Mr. L.
Google
This is the first time I have ever written a review about a lawyer. I have worked with many law firms in California before, but William O. London is by far the most unethical attorney I have ever encountered. To this day, I still cannot believe what I experienced.
After signing a retainer agreement and paying a deposit, they began billing arbitrarily. When I requested clarification about the charges, they not only refused to respond but retaliated by billing me even more. During the three weeks we worked together, we only had two in-person meetings (about one hour each) and four phone calls (none longer than 30 minutes). Yet they charged me $10,446.30.
Even worse, just before my court filing deadline, they threatened that if I did not deposit more money immediately, they would refuse to submit my legal documents. After I was forced to terminate the relationship, they continued adding charges. If the rating system allowed zero stars, that is exactly what I would give.
I initially contacted this firm because I saw many positive online reviews and believed William London spoke Chinese. During the first consultation, he appeared friendly and patient. Based on that impression, I signed the agreement and promptly deposited $10,000 for my family and business matters. I had no idea this would become a nightmare.
From January 3 to January 26, 2026 (less than three weeks), they accomplished virtually nothing. They filed no documents, took no substantive action, and did not complete any of the urgent tasks I requested. All discussions focused only on the family case; they never handled any business matters. However, their invoices included inflated and inaccurate time entries: a 0.3-hour call recorded as 0.8 hours, a 1-hour meeting billed as 1.4 hours. There were billing rate errors and numerous charges for work that was never performed. Looking at the invoices, you would think substantial work had been done—but in reality, nothing happened.
In the first invoice, London claimed 6.1 hours of services, yet during meetings he did not even understand my case and admitted he had not read my documents. Why was I charged over $3,300 for “case analysis”? When I received the first invoice for $5,441, I was shocked. I requested clarification three separate times and received no response. Instead, the same invoice increased to $8,358.90 by January 26. They also issued a separate $1,283.80 invoice for a “business account,” even though I never asked them to handle any business matters.
Two days before my filing deadline, they informed me that my $10,000 deposit had been fully exhausted and made it clear they would not file my court documents unless I deposited more funds immediately. It felt like extortion. I later found a similar negative review online describing comparable conduct, which confirmed I was not alone in this experience. I terminated the relationship on January 26—after less than three weeks.
Even after confirming termination, they continued billing and even added additional personnel charges to my account. Their billing practices are shockingly unprofessional.
In total, this firm charged me $10,446.30 for less than three weeks of minimal communication and zero tangible results. This has been the most outrageous and incomprehensible experience I have ever had with a lawyer. I deeply regret trusting the online reviews and their initial “professional” demeanor. The experience before payment and after payment was completely different.
I am sharing this to warn others—especially members of the Chinese community—not to be misled simply because a law firm can speak Chinese. Do not rely solely on ratings or initial impressions. Approach this firm with extreme caution.
