My MIL has a problem. A while ago her house started leaking thru the walls. It turns out the stucco was poorly done and since the house is under warranty from the builder she wants him to fix it.
So she did the smart thing and got an attorney.
Well, that turn out to be a bigger problem than anyone realized. The attorney has been unresponsive and even rude when she's asked how things are going. Finally, after nearly a year, he told her they were going into arbitration with the builder. That's scheduled for mid-April. However, when my MIL mentioned this to a neighbor and told them the lawyer's name she got a shock.
It turns out the lawyer and the builder are long time friends -- they even play golf together on a regular basis (My MIL's neighbor sees them playing together frequently). This screams "conflict of interest" at about 100 dB to me but I have no idea what can be done.
My MIL has already paid the lawyer a hefty retainer and is apparently on the hook for the cost of the arbitration hearing, at least according to her attorney.
My MIL lives in Santa Cruz, I'd love to what her options are. Does she have to contact the bar to get this attorney off her case? How can she get her retainer back? Or is she just plain old screwed by the system here?