Online Divorce Attorney Scheme

One of her clients said that “She spoke like she knew what she was talking about,” and that there were no red flags when he hired Ms. Phillips to handle his divorce. He found her through her Facebook business page entitled “Brittany's Legal Services” and thought that she was handling everything with the divorce. However, when he called the District Clerk the client discovered that the necessary documents were never filed with the courts.

The Harris County Sheriff's investigators now know that Ms. Phillips has never been a licensed attorney in Texas or any other state. As of now, the department knows of three victims and believes that there were dozens more that Ms. Phillips defrauded while pretending to be a divorce attorney.

In one instance, she promised to file a restraining order on behalf of a client but never followed through. Police say that she did not work out of an office but would meet clients at various locations like Starbucks and even gas stations to collect fees.

Extent of the Fraudulent Crimes

The authorities stated that they do not have a single piece of evidence that leads them to believe that she ever walked into a court to represent her clients. Even worse, authorities now believe that Ms. Phillips was also committing identity theft with her clients' personal information, and they encourage anyone who has done business with her to check their credit reports. Ms. Phillips has also gone by the aliases Brittany Cruz and Brittany Batista.

One client compared the betrayal to pouring salt in an open wound, and he contacted the Houston Better Business Bureau to give “Brittany's Legal Services” an F rating. Ms. Phillips has been arrested on a litany of charges stemming from her fraudulent activity pretending to be a divorce attorney in the Houston area. She is now awaiting trial for her crimes.

Contact a Houston Divorce Attorney

While filing for divorce can be a stressful time, it is important that you do your research beforehand and get an experienced attorney with a proven track record of success. If you or someone that you know needs the services of a family law attorney for a divorce or other family law matter in the Houston or Galveston areas, let the experienced attorneys at The Law Office of Lori E. Laird, PLLC help. Call the office or contact us today for a free and confidential consultation of your case.