1 /5 Robert Ramirez: Honest Review of The McNutt Law Firm
I hired The McNutt Law Firm in 2024 to handle my custody case, and it turned out to be one of the worst decisions Iâve ever made.
My daughterâs mother had spent years trying to keep me out of her life. Since her birth in 2018, we had been in and out of court, and I had already worked with 4â5 different law firmsâspending over $25,000 just to gain small steps forward. Even then, her mother still had nearly full control of all rights and duties.
When I hired McNutt Law, they quickly filed for a temporary restraining order that finally allowed me to spend more meaningful time with my daughter. At first, I thought this was a turning point. But my experience with the firm quickly revealed otherwise.
Outrageous Billing Practices
From the beginning, they told me it would cost about $8,000 to get through temporary orders. By the end, I had spent over $45,000âand still did not have final ordersâbecause they filed to withdraw before finishing the job.
Their billing was excessive and unreasonable. I was nickeled and dimed for everything: hundreds of small charges, $5â$10 here, $15 there, just for short emails or quick phone calls. Instead of receiving consistent monthly invoices, they only sent bills every 2â3 months, each filled with vague line items and inflated totals. Whenever I questioned these charges, they didnât explainâthey accused me of being âabusive.â
On top of that, they sent two attorneys to every hearing and billed me for both, even though only one was needed. Worse, they failed to address important issues in the temporary orders, which forced us back into court laterâand I was billed again for their mistakes.
Financial Strain and Retainer Trap
They put me on a $2,000/month retainer directly drafted from my business checking account. After nearly a year of paying, I was still over $12,000 in the hole. Eventually, I had to drain money I had saved for a down payment on a home just to keep up with their fees.
Even after paying tens of thousands, they made a clerical error on a pre-authorization for my final payment. Instead of owning the mistake, they harassed me, accused me of lying, and threatened to remove any discounts and sue me for more moneyâall over a $5,000 balance after I had already paid them more than $45,000.
Negligence and Lack of Support
While I did receive credit for my back child support (minus interest, about $10,000), McNutt Law refused to help update the figures with the Attorney General. That refusal directly prevented me from getting a passport and delayed me from qualifying for a mortgage loan.
When I asked them to help with the Attorney General, they sent me on a wild goose chaseâtelling me to call myself, only for me to spend hours on hold before learning that the OAG couldnât even speak to me because McNutt was my attorney of record. When I asked for a small billing adjustment to reflect my wasted time and lost wages, I was once again accused of being âabusive.â
Disrespect in Court
To make matters worse, when things fell apart, attorney Melysa openly disrespected me in courtâasking Judge Hays to âwarn me about court proceduresâ and even implying I was being violent. It was unprofessional, humiliating, and completely unnecessary.
The Bottom Line
At one point, the firm even told me I was âungratefulâ because they had secured custody for me. The truth is this: given the facts of my caseâincluding the motherâs involvement with a registered sex offenderâANY competent attorney could have achieved the same results, at a fraction of the cost.
McNutt Law did nothing exceptional. Instead, they exploited my situation, drained my finances, and walked away before finishing the job.
Stay far away from The McNutt Law Firm. They will nickel-and-dime you, drag cases out unnecessarily, and turn on you the moment you start questioning their billing.