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 I’ve ever made.
My daughter’s 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 4–5 different law firms—spending 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 $45,000—and still did not have final orders—because 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, $5–$10 here, $15 there, just for short emails or quick phone calls. Instead of receiving consistent monthly invoices, they only sent bills every 2–3 months, each filled with vague line items and inflated totals. Whenever I questioned these charges, they didn’t explain—they accused me of being “abusive.”
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 later—and 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 money—all 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 chase—telling me to call myself, only for me to spend hours on hold before learning that the OAG couldn’t 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 “abusive.”
Disrespect in Court
To make matters worse, when things fell apart, attorney Melysa openly disrespected me in court—asking Judge Hays to “warn me about court procedures” 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 “ungrateful” because they had secured custody for me. The truth is this: given the facts of my case—including the mother’s involvement with a registered sex offender—ANY 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.
