Small Claims Court Paralegal, Notary Public - , Ontario

E.J ..

IF I COULD GIVE HIM 0 STARTS - I WOULD - ALL I SAY BE CAREFUL – HE SHOULDN’T BE HIRED - I AM SUING HIM TOO

I am involved in a law suit against the condo corporation of my previous residence in Mississauga. This case is ongoing so I have answered anon.

I had consulted with several lawyers and paralegals - Since my claim is for less than 4K - I was turned down by few lawyers but majority of lawyers and paralegals accepted taking on my claim and quoted me a retainer of less than 1K especially that they were confidant we are going to settle during medication and won’t be needing to take it to court.

Having said that, we went with Oleksandr Pichugin - despite his bad breath or poor English, thinking he is knowledgeable and straight forward – We got fooled. He was an absolute disappointment. He promised us, verbally, that our claim would be won during mediation and we won’t be needing to take it to court, he claimed that he had a great reputation in the industry and had won several cases that are similar to ours (all lies).

He also assured us that our cost of retaining him won’t be more than 1K. He brought his stupid schedule fee and calculated all expenses in front of us in his office as well as told us he will be sending the bill from the other lawyer for assessment (defendant), which later after retaining him realized these were all lies.

We had the mediation scheduled in June, one day before the mediation, I had a time set with him to discuss my case again, as I was driving to his office- 3 hours away from my location at that time, I called his office to let them know that I was on my way, then and at this time when I called him while I am on my way, he tells me that the mediation was reschedule and he will email me the details. Once again I should have known he was incompetent and unfit to represent me but I still went ahead a continued with him, giving him the benefit of doubts.

There was no meeting or any communications with him till 2 days prior to the next scheduled mediation, were he slammed me with a 2K bill (WHAT)… Who, in the right state of their mind would be paying 2K to retrieve 4K - Also, I had a lawyer who I was able to retain from 1K yet went with a paralegal for 2K, this man is crazy.
I didn’t understand nor comprehend where all of these fees were coming from so I tried to discuss it with him but he was not willing to discuss anything, all he wants is money. To be honest, if he did a good job during mediation, I would have paid him but since he didn’t, he is not even worth the initial 1K I paid him.

The day of the mediation, he opens his mouth and man, the judge didn’t understand a word Oleksandr Pichugin said. I tried to speak and clarify our position and instead of Oleksandr Pichugin appreciating my support, he shuts me up - very unprofessional and very rude. The whole mediation was a fail because of him.
After the mediation, Oleksandr Pichugin asked me for his money rather than going over and discussing my case. And later I received an email from him asking me for the additional cost. When I told him that he can take it from my trust fund, he mentioned that I exhausted the fund. I was shocked especially since he didn’t do anything, nor he bothered telling me about these extra charges when it occurred and in a timely manner.
On top of it all, he still didn’t present my best interests after the mediation and decided to terminate my services when I dared to discuss my bill with him. I am sure, I would have gotten a better outcome if I hired anybody off the streets of Toronto than Oleksandr Pichugin.

He still chases us for "his money" and watches the case closely. I feel that he has prejudiced our case.
This story mentions only a few of the creative ways he found to bill us. His bills deserved to be hung in a gallery.

Natalia D.

II was the client of Oleksandr from 2007. Olekandr represented me in numerous cases in Small Claim court. He represented me in highly contested matters. He is very dedicated and diligent. Olexander was my legal representative in 8 cases.He won each case for me. He represented me at high standards of his profession, He is very ethical and dedicated to my cases.I would recommend him as legal profession. the client's interests will be secured and protected.

RUSLAN P.

I was able to entertain services of Eugen. He provide me with very good legal advice on my tenancy-landlord issues and came with very reasonable suggestions to improve my business arrangements in the future. Now my rights are more protected and secured. I highly recommend to retain professional services of Eugen ( Paralegal Ease)

Yuliya S.

Very happy with my experience. Eugine was attentive, professional and supportive. He immediately and clearly described possible outcomes for my request, in simple terms, and guided with my decisions that gave me piece of mind. Strongly recommended. If you decide to go for Eugine's paralegal services, you will be satisfied with your choice.

Tariq B.

Mr. Oleksandr Pichugin represented me in a case which lasted in almost over a year. During that period I have found him well prepared and do a lot of home work before coming to court . At the end the case was amicably and favorably settled down for which I give full credit to Mr. Pichugin. During this period, I have always found him an honest and straightforward person. I would strongly recommend everyone to get his services.

Richardson D.

NOT to be taken seriously & NOT to be trusted. When the case was over, I asked him what was the amount left on my retainer and he told me $221. Then when I asked him to sent it back. He made up a story saying that he had lost all his data and that he couldn't figure out what I had paid him. When I submitted a clear record of my transactions he started making up items that weren't mentioned before ( which he magically found from his lots of data). Then he gave me two different amount from my retainer.. first 23.18 and then when I told him that the math didn't add up and that he still ow me ~200 he changed the remaining amount to $7.93. I would NOT recommend his services. Very unprofessional to work with; Didn't keep any record, didn't send me invoices when asked to in time, and didn't send me copies of his filings.

Sunny S.

This guy is a real case. I asked him to commission a letter as small claims court was too busy. We agreed upon $50. When I got up there he began editing my letter without my permission and without telling me. When I said I'll pay you now he said its $70 because he edited my letter. Needless to say I walked out and ended up getting it done for $20 (the usual fee for getting a document notarized). Oleksander has many photos of his religion, culture and profession on his cubicle walls but he is an embarrassment to all three. Real scammer!!

Eugen D.

Oleksandr has provided courteous legal advice on numerous matters for me including claims in small claims court, landlord and tenant board proceedings, careless driving and causing an accident. I was highly impressed by Oleksandr's in depth knowledge of relevant law, the legal process and clear explanations on my obligations in various matters. All work was done in a highly professional manner- courteous and timely communication and transparent billing, Thank you Oleksandr- I highly recommend your services to anyone seeking highly professional legal representation!