favorites.  But since you mentioned it, I can't tell you the number of attys who have very bad memories of their Esquire experiences, including the reporters, especially with realtime and rough draft work.  Four attys got into a discussion of Esquire transcripts and billing practices, and finally one gave the other the signal with his eyes that was like, gee, maybe we shouldn't be saying all of this in front of another court reporter, so they cut it short.  But I've heard enough to know that "Esquire," at least with the attys I've worked with, is not associated with good things.  Many of them have the attitude that, yeah, sure, they've got rock-bottom rates, but no WY is that worth it to them when they have to deal with the results of that.  Yea! for the rest of us.

M.A.

[Rosalie DeLeonardis]

That's exactly what they were telling me, that Esquire's reporters were horrible, transcripts were horrible, overcharged, et cetera, that's why I stopped working for Esquire last year.  I did not want to be associated with Esquire.  All this came about a year or so after Alexander Gallo purchased the company and a lot the reporters from my area that had been with them for years left Esquire and moved on.  The attorneys even told me the only reason why they were using Esquire was because that is who the insurance carrier said they had to use.  When I started working with them in 2005, everything was great, never heard any complaints.  It all changed around 2009 or so.

[Mary Ann Payonk]

Rosalie, I think it's a bit disingenuous for a litigator to not be able to get out of a contract they've signed.  That's their stock in trade, actually, using their supposed smarts to get other people off the hook.  And they can't get themselves off the hook?  I'm speaking of long-term contracts signed with a law firm.  When the insurance carrier names a low-bid contracted reporting agency as their go-to reporters, and the atty KNOWS that they provide terrible service, horrible transcripts, unreadable realtime, useless rough drafts, wouldn't that be bordering on professional malpractice for an atty to use an inferior agency, knowing there'll be problems ahead?  And if any of this slipshod service has caused any litigant or their atty to lose a case, miss a deadline, go the wrong direction with a witness, why don't we see some litigation out of all that?  Again, that's what lawyers DO.  Or maybe they have the same mindset that my atty did yesterday.  He told me he couldn't tell my rough draft from the final transcript and other than the heading, they were mixing them up in the office.  He then bitched about realtime he couldn't read, rough drafts he couldn't decipher.  I said my usual, "Then why in the WORLD are you paying for those things?  Do not pay for something you can't use.  Do not pay!"  He sheepishly looked at me and said, "Oh, but I'd feel so bad about it."

Really?  I mean, really?  When you score a multi-million-dollar hit against a company for a patent infringement, are you happy with that score and refuse to accept the treble damages that sometimes accompanies a verdict like that, because you'd feel so bad taking so much money?  Wow.  Ask the winning client about those feelings.  I'm sure they can get you into a treatment plan.

M.A.

[Lisa O'Sullivan]

Thanks for the info, Diana, and the background, Rosalie. Good to know.