Isabelle Rawich

So I decided to break down and buy a house in the Catskills. OK, prices are falling, so what the hell. Worst I can do is buy a worthless house, right? So everything went moderately well. The seller was a gentleman, all the real estate people were comparatively honest, and things went off without a hitch.
The only sore point was my lawyer. Ugh. I’m not a lawyer so I can’t really judge her legal work. She seems to be experienced and competent, but I would NOT recommend this woman for two reasons: attitude and accessibility, and also price I guess.
I’m a first-​time homebuyer and I need a bit more hand-​holding than perhaps one needs if one is experienced. I found her to be consistently abrasive, with an impatient and condescending phone manner. She seemed *really* annoyed when I asked her to help me figure out how much I owe at closing. I mean, even if I wasn’t a first timer that’s something I’d be reluctant to figure out by myself.
She was not accessible at this crucial time in the process, so I had to bother the bank’s law firm and the plaintiff’s lawyer (both of which were perfectly helpful; I wish I’d hired one of them). Finally I reached her and, with great sighing and clear unhappiness, she worked out the numbers. What an imposition!
Then came the bill, presented at closing, which I paid even though it was MUCH higher than I expected. Yes there was a «flat rate,» but the retainer agreement allowed charges for a bunch of stuff that I didn’t anticipate she’d charge for. If the retainer agreement seems a bit too open-​ended, don’t sign it.
Don’t make my mistake. Do NOT hire the lawyer recommended by your real estate agent. Ask around. Also, stay away from one-​person law firms that don’t have paralegals to help with the small stuff.