Since mid-2023, I’ve been involved in numerous legal cases as a translator and interpreter. Through this work, I regularly collaborate with various law firms in Ireland and I can confirm there are many wonderful, responsive, and responsible solicitors who regularly update their clients and ensure transparency. Unfortunately, I was not yet acquainted with any of them at the time when I was looking for a firm to take on my employment law case so I engaged Augustus Cullen Law.At first, the solicitor was responsive, replying to emails promptly and professionally. However, once my case was submitted to the WRC, communication became nonexistent.I know first-hand that clients can be overly demanding with unnecessary questions and a lack of understanding of the procedures. Because of this, I kept my inquiries concise and relevant because I know what it’s like to handle dozens of clients and projects on a regular basis and I never expected or demanded replies within the 24-hour or even 48-hour window, which is the general expectation for email responses in professional settings. I always allowed sufficient time for him to get back to me and I did not spam him with emails or calls demanding an immediate response.Despite this, he repeatedly ignored my emails and avoided my phone calls. His secretaries would say he was “on another call” and that he would “call back as soon as he was finished”, which never happened. On several occasions, he said that he was out sick, yet there was no automated out-of-office notification.Only 2 weeks before the WRC hearing, I didn’t have any basic information on how the process would look like, how I should prepare, how long it would last, and whether there was a possibility of a settlement. This lack of guidance, especially so close to the hearing, felt extremely unprofessional and irresponsible.When I called the office, even the secretary seemed shocked that I had received no information with the hearing date approaching. In the end, my ex-employer offered to settle a week before the hearing, and I accepted. However, reflecting on the entire negative experience, I question whether I should have proceeded with the hearing and pursued the matter further in court, as I am left wondering whose side ACL’s solicitor was truly on.After the settlement, he sent an invoice, which I paid immediately. I sent an email to confirm payment but never received acknowledgement or a simple thank you - basic elements of professional communication.Additionally, on 10.01.2024 he sent a GDPR request to my ex-employer, and when he forwarded the email he sent them, I saw that he put someone else’s name on the request. This caused confusion with my ex-employer and they didn’t know which employee he was referring to. They asked the solicitor to confirm the employee’s name to which he either never responded or he never forwarded me the rest of their communication.Despite my follow-up emails, one on 17.06.2024 when the solicitor was out of office and one on 03.07.2024 when he got back, I never received a response.I last called the office on 29.08.2024 and got through to his secretary who said he was on another call. I explained that I had no update regarding the GDPR request that was submitted months ago and that I never got a reply to my emails. She then searched the emails and confirmed that she could see my emails that had no reply from anyone at ACL and she found that odd. She was uncomfortable by the situation and said maybe he didn’t get back to me because it was summer, to which I replied that this was well before the summer, submitted in January - she then said nothing, except that she would talk to him. I never heard back from anyone.I originally posted my review here and on Google on 23.10.2024, and on the same day, a partner in the firm got in touch. He wanted to go through the entire situation and address the communication issues I described. We had a phone call during which he apologised, confirming the truth of everything I’ve written about my solicitor and said there’s no explanation for his behaviour. He assured me they would work on it so the solicitor in question does not repeat the same mistakes, but I never got an apology or heard from the man himself.My original review was removed because it contained “personal information” – the name of the solicitor I was dealing with (even though there are plenty of other reviews mentioning names), hence the usage of “solicitor” instead of his full name.I hope this thorough review helps others avoid a similar experience with ACL, as everyone deserves proper treatment and professional communication for the services they pay for.
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Augustus Cullen Law has a history founded in the finest legal traditions. The firm was established in 1887 in Church Street, Wicklow by the late Frank Kennedy, Solicitor and the late Augustus Cullen acquired that practice in 1924.
The firm practices a wide range of legal services.
