PandA Law Firm — Local services in Spring Valley

PandA changed my life. In 2011 I called PandA. I was at the end of my rope. I owed so much in credit card debt and other bills that I couldn’t see how I could ever get my head above water. One credit card alone had grown more than 10 times the amount I was approved for just in fees and penalties alone. When I say I was at the end of my rope I am not being dramatic. I really thought about ending it all. I couldn’t answer the doorbell. I couldn’t answer my phone. I couldn’t breathe. I remember crying and pleading with a creditor to allow me to pay 3 times the amount of my actual charges (what I had actually spent on the card) instead of the nearly 10 times the amount they wanted due to fees and penalties. When they refused I didn’t know what to do. My cousin offered to loan me 3 times as much as I spent to pay off the bill but she had no more to offer. She mentioned bankruptcy and through Google I found PandA.

I don’t know why the thought of bankruptcy terrified me. But, I have to say it was THE best thing I could have ever done. PandA really took care of me in red-carpet fashion. They made sure I had all my papers in order when we went to court. I remember others standing before the Judge with their attorneys from other firms and the Judge ordering them to return on another date with additional information. When it came to my turn, the Attorney PandA assigned to me was really on the ball. Every time the Judge asked for additional information she had it there and ready. During my time in court, my attorney and I were the only ones who did not have to come back with additional paperwork.

Since then (it’s now 2016), I have lived COMPLETELY debt free. I still have my mortgage because I kept my home. But, I have NO OTHER BILLS. I DON’T USE CREDIT… FOR ANYTHING. I don’t even own a credit card. I have several debit cards with Visa and Master Card logos. But, if the money is not there already I can’t buy the items. The credit card companies send me pre-approved cards in the mail almost daily. They go right in the trash. No thanks!

Oh and one other thing, PandA also started me on a totally new career. Because I have certain skills, in appreciation I had made PandA one of my items. I was pretty proud of it. I was planning to give them the item free of charge just to say, “Thank you”. I called the office just to get some final information and the person I spoke with would not give me the information I needed to finish the item because, he said, the attorneys would not want what I made for them. I was already feeling pretty down about myself, at the time, so I just went away feeling my work wasn’t even good enough to give away for free.

THEN I told my story to someone online who asked me to offer the item as a template for others to use. After selling 2,500 of them I thought differently about work and myself. Since then I have built a business making more and more of those items. Had it not been for PandA I never would have done that. Had it not been for PandA I probably wouldn’t be alive. I am posting this review online wherever I can because my friends, family and neighbors are sick of hearing it.

I figure if I post it in several places more people will see it and it may help someone to make the decision to call them. For me, it was the best call I have ever made. For years I have even been telling this story to everyone I know and even to strangers in line at Walmart. I’ve said it to everyone except to PandA. If I could, I would like to say to them, “Thank you for my new career. Thank you for changing my life. And, thank you for...

I don't often write a review -- only when the service is extraordinary or deplorable -- and in this case, it was the latter. First of all, going to see a bankruptcy attorney is like going to a doctor. It is extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing to tell a stranger about your finances and circumstances or your ailments and no one wants to go, but sometimes you have to. Your best hope is that the doctor has a great bedside manner and is personable, caring and compassionate and has a genuine love of people and career. The same goes for a lawyer because if they do, they can put you at ease and heal you. If they don't (and most don't), they listen to a few seconds of your story, interrupt you, rush you through so they can get to the other 10 people with the same appointment time as you who are waiting for them in the next room and then bill you $600 for a comprehensive examination or consultation. What makes it so uncomfortable is that you are trying to make your situation better and they are trying to make as much money as possible in the smallest amount of time and with as little effort as possible. You end up feeling dismissed, unheard, and YES -- cookie-cutted --but billed as if you had taken hours of their time and been treated like a VIP. The commercials for Peters and Associates imply that they genuinely care about their clients and they are unlike other firms because they are willing to educate their clients as to alternative debt solutions other than bankruptcy. Because of this, I chose them for my consultation as I had many questions and was undecided about the best solution to my unique circumstances. I fully expected the attorney to be compassionate, caring and informative as to what options I had to work with. Unfortunately, I got the complete opposite. I met with Xenoff himself dressed in his fancy suit inside his hard-to-find shopping center office with car lot flyers outside and pandas everywhere inside. He led me into the conference room, asked me about 3 questions, let me tell about 3 seconds of my story before interrupting me and announcing his fee of $2000, put his pen and pad away and kept looking towards the door. When I told him I felt that he had quit listening, he said he had somewhere to be and told me I should probably go to legal aid or something. He was condescending, arrogant, rude and dismissive. It was obvious he was "all about the money" and NOTHING ELSE. It took me 35 minutes to get there from my office and I was a few minutes late for my 5:30 appointment. It also took me 35 minutes to get home and I was home by 6:20...so what does that tell you? It was the WORST experience involving a lawyer I have ever had and I work with them every day and have for 20 years. As I left, I felt that he was the perfect picture of why they call lawyers "bottom feeders. Afterwards, I thought that instead of a Panda as their mascot, they should have chosen a SHARK because it would have represented the experience more realistically. My recommendation - GO TO ANYONE, ANYWHERE, but AVOID THIS MAN...

UPDATE: It helps to stay calm and communicate clearly what desires and needs are. Judah is AWESOME--open to discuss and easy with whom to communicate. He offered solutions I had not thought about.

And Michelle, who answers the phone, the first voice that answers is beyond incredible and awesome! It was a positive experience communicating with her.

Recommendation is that folks should not just act out of anger if disappointed and post a derrogatory review of a business, but rather should call and ask to address it. It may not happen the moment an individual calls,but it will happen and took less than 24 hours, when I was scheduled for a phone visit about my concerns and questions.

And, perhaps, MJ was just off her game and needed the benefit of the doubt. I was informed that my experience would be communicated with her. I can not imagine that this firm would hire a person who was not commensurate with the experience I have had with Judah P, partner, and the lovely Michelle

Initial review posted Fec Feb 28, 2022 What is ever so positive is that the gal who answers the phone is incredible. I also really appreciated and enjoyed meeting with partner Judah Peters in 2013 and felt very comfortable and confident . I rate that a 5+.

Now, what I rate as a 0:

I called and spoke with the accounting lady, MJ (actually, she returned my call). They have had $1800 since 2013, and she says it's "non- refundable," although the process not started because of issues with my health and life situation. I didn't appreciate the tone and her combative style of being told by her something happened, like a phone call, when I clearly know that I never spoke directly to an attorney, other than Judah P. In my initial free consultation , when I met him in person in 2013.

I left a very honest, clear voicemail for her, highlighting the tragedies in my life since 2015. So, I assume that she listened to its entirety. I was asking for a discussion about a partial, if not 100% (🙏) refund .

She presented as devoid of any compassion and is clearly a pit bull in managing their money. I have integrity , am honest, and communicate well with requests. I don't expect her to be a therapist. I do expect that she could demonstrate more compassion while remaining clear about what she could and couldn't do. I also expect that she could at least offer to go consult with a partner or arrange to have me consult with a partner. DIDN'T HAPPEN.

My initial response, out of anger, was to write a scathing review, with only the negative aspect of dealing with this firm (MJ today); however, after I posted it, I went back within minutes to edit and instead post this review.

I also called and scheduled to speak with Judah tomorrow. I know it's a long shot and likely non-refundable, but I'm going for a miracle, basically, because no work was done and I'm hoping there is some compassion and an exception, once he...