Q: How can I acquire a good Lawyer in Puerto Rico to handle an Estate & Inheritance issue in Caguas, PR, from New York?
My father's eldest sibling passed away in December of 2016, in Caguas PR. He was my father's only remaining sibling, was unmarried and had no children.
Shortly after his brother's passing, my father went to Puerto Rico to arrange his brother's funeral and secure his home, discovering that his brother had been a victim of elder financial abuse.
These individuals have yet to be apprehended, even though my sister filed a police report with the local precinct.
Since then, my father secured the assistance of a Lawyer, in 2017, paying him a retainer fee of nearly $3,000, to no avail. The Lawyer did not perform the services for which he was paid and has ceased all communication. The Lawyer has basically disappeared.
My father is in a difficult situation in terms of his health, as well as his finances but he wants to honor his brother's wishes and secure his property. How can I attain a trustworthy legal representative, while living in NYC and with limited resources?
A:
Hello and thank you for using JUSTIA. In order to do this you Will need to do research and evaluate your findings. A good way is to evaluate these websites, the prófiles and the Answers given to questions that the lawyers answer. I for one am an Attorney in Puerto Rico and speak English fluently. Please read my profile in JUSTIA and my Answers to many questions that I have issued.
Now I do wish to inform you that an Attorney cannot just disappear. Please Enter the following website (http://www.ramajudicial.pr/orientacion/dir-abogados.html.) This Will take you to the Supreme Court of a Puerto Rico and the registry of all Attorneys. Just put in the name of the Attorney and you will find out the information for said Attorney. Then you can claim a refund from the Attorney and if you are not satisfied with the Attorney's response you can file a formal complaint with the Supreme Court on said Attorney and he will be displined in addition to getting your money back.
On the matter of your Uncle's estate, your father and cousins are the sole inheritors thus you should file claim. Please feel free to contact me if you need more information.
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