Opinion ID: 1860370
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: testimony of billy ray blackwell

Text: Mr. Blackwell testified that he retained respondents to handle six cases on his behalf. Mr. Blackwell stated they quoted a fee of $1,500 to him to handle his legal matters and that he paid Mrs. Stamps $700, and later paid an additional $400. He claimed he consulted with both Mrs. Stamps and Mr. Stamps on numerous occasions. Mr. Blackwell pointed out that Mr. Stamps had a plaque on the desk saying `fifty dollar ($50) consultation fee.' He further testified: I think I paid'em fifty dollars ($50) a couple of times, because they wouldn't even talk to you unless you paid a consultation fee.... He noted that he never received receipts for the payments. Mr. Blackwell testified that he filed a complaint with the North Carolina State Bar when he concluded that work was never done on his cases. Further, he maintained he was never advised by respondents that they were not licensed to practice law in North Carolina.