# A Devastating Failure of Advocacy During the Most Critical Time of My Life…read more
I am writing this review under my own name because people deserve to understand my experience.
My litigation has now been ongoing for over two years, and since my representation by Jonathan Marks, I have consulted with multiple highly respected attorneys in Missouri regarding the events that occurred during my case really before it even started. The consistent concern I have heard is not simply about the outcome, but about the process, the lack of preparation, the lack of communication, and decisions that I believe were made without my informed consent.
I hired an attorney to protect me during one of the most financially and personally catastrophic periods of my life. My companies were under attack, my financial world was unraveling, and I was navigating an extremely complex divorce and business matter involving significant assets and consequences.
Despite the seriousness and complexity of the situation, critical decisions were made before a full financial record had even been developed before the court and before substantive divorce proceedings had truly begun. A temporary arrangement was entered that, in my view, mirrored major settlement terms and impacted significant rights and claims without the level of analysis, preparation, and consultation I expected from my counsel and in a hearing that it belonged.
What remains most disturbing to me is how those decisions were reached. Negotiations and conversations occurred outside my presence and without my express authorization. My civil attorney, who was present and actively involved in related matters, was not brought into those discussions once. When I expressed that I wanted to address my concerns directly before the judge rather than simply accept what was being presented because. everything changed, I did not feel my position was advocated for. in fact I was yelled at while my entire life was on fire.
Instead of receiving guidance and protection during a moment of extreme fear and distress, I felt pressured, unheard, and overwhelmed and expressed so. I was facing the potential loss of millions of dollars and years of work that I had built, and I needed an attorney who would fully explain my options, and aggressively protect my interests.
No attorney can guarantee a perfect result. That is not my criticism. My criticism is that a client should never leave a critical proceeding feeling they did not understand the consequences of what they were agreeing to or that their own concerns were dismissed. He was fired shortly after I should have ran not walked away from this horrific attorney.
The consequences of those decisions have been enormous. I continue to document what I believe exceeds seven figures in financial and business-related damages connected to this period of litigation. The professional, financial, and personal impact has been profound, and years later I am still uncovering and working to repair the damage and my case is not done due to this very event.
Based on my experience, I would never retain Jonathan Marks again. If you are considering hiring him, I strongly encourage you to ask difficult questions, demand complete transparency, ensure all significant decisions are thoroughly explained, and make sure your own voice remains central in every major decision affecting your future. He only care about billing you and threatening you if you question his attitude.
