Sandi:  Abstractor Watchdog is a site run by someone who used to be (or maybe still is) in the business.  He was a vendor manager at one time, I believe.  If I remember correctly, it's $10 a year to join.  It's a place to post complaints and gain information from other abstractors being burned.  I tend to check both this site and Abstractor Watchdog every time I'm contacted by a new client.  It helps a lot.  I believe the website is simply     abstractorwatchdog.com

No idea who the judge was.  the attorney I was using is part of a sizable lawfirm with a good track record.  The whole thing just went absolutely nowhere.