In short, I feel like I dodged a bullet because the attorney seemed only interested in making as much money as possible for himself without consideration for the benefit of his clients.

Long version

I consulted with an associate of this attorney at his office regarding an injury sustained after I was rear ended in a major 4 car collision. She worked directly for him and told me that Dennis Hernandez is involved in the decision making for all cases and would be my attorney even though I knew I would never meet him. Hence, I am reviewing my experience with Dennis Hernandez law firm even though I never met the man himself.

Prior to my going there, I noticed several red flags, as outlined below, but I decided to meet with his law firm anyway because I had personally engaged with one of his employees at a local fair. Here are the red flags I noticed:

- Prior disciplinary action for Dennis Hernandez including a suspension
- Slow or did not respond to my initial communications with his office
- My name was misspelled in the e-mailed contract making me question their attention to detail
- When I went there for my appointment set with an associate lawyer, I was initially told that I was meeting another non lawyer person for sign up before even meeting a lawyer. I guess they were basically assuming the whole time that I would sign up.

After a pretty good consultation with his associate lawyer where I asked many questions and learned a great deal, I started talking about the contingency based contract and asking questions. I simply asked about putting a cap on costs and other expenses so that I can recover a minimum 50% of a potential settlement. Plus I was interested in the law firm officially getting involved in the property damage portion of the claim (the contract specifically excludes representation for property damage). The associate lawyer basically said that she would need to call Dennis Hernandez to find out if they could do something like this.

So after about an hour consultation, where I divulge a mountain of personal information and we get almost to the point of signup, the associate lawyer goes out of the conference room to ask about my contract related questions. She comes back to the conference room and instead of renegotiating or politely declining my requests about the contract she abruptly tells me Dennis Hernandez does not want to represent me and the pleasant conversation I had earlier with the associate attorney turns into awkwardness as I get up and leave the building. I guess his ego could not handle someone who was knowledgeable about his contract and actually asked about the contract instead of just blindly signing up. It is also possible that he knew the costs and expenses would be so high that he did not appreciate a client who was trying to find out more about this area and trying to work for his own interest prior to signing.

I initially feel like I wasted my time and feel duped and insulted, but upon further reflection, I feel sort of like I won because:

1) I learned an incredible amount about my case and how it could proceed. This was a subject that I was basically completely inept at prior to my consultation with the associate lawyer. Now I feel a lot more knowledgeable in moving my case forward with the help of another attorney.

2) Most importantly, I feel like, if a lawyer is so rude and cannot handle initial client negotiations and questions about the contract, I can only imagine that the future interactions with his law firm would be equally bad and it would be too late because I would be in contract with him at that point.

So, yea, I dodged a bullet


I was in a car accident this summer where I fractured my neck. I handled a previous accident on my own and it was horrible dealing with the insurance company. I knew I needed an attorney this time. My daughter works at Dennis Hernandez as a paralegal, so it was a natural choice. I'm so glad I did!

Dennis Hernandez & Associates settled my case quickly, I knew exactly what was going on, and they made sure I went to the best doctors- Dr. Hayes at Trinity Spine is a wonderful doctor.They took something that is usually a nightmare and made it a pleasent experience. They answered ALL of my questions, no matter how silly, reassured me when I got overwhelmed, and treated me more like family. The accident totaled my scooter and I couldn't drive because of my neck fracture but they made sure I had transportation to my appointments.

It has been the longest four months. When I talk to people who tell me their accident was 2 years ago and they still haven't settled it, I tell them they should have went to Dennis!

I hope you never have a car accident that requires you to hire an attorney, but if you do, Dennis Hernandez & Associates should be your first and only choice.