Knauf Associates

Look it up on the public record, Christopher Knauf and his wife previously sued a client in a real litigation. Be careful. Thus, I keep this anonymous. But my review will outline how I came to Knauf and how it was a huge mistake.



First of all, if you're considering Knauf, keep in mind that he's 100% litigation (sue in court). For those without experience, chances are unless you already hired other lawyers for filing complaints and give you advice, you should come to Knauf only if your case now looks like it would be in your interest to litigate in court, ONLY THEN, you should come to Knauf.



He will not give you advice and will not help you with anything if you come to him first. From my experience, I got drawn into this after a nonprofit advocate referred me to him since it did not have the resource to help me. Knauf and the leading attorney at the nonprofit are buddies and previously litigated cases together. I met Knauf in his office and that was when I was deceived into believing he would help me. Be careful.



His website will show you he's knowledgeable about disability issues. His staff consists of disabled paralegals. You would feel this man will definitely fight for you. Wrong. It would be true only if your case is immediately apparent that there would be big money for him.



The "contingency" with Knauf is a trick. He will tell you to write a check for $6000 retainer, mentioning how he's not one of those lawyers who will use it all. Then, he will delegate the task to Benjamin Goldstein, who will clock the hours (at a ridiculously high hourly rate for an inexperienced recent graduate). $300 per hour for Goldstein (not sure how much of that goes to Knauf).



Eventually, you will ask him where are they on the case. SILENCE. Finally, he will tell you he figured out that he cannot assist you in your case. Your retainer ($6000) is GONE. Feeling upset? He will tell you it was agreed on per the Agreement form you signed. There is nothing to do. You've just paid him to clock in the hours to tell you that he cannot do anything to help.



After feeling dismayed and trusting that he had my best interest, I wasted a lot of time relying on Chris Knauf. Fortunately, I finally proceeded with another attorney who disputed for me and I did get what was fair. If I had trusted Knauf’s advice, I would have not proceeded. It was all about himself. It was not financially beneficial for him to help you, but he wanted your money. Thus, he took your money and misled you into thinking you have a weak case.



Knauf can be good if you have a disability discrimination claim with solid evidence in a public place. Clear obvious violations and with high probably of success or settlement. Only then, you should proceed with Chris Knauf.



If you fall into the category of most cases, he would mention "contingency" only to lure you to pay the $6000, then would use up the entire retainer and tell you he cannot help you. NO contingency.



Knauf should not have taken my case and my retainer. Looking at the public record afterward, it is obvious he never did take such cases (outside of litigation). Thus, he should NOT have misled me into his business of providing false hope for a legal service.



Be careful!



Also, those with similar disappointing experiences from Knauf, please comment! It would be nice to warn others, and if possible, his ethics should be investigated by the Bar Association.