McElyea Law

Tom took a case that meant the world to me. He told me he’d have the contract/demand letter within a week. I sent him detailed letters as requested by him. He’d say “out of town” – next week when I would reach out. My family reached out to him he spoke to them an hour. We were supposed to go and meet him and he did not answer our calls. I told him often while waiting how grateful I was often as I sent detailed and painful information before he took my case as per his request before he took and I sent several following – and the seven months after while he claimed he was working on it. and the hope that he brought to what was a very serious violation I’d suffered the consequences for years with. After sending detailed, personal, hard to write (re traumatizing) but willing to tell my story finally after he accepted my case at least SEVEN months went by. I would say are you getting my message? YES. He would say. He made commitments and promises and made himself out to be someone that cared about victims. Then he told me out of the blue after waiting SEVEN hopeful, patient months, e mailing, telling me I’d have documents and contracts “next week” then it would be “next two weeks”. Said he couldn’t speak to my bf due to “client/attorney privilege.” being patient and grateful he then said was going to charge me thousands up front after waiting and corresponding and WAITING atleast six months – when I finally said can you please tell me when you will be doing what you promised and have led me to believe for months- never stated that when he took my case nor the seven months of correspondence -and not actually follow through with what he had said he would. When I was pondering what to do when he suddenly needed thousands to do what he said he would do for seven months – which was never asked when he took my case and literally strung me a long knowing every bit of re living it was painful and personal – and I also told him I had turned down another lawyer and picked him, he waited two days and then said (after he never followed through, made false promises, never apparently read everything he’d asked for and I’d sent to him though told me he did) that he was “moving on” after just two days of thinking about it while he took eight months leading me on in literally every way I have all of the messages/txt – asking for thousands to do a hundredth of the “work” he said he was doing all along. I have been absolutely floored and it was been gut wrenching and heartbreaking. as have those around me even other lawyers. Not even a PHONE CALL in the end. I do not write reviews but in this case I have researched and it goes beyond unethical in my opinion borderline cruel. Actually cruel. . Quite a shame when he claims to stand for sexual victims. I have read his google reviews some were negative – they seem to have been removed now but I still went with him as he made me feel “heard” and that I could trust him in our initial phone call. . If you want someone who is honest and actually sincere and genuinely cares – I’d highly suggest you do not use this man. Don’t walk, run. Literally if you have a loved one that has been wounded seek someone who is honest, communicates and doesn’t lie, not follow through, claim to be doing what he is not – make commitments – string you a long MONTHS, allow you to re live your trauma to HIM – received your correspondence, string you a long months allow you to keep writing believing he will do what he says he will …. knows you’re waiting on him, knows how painful it is – only to have been doing nothing but allowing you to wait and re live your trauma and asking for cash up front in the end for a hundredth of the work I was told he was doing all along is beyond sketchy and in my opinion and other very cruel. When I even told him calmly how deeply it affected me, zero response.