Rachel A Walker

I was represented by this attorney as court-appointed counsel in a Family Court matter. Prior to trial, I expressed my desire to proceed to trial rather than stipulate. I was advised to agree to the proposed order and not proceed to trial based on the assurance that the order would be temporary and e...xpire after six months. I later learned that the order was permanent, with long-term consequences that fundamentally altered my family life. I would not have agreed or waived trial had I understood that at the time. The order also permanently prohibited my fiancée and her daughter from having any contact with my child. This outcome and its permanence was never explained to me before I agreed. Additionally, the order included language preventing me from contacting law enforcement to enforce visitation, leaving me without any practical means of addressing access issues. I trusted my attorney to fully explain the nature and consequences of what I was consenting to. In my experience, that did not happen, and the impact has been profound and lasting.