Mona was my mother's attorney and then represented me in the same probate case. The results were…read moredisastrous and disgusting, causing me tremendous hardship during COVID February in 2020 - July 2022.
If you are a small estate, read below and consider your position. This firm had a good reputation, a former firm attorney, Scott, now a sitting Judge in Walla Walla County wrote my mothers will eight years prior to her death.
This should have been a simple case small estate less than $190k. Legal advice cost the estate over $60,000 in legal fees of nonsense. The will became worthless because a notary from Spokane area, 100 miles away, Joi Libsack from LPL Financial, Spokane, WA office and her friend (mother's cousin) showed up at her bedside the last hours of her life and created a new handwritten and gift list with was hard to read and incomplete. The new will had three different handwriting and that notary made herself a beneficiary and cousin the person resprenative and she helped herself to the cash in the house, bank records, vehicles and personal effects and my passport was never seen again but this attorney couldn't could help me in that situation. The notary claimed it was a gift of love and transferred a Scamp camptrailer on July 10, 2020 the day before my mother dies (July 11, 2020). Joi Libsack also practiced law and create a power of attorney which she used to explain to the Pasco police department when I called to ask them to stop her from removing things as the neighbors alerted me. Pasco police let them take the car and camp trailer by using the POA, Later in a deposition the cousin claims NO power of attorney existed. Mona couldn't help in that situation either.
Attorney Mona brought me in front of a Franklin County Commissioner of Court, Diane Ruff that was a family member of opposing attorney, Brian Doyle (total of a conflict of interest) and the attorney Mona didn't see a problem with it . The commissioner sign to remove her family member, Mr Doyle from case after his client ran off with the money and he still continued to advise him for months during his breach of agreement that a mediator charged the estate $10,000 to create. Mr Doyle met with Joi Libsack and cousin (acting Personal Representative), advising them and filing paperwork on their behave as he represented the other beneficiary. Mona did nothing about that either.
I never got my entire case file after asking for over a year. On a simple $159k asset over $60k was sent in attorney fees (both sides) and on mediation. Attorney from this firm is college buddies with opposing attorney family Beau Ruff (works with LPL Financial, Richland, WA office) That attorney, Brian Doyle charged $21,000 and worked with Beau Ruff. This firm charged $20,000. first, mediation (13 hours) and $10,000, second mediator $4,300.
My experience with this firm left me traumatized and weakened my belief in a fair legal system. In my opinion, Mona let her friendship with Beau Ruff, his wife Diane Ruff (now Judge) and her family member attoney Brian Doyle overrides her oath and legal duties to me her client. She lied to the second mediator about her know of a situation. It's lawyers like her and situations like this that give the occupation a bad reputation and a reason we hear jokes about greedy and ruthless attorneys. I pray nobody else goes through this situation. The only winners were the attorneys and their selected mediators.
I just read an article about Ex-LPL financial advisor charged with 23 felonies in elder fraud case and financial exploitation in Chicago area. For me, I thought it interesting how a company name, it's employee show up in similar topics. WEIRD huh?
https://www.financial-planning.com/news/ex-lpl-advisor-bradley-a-goodbred-charged-with-felonies
