Brian C. Hawkins

I hate having to write this, but the last 3.5 years since hiring Brian Hawkins through my EAP have been incredibly painful. My experience with him was consistently unhelpful and discouraging. When I consulted with other attorneys later, more than one commented that he “should have retired years ago.”... It became clear to me that he was neither interested in nor capable of handling litigation. At one point, Brian sent me a proposal that was actually reasonable. I replied that if we couldn’t achieve that, then we should prepare for trial. He never responded. Days later, as we were about to appear before the Magistrate, he passed by me and said—during his virtual appearance—“If this goes to trial, I won’t represent you.” I was already financially and emotionally drained, and that comment left me feeling completely abandoned. Under that pressure, I ended up agreeing to a very lopsided settlement: minimal time with my children and extremely high child support. When I tried to speak up, he didn’t back me. I even tried to file an appeal on my own, but the court did not permit me to move forward. I’ve held off writing this for a long time because I desperately needed to hire another attorney and feared being “blacklisted.” Before I left his home office, Brian told me he’d be “happy to handle a modification, for a hefty fee,” which left me feeling taken advantage of rather than supported. He also recommended the GAL, who contributed little on my behalf and seemed to strengthen the other side’s case. Throughout the process, I felt completely unheard and unsupported. Adding to this, Brian left for Florida for the winter without telling us in advance, causing delays and adding to the feeling of abandonment. He missed at least one court date and later mentioned plans for an extended cruise. Meanwhile, my character was attacked in court, and I received no real defense from him. Ultimately, his lack of action contributed to a situation where I became essentially alienated from my children. My next attorney struggled because of how little groundwork had been laid. While Brian may point to the PFA as justification, the new attorney showed me a key piece of evidence from the other side. I immediately recognized it as inaccurate based on my professional knowledge, and once I explained it, the PFA was dismissed. Had Brian listened, challenged it, or taken the time to understand the situation, I truly believe the entire trajectory of the divorce would have been different. I had no criminal history and no experience with lawyers. I trusted him because I didn’t know any better—until I realized he wasn’t advocating for me.

We could not have peacefully solved our difficult and puzzling problem without the help of Mr. Hawkins. I am very thankful our EAP (Employee Assistance Program) allowed us to have legal help. I learned about Mr. Hawkins through our EAP. When I called the EAP, I received a referral for Mr. Hawkins...' services. Next I looked at Avvo.com to see what he was like. Because of the tone of his written response to a review on this page, I felt like he was smart and kind and I felt comfortable calling him. I am glad that I did. He is smart and kind and really wanted to help. Regarding our difficult situation, his legal services gave us the knowledge and tools we needed to solve the problem. I had another question for him after I had used the EAP benefits. Although, he didn't need to, he welcomed the call and gave me the extra help I needed. He surprisingly said to call anytime. Though it took months to come to a good solution, it is a relief to solve our difficult problem. Thank you Mr. Hawkins and thank you Avvo.com for providing this website. You all do awesome work!!!!

Mrs. Hawkins was my attorney in 2003-2004 when my ex-wife took me back to court after our 2001 New York divorce. As I understood it she was taking me back to court for a Child support and visitation revision. Which turned into those, as well as me doing all visitation transportation, 50/50 colle...ge expenses her going after my military retirement. I argued: When we originally divorced in New York, she moved back to Maine but now I have to all the driving? Since when does the court determine that parent must pay for a child to go to College? And I also most definitely argued that at the time of the Original NEW YORK Divorce my former spouse and I were both Active Duty Soldier in the US Army stationed at Ft Drum NY. By the time everything was finalized, Mrs. Hawkins had hired a so-called expert on military retirement pension, whom I had to pay $300 on top of Mrs. Hawkins Fee, to testify and instruct to court on the proper division of said retirement funds. As for transportation and College, he said that is just how it is. As for my military retirement, mind you, we were married 8yrs and 9mos of which my Ex was Active duty for 4yrs but she transitioned out of the Army before these proceedings were finalized. My Argument was that the time that we were both Active Duty Soldiers should have canceled out and if she as my spouse was entitled to any of my Military retirement then it should only by the 4yrs and 9mos while she was a civilian. To which both Mrs. Hawkins and the court said Her service did not count as she is no longer in service. It just seemed to me that Mrs. Brian C. Hawkins was, in fact, working for My Ex-Wife, not me. Fast forward a few years my ex-wife is now a government employee her time in the Army counts for her GS retirement. I filed paperwork with the court to review the retirement dispersion and the answer I got. After a review of the case, my Original NEW YORK Divorce was filed with the Maine District Court as a foreign divorce and with that Maine Does Not gain jurisdiction over the division of marital property. I would think that: Mrs. Hawkins should have known that, Maybe the so-called Expert on Military retirement might have known that, and I would have thought that the court should have known that. I didn't that's why I hired a Lawyer. As I approach retirement I wonder if the court is going to uphold the decision they made as a direct result of the Failures or All involved. Highest on my list, Brian C Hawkins.