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.