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Have a bit of a difficult situation I could use some advice onWe were matched with an emom about a month ago in FL. She was only 20 weeks prego at the time, which was a concern for us (too early for a match, in my opinion). However, the match agreement stated that she had no monthly expenses, only needed help getting some material items. The attorney told me on the phone that it was possible she might need help with rent, but that she was thinking of moving in with her Mother until the baby was born. We accepted the match, only because, even IF we helped pay her rent, the monthly expenses would be low, and therefore, we would still retain a significant amount of our budget if things should go wrong before placement. Now, 4 weeks after we agreed to the match, the attorney tells me that she œaccidently gave me the wrong match agreement. She wants us to sign the ԓcorrect agreement that states that this emom needs $1300/mo in living expenses (her rent is Լ of that). I feel like I got the bait-and-switch. I dont feel like any of this misunderstanding was emomҒs fault, but we dont want to accept the kind of risk this attorney is asking of us and certainly donҒt want to work with this attorney. Is it possible to negotiate with emom about the living expenses? Is it possible that I could suggest to emom that we proceed with the match, but work with another attorney or agency (I have an email address for her)?
I think given the fact that it is extremely early for a match and that the attorney doesn't seem trustworthy, I'd just cut the strings and start fresh.
The emom may be comfortable with this attorney and it's her choice to be represented by this firm if she wishes to do so. For you to ask her to come with you to a different firm could be construed as coercion or acting in your best interests. (Not that you are or would, but it could be viewed as such)
I'm sorry you are facing this and hope you find an ethical attorney. Keep doing your research!:)
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I know walking away is the smart thing to do. It just makes me sad...Hopefully, we will be able to get the money back.
Do you have a way to recoup losses if they don't find a match? Maybe speak with a different attorney about getting your funds back given that this firm admitted to making a "mistake". Do you have the original match agreement that the attorney said she mistakenly gave you?
I assume that it is all in how hard the attorney's office wants to make things for us. We have documented everything. She already tried saying it was my fault (I misunderstood/I must have gotten the pages switched/I was looking at the wrong document), which I was able to rebuff with a series of emails I saved. I also cc'd her boss when I forwarded her those emails. We have an attorney in our home state that I will call if they refuse a refund. BTW...this attorney's office was recommended by a friend. We did our research and had no indication that they would mess things up this badly. The office is large and well-known.