Chandler M Stephen

Being in the real estate business for over 15 years, I have dealt with many attorneys. I would like to say that Stephen Chandler was the rudest, most obnoxious individual I have ever come across. Avoid him; there are plenty of other good attorneys out there.

Finally had my day in court, after years of lies and tens of thousands of dollars spent I won.
Total loser

The short of it
I’ve consulted and recommended Stephen Chandler to family and friends because he won’t waste their time, money, or energy. He practices many areas of law: family, estate, personal injury, and more, so you don’t have to hire a different specialist every time you have a different kind of legal problem.
The long of it
Over the years I’ve observed nearly 800 attorneys at work, and I don’t care how swanky their offices are, how many employees they have, or how many electronic gadgets they use. What matters to me: 1) will s/​he give me an honest opinion of my situation 2) will s/​he give me sound legal advice and clear instructions on how to follow it 3) will s/​he make good use of my time and money.
I didn’t see a lot of Mr. Chandler, but every time I saw him, he was doing a good job for his client: explaining the easiest way to do things, asking direct questions, and not insisting on filing a lot of unnecessary forms. He was trying to get the matter dealt with as quickly and simply as possible, not throwing in extras to pad his bill. The other thing I liked was that all his cases made sense. One of the best things about a solo practitioner, meaning someone who works out of his or her own, individual law office, is s/​he will usually give you a very honest and accurate opinion of your situation. If s/​he doesn’t think you can win a lawsuit, s/he’ll tell you that, explain why, and refuse to represent you. You might not like to hear the truth, but you’d like it even less if it took you years and thousands of dollars to find it out later.
I hired Mr. Chandler because I needed legal advice on long-​term care for a close elderly relative. I wrote out a list of questions and booked an hour of consultation. I got straight answers, the names of other professionals I’d need (such as a C.P.A.), explanations of what steps I should take when (such as a durable power of attorney), why I should take them, and what would happen if I did. He also required me to bring in the relative I was caring for when we had our consultation, so he could be sure this person understood exactly what I was asking for authority to do and the worst that could happen if I turned out to be dishonest. He was looking out for my relative even though I was the paying client, and he would not have drawn up the legal papers I needed if he’d had any doubt about my intentions.
This brings up a very important point: If you ask an attorney to do something and s/​he thinks it’s unethical, illegal, or just wrong for your purposes, s/​he cannot just do it regardless of the fact that you’re willing to pay her or him to do it. It doesn’t have to be a deliberately dishonest request, such as asking that a will be changed in your favor. If you ask an attorney to set up the wrong kind of corporation for your business, s/​he should tell you why it’s the wrong kind, what the correct one is, and offer to set up that instead. You have to be willing to be corrected by an attorney, because it’s his or her job to be the legal expert, not yours.
I have never observed Mr. Chandler behaving unprofessionally with other people or with myself, and I have had good opinions of him from other attorneys as well as other clients.
Incidentally, if I had any reason to believe he was a woman-​hater, I certainly wouldn’t have hired him. Both I and the relative I am taking care of happen to be women.

I called this attorney to make an appointment on the recommendation of a family member. The attorney answered his own phone, and I introduced myself and requested an appointment. I could not make the appointment because instead he chose to lecture me about what I needed. Although he was insulting to me, telling me I sounded too young to be dealing with contracts, I still planned to make an appointment because my relative had referred me to him.
Then he started YELLING at me over the phone, cutting me off by screaming «NO!» he would not listen to what I wanted, telling me how he charged $ 350 an hour, and he had already given 40 free minutes to my relative discussing the case, and now 5 minutes to me. I listened to the screaming rant for about 10 seconds until I hung up. Not sure if it was a bad day for him, or if he simply disrespects women that intensely. I recommend not wasting your time or money with this strange person, who is certainly not professional.