Ayo M. Stevens

Mr. Stevens was referred to me by a good friend of mine when I was going through a very nasty and acrimonious divorce and custody battle with my husband. From the start, Mr. Stevens presented himself as a very concerned, caring, and compassionate lawyer. He always made time to talk to me by phone whe...n I had a question, or when I had a concern. He always followed up and followed through. His attitude was always positive and he never stooped to malicious tactics, which was totally opposite the manner in which my ex-husband's lawyer conducted herself in representing him. He wanted what was best for me, but he went about it in a very fair and conscientious manner. In the end, me and my husband opted to do a consent agreement, and Mr. Stevens was very supportive of my decision, which again was totally opposite the position my husband's lawyer took. He reviewed the consent agreement to make sure it accurately covered all relevant areas, and advised me regarding what was in my best interest to do. Mr. Stevens started off as my lawyer, but he ended as one of my most trusted and respected friends. I highly recommend Mr. Stevens to anyone looking for a lawyer with a high sense of ethics and fair play.

Attorney Alphonso Hearns is knowledgeable and maintains professionalism; however, my experience did not meet expectations regarding advocacy and case strategy. During mediation and key decision points, I felt my concerns were not strongly pursued, resulting in an agreement that felt unbalanced. I ...frequently had to take the lead in raising issues and seeking clarity, rather than receiving proactive legal guidance. While the legal process was explained, I expected a more assertive approach given the stakes involved in custody and financial matters. This attorney may be suitable for clients who prefer a conservative approach, but those seeking strong advocacy should be prepared to remain highly engaged throughout their case.

This lawyer is horrible His office does not return calls If you call or email any questions or concerns you will not get a response for at least three days if your lucky Does not answer questions This lawyer will try and talk you out of going to trial and settle and go behind your back and sign... a consent order against your will We had to find out from the ex that the court order went into effect because this office does not have the courtesy to tell you themselves We explicitly told this lawyer not to sign the custody order because we did not agree to it and he signed it anyway He lied straight to our faces and told us that he would not sign if we had an issue with the consent order and that the opposing counsel could not add anything in the consent order that was not read in the courtroom Well the opposing counsel added things in and when we disagreed with the order Mr.stevens signed it anyhow And would not return our calls about it going into effect Again THIS LAWYER IS A HORRIBLE LAWYER!!!!!!!! We would never recommend him to the sleaziest of people

My husband and I hired Mr. Stevens to handle his child support and custody case on several occasions. If only avvo existed at that time we would have known better. We provided him with TONS of documentation to use in our defense.. emails, phone transcripts, even had folks subpeoned to speak on ou...r behalf. He did NOT use ANY of the evidence we provided him, it was evidence that would have changed the entire outcome of our case. BOTH TIMES (years apart) we provided him with more than enough evidence to win this case but he did not utilize any of it.. it was if he was totally unprepared for our case in court. His paralegal, Linda, is amazing and courteous but she obviously has no idea how terrible he is in court because she will lead you to believe that he knows his stuff.. but he just, doesn't. We actually hired him twice thinking the first time was a fluke, if avvo had existed back then we would have known better than to use him again. But we did, because we thought he knew our case from before. Now we know, he NEVER studied any of the information we provided him. In additon, he'll charge you the hourly rate for each phone call, email that is made to his office or that he speaks with you. This man dresses very well, he has the looks of a "bull dog, top tier attorney".. but he lost our cases on both occasions when he did not have to. If he had used the evidence we provided him and actually fought our case in court, then I would at least be able to say he tried. He did not. He took payment.. makes you feel all warm and fuzzy as if he's got it handled and then he will FAIL you in court. DO NOT, HIRE THIS LAWYER. YOU WILL LOOSE. The high end vehicle, suits and personality make you think he's successful at what he does.. He's one hell of an actor, worthy of an Academy Award for playing the role of a real life lawyer. To add insult to injury, rather than change his working practices and actually use the critique I've given him as a means to grow and better himself, he attempts to have my review removed. Thankfully Avvo is a legitimate site and I have PROOF that Mr. Stevens indeed was our attorney. You can't get court paperwork with an attorneys name on it; unless that attorney was in fact representing you. Mr. Stevens is not a "bad guy". I don't intend for my review to judge him on a personal level. In fact, he is a very nice person. Personally I can say he is very likable. If he were someone we met in casual setting I can see that he might fit very well in our circle. He is a family man, so I expect that he understands the sensitivity of all that he's dealing with. There is nothing bad about Mr. Stevens personally. But this is business. When dealing with nasty matters, you don't need a lawyer that you like because s/he is nice -- you need a lawyer that is proficient.. a lawyer that is prepared. PREPARED: it means ready, capable and up to your job. Point blank, we gave Mr. Stevens everything he needed to BE prepared. He was not, on both occasions; and I suspect, by his attempt to remove my review, still is not in the least bit willing to do anything to be prepared in the future to avoid another unsatisfied client.