My experience with Gilbert Law Firm can only be described as abominable. I was set to close on a property last Thursday, only to find out that the closing was delayed due to capacity issues at Gilbert Law Firm. Since I'm a fair and reasonable person, I will say that the scenario I fell victim to was considered an anomaly by all involved, however, it didn't change the fact that my closing was delayed from a Thursday to a Monday due to poor planning. When everything was set to go, there was no offer of squeezing me in or staying late to fulfill the job they were hired to do. Instead, it was "our next available opening is on Monday". Unfortunately, I had a very detailed moving plan that centered around the ability to close prior to the weekend. Not being able to move over the weekend had steep consequences for me personally and from a financial perspective (now having to hire movers, changing deliveries, truck rentals, etc). Now, if I had any fair warning that a closing delay was possible, it would have been a different story. There was no communication on the matter, and when the importance of adhering to the contractual close date was mentioned to Gilbert Law Firm, there was zero attempt to make the closing happen. I personally reached out to Derek Gilbert to express my frustration with the transaction. The response I received was nothing short of appalling. It's frightening to think that I was a paying customer in this transaction given the level of service. Derek went as far as suggesting that I should have been more proactive in following up with his team along with making it clear that he does not work after 5 or on Saturdays. That's fine if you don't want to work after 5 or on Saturdays, but when you have "x" number of contracts with a particular close date and you can only accommodate less than "x", shouldn't you have an overflow plan? Shouldn't you at least communicate that delays are imminent? The answer is he doesn't, and he doesn't care. The end result? Both the buyer and the seller are held hostage.

As mentioned above, I do understand that my scenario was abnormal but Gilbert Law Firm had several opportunities to make it right, and they refused to do so. When it became clear that my weekend was completely derailed, a little bit of empathy would have helped make it right, and I received quite the opposite.

Bottom line, Beaufort, you have a choice. Do not choose this law firm.