The Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee has filed for an injunction against a Harris County woman who is accused of engaging in the unauthorized practice of law, court filings show.
Valencia Lana Williams does not appear to have any legal training, according to the committee’s petition and application for a temporary restraining order filed Monday.
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“It is totally false, and if I were you, I would tell them to present hard-line evidence,” Williams told KPRC 2′s Bryce Newberry over the phone Monday evening.
On LinkedIn, Williams claims to be the CEO of a company that offers services in oil and gas, transportation, construction, medical supply sales, consultation and more.
According to court records, Williams charged a Houston woman at least $600 to prepare and file a lawsuit.
“That is untrue. I cannot legally do that,” Williams said, who claimed to be in West Africa during the call.
Lakita Baldon went to the Harris County Courthouse at 6000 Chimney Rock Road in May 2022 to file three small claims cases.
Williams was in line behind her, she said and struck up a conversation.
“She was like, ‘Well, you know that you can get more money for pain and suffering for life interruption,’ things like that,” Baldon said.
Williams allegedly told Baldon she could draft, file and serve the paperwork, records show.
“When I asked her if she was a lawyer, she didn’t say no that she wasn’t a lawyer and she kind of said it in the condescending way of like, ‘Duh, I’m a legal consultant’,” Baldon said.
Baldon, who had recently lost her mother, was grateful for the help.
"I was like, ‘Thank you so much for your help. Thank you for this guidance, this advice, because I didn’t know how to go about this’,” Baldon said.
She sent Williams $600 to prepare and file the lawsuit, records show, and an estimated $240 more for a process server.
Baldon saved her text messages with Williams and showed them to KPRC 2. In one, Williams mentioned her fees. In another, she told Baldon she was “prepared a $175 million civil suit for an international client.”
In another, in reference to one of Baldon’s lawsuits, she appears to write “Tell him if he wants to mediate, you have a mediator” ... “Give him my number.”
“You’re out here representing yourself as a legal person, like you’re using legal jargon too, I would say, confuse a simpler person,” Baldon said. “When you start getting into codes and things like that, and that’s what she was sending me, you know, it’s kind of scary.”
Williams denied the allegations.
“You plan to fight this in court, right?” KPRC 2′s Bryce Newberry asked her.
“I don’t think it’s going to be necessary after our conversation,” Williams said.
According to records, Williams did not show up at an investigative hearing scheduled on the matter for last May, after a process server was unable to physically serve her and she told an investigator “she would not attend anything and threatened to file suit for harassment.”
Williams called the timing of the filing, a year later, suspicious.
“I would check to see what politician is behind it,” Williams said. “They could not have delivered me a better gift the day before the Passover ends.”
Baldon said all of her cases are in limbo but she’s glad she didn’t lose more money than she did.
“Do your research, and you know, don’t take shortcuts,” Baldon said. “It’s kind of a bad taste in my mouth.”
You can look up a licensed lawyer in Texas using the State Bar’s website.
The Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, which currently doesn’t have a chairman, has not yet returned a request for comment.