While many will tell you that it is a waste of time to pursue the lawyer in question, I disagree. There is presently a case in POP about a lawyer who was alleged to have taken his client's money. I make no comment as to whether the lawyer is guilty or not, but use this case as an example.
The lawyer has since lost his office (building and all) as well as burning his bridges in the legal community and lost a good deal of his reputation. Will the monies be forthcoming? Who's to say. But a few things happened:
1) Future potential victims are less likely to use this lawyer
2) A light was shined on these sorts of goings on and as such, we are that much closer to transparency and professionalism in the legal profession
3) The client likely feels he at least stood up for himself
On a related point, above and beyond researching your lawyer, I always recommend putting escrow monies with a lawyer in the States or Canada. Why? Because they are insured and if anything happens to the lawyer or the money, the insurance kicks in. As we have seen, if your escrow money here in the DR disappears, you are very much out of luck.
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