Fliers promising free electrical work from a licensed electrician in exchange for the services of a divorce attorney have been raising eyebrows all over a Staten Island neighborhood.
Call the number on the flier and you'll meet Anthony Davino.
"My last lawyer has quit because I ran out of money. So I took to the streets to try to barter," he told NBC 4 New York.
Davino, who owns A. Davino Electrical Contracting in Manhattan, said he has been involved in an ugly divorce the last two and a half years after he spent nearly $100,000 in attorney's fees for him and his wife. He said he's tapped out.
Showing his hands, he said, "I have this, always have this. I know how to do electrical work. That's what I know how to do. I figure there has to be some attorney somewhere who just purchased a home that could use my services."
Davino said he never imagined it would come to this, but he has two kids and is fighting for custody.
Three attorneys have responded to the fliers, Davino said, and he plans to meet one of them this week.
Local
People who have spotted the fliers around the new Staten Island Courthouse in St. George are intrigued.
"It's kind of a cool barter arrangement. Guy must be hard up for cash, and/or a divorce," said Dick Siegel.
But Davino said, "There's absolutely nothing funny about my life, what's happening now. This is pure desperation."
Davino is under deadline: the judge has given him until Nov. 4 to hire a new attorney. He hopes to make the barter happen before then.
Staten Island Advance first reported the story of Davino.
