Legal aid clinic told me I had no case, pushed back and won

About 5 years ago, my landlord refused to return my $1,200 security deposit for a cracked sink that was already broken when I moved in. I went to a free legal aid clinic downtown and the volunteer lawyer flat out said I had no chance worth fighting. I ignored her advice, filed in small claims court for $1,200 myself, and the judge awarded me the full amount when I showed photos from move-in day. Now I push back way harder on legal opinions (especially from busy clinic lawyers) instead of just accepting they know best. Has anyone else had a lawyer or legal pro tell you to drop something that you actually won?

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2 Comments

the_wyatt1mo ago

Did the clinic lawyer even look at your photos before saying you had no case?

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troy_ross1mo ago

Give them a written timeline of every conversation you had with the staff. Dates, times, names, what was said. Lawyers love paper trails, not photos. If you don't have that, start building one now from your memory or phone records. Makes it a lot harder for them to brush you off.

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