Client Testimonial

Marsha Taylor - The Work of Practitioner Gill

Marsha Taylor was frightened of the legal system.

But her debts kept piling up until she no longer could face her mountain of bills.  Frightened of the consequences but unsure of what to do next, she felt paralyzed until a friend recommended that she go to Legal Aid and declare bankruptcy before she loses her home.

At the legal aid agency, Taylor, who works, discovered she made too much money for free counsel.  However, stopping off at a private lawyer's office, confirmed her belief that she made too little for a lawyer's bill.

"I never even saw the attorney.  I just spoke with the receptionist," recalls Taylor.  "The lawyer asked for too much money up front.  I left there in tears," she adds. 

Believing that she lacked options, Taylor decided to go via the do-it-yourself route.  After purchasing a bankruptcy kit at Staples, Taylor soon realized that she could not handle this all by herself.  She didn't understand the legal system and was afraid to face a judge, unsure what she would do or say, she explains.  "I don't know how to go to court.  It terrified me," she says.

She realized that she needed a lawyer by her side, but one that cared enough to take her case.  That is when she finally got a recommendation to see Tom Gill, a lawyer participating in a University of Maryland School of Law practitioner network.  Gill and his peers in the solo and small firm practitioner network are committed to helping clients who are in need of legal representation and who might not be able to afford it.  They often discount their fees, cut their up front retainers and put their clients on workable and flexible payment schedules in order to assist their clients while at the same time make a profit.

"People from all walks of life need help, and they can't always get the help because they can't afford it," says Taylor. "For [Gill] it is not all about the money.  He told me he really wants to help all people and after working with him, I really believe it," she says. 

The practitioner networks, which were created at City University of New York School of Law, University of Maryland School of Law, and Northeastern University School of Law, are part of the Law School Consortium Project. The Project aims to increase access to justice by supporting law schools to expand their educational and institutional mission beyond graduation to include support and service to solo and small-firm practitioners who are committed to serving low and moderate-income individuals and communities.

Taylor says she is grateful for finding Gill.  "The Lord put the right people in my way," she says.  "He wasn't just a lawyer, he was a friend," she points out. 

Taylor says that because of Gill the terrifying legal experience became less intimidating for her.  "He is a good lawyer.  He was right there with me.  He told me what to expect.  I felt a lot better because he was my support system," says Taylor.  "And he was empathetic, like he really understood.  I would recommend him to anyone, and not just for bankruptcy work."

Now Taylor says she is back on track, thanks to Gill. "I am so happy with the outcome.  Now I have the opportunity to rebuild my credit and my life," she says.

Taylor is not alone in her praise for Gill.  Barbara Adams, who also hired Gill after she found herself in a difficult financial situation, complimented his work and personal style highly.  "He gave me good advice and was very responsive," she says.

Prior to hiring Gill, Adams, like Taylor, saw another private lawyer.  "That guy treated me like dirt.  He wanted everything up front and would not budge.  I had no money so I walked in and walked out," she recalls.

Gill, on the other hand, treated Adams with respect, she says.  "He was very accommodating, reliable and polite," she says.  Gill worked out a fee schedule that Adams was able to meet and was flexible when she needed a little extra time.  "He knew I was flat broke and worked with me.  And he had a very reasonable fee," she adds.

Like Taylor, Adams claims she is happy with her outcome and in particular, very happy with her lawyer. "I would recommend him wholeheartedly to anyone," she says.

Written by Victoria Rivkin, a freelance writer in New York City