A few months back I had finally got the courage up...
A few months back I had finally got the courage up to leave a mentally and physically abusive relationship. I reached out for help regarding custody/child support and was paired with Jim Boerigter. I paid my 300$ fee for an appointment that was set for a Thursday morning at 10 am. I did not receive the call until 10:20 am. He asked me a couple of general questions which included the ages of my children. Noticing that they were year after year he proceeded to ask me if I knew how getting pregnant worked . He degraded me by saying Now you are going to be riding off of me and the rest of the taxpayers for however long .
-You must start with compassion and empathy to truly understand that but for the grace of God go I applies to every client.
These are just a few of the bullet points under his information online. It was also stated in his profile that he is extremely involved in Pro Bono work, that he is a lawyer for the people and helps provide legal assistance for those who would otherwise not be able to afford it. Yet I paid 300$ And had no intention of asking for Pro Bono work. He put me down for needing assistance being a single mom, I was humiliated for attempting to better myself with furthering my education. He made the statement that I alone had caused this situation . Not only did I feel degraded but I felt his legal advice was off. My case involves making changes due to multiple reasons including physical and mental abuse. He suggested dropping the case to avoid court. If I were to drop the case I feel it would seem that I possibly made false allegations or that I changed my mind about protecting the children. I feel it would discredit me. Again, I am not educated in law but it seemed off.
I cried through the entire conversation and he never seemed to try to let up or show true sympathy for my situation. He would say he wasn t trying to be rude but wouldn t stop the rude comments. He knew I had been physically and mentally abused because It was stated in the information I sent before the consultation. It was also brought to his attention that I am pregnant yet he seemed to continue to be harsh with me at my emotional state. When our call ended I called a friend to vent about the situation and started balling so hard I thought I was going to pass out. My emotions had nothing to do with getting disappointing legal information but everything to do with the way I was treated. I honestly wish I had recorded the entire conversation because it was extremely unprofessional and inappropriate.
Being involved in family law I feel this man should be educated on being sympathetic towards victims of both physical and mental abuse. He should be aware of the abuse cycle and realize people who get stuck in this cycle come from all ethnicities and backgrounds. Abuse is found in all income and education levels. I felt judged and scrutinized. I am very disappointed with the outcome of my consultation and will most certainly not be moving forward with this attorney.