Colleen M. Haddow

Colleen picked up the pieces after I mistakenly hired an attorney not at all equipped to handle a high conflict case. She was always responsive, worked tirelessly in my favor and got me the best possible outcome I could've hoped for in my situation. She filtered through the weeds and, MOST importantl...y, fought for what was best for our children. I would recommend her to anyone with a challenging custody situation or a high conflict divorce.

Bottom Line - Colleen Haddow is the BEST attorney I could have ever wished for --my only regret is that I didn't start with her from the beginning. Ms. Colleen Haddow came as a recommendation from my previous law firm following failed mediation in a highly complex, contentious, and financially dra...ining divorce and custody case. The opposing counsel - whose professional reputation precedes her as a person devoid of ethics and civility, made finding a willing, capable, and affordable replacement daunting. Colleen personally and immediately took my call for an intake interview. When I opened by informing her of who opposing counsel was, she simply laughed with complete confidence, accepted my case, and immediately got my case moving on the right track. Unlike opposing counsel in this case, Colleen is a legal professional with impeccable integrity and ethics; but not to be confused with someone who submits to bully tactics or shies away from confrontation in or out of the courtroom. In contrast, Ms. Haddow is emotionally intelligent and well versed in the rules of the court to effectively persuade and, if need be, compel cooperation from even the most difficult of personalities. In doing so, she also remained a steadfast, approachable, and responsive attorney (often responding to me within minutes), who consistently addressed my concerns, provided objective perspective, and gave absolute sound guidance amidst the evolving challenges within the case. In short, she kept me sane and grounded in arguably the most stressful and emotionally draining period of my life. In addition to her superior soft skills, Colleen also demonstrated unmatched expertise and experience in distilling and framing the key issues of my case (fully explaining the legalities), to include those I hadn't initially seen, understood, or considered. She proved invaluable in interpreting and exposing financial information, indiscretions, and activities. She was also proactive, strategic, anticipatory, and prepared always and on all fronts. I am convinced that she and her abilities alone are the REASON that ultimately resulted in my case outcome far surpassing my initial expectations from failed mediation, and resulting in a final settlement that exceeded my best-case scenario in court (albeit that she was fully prepared and willing to execute). Colleen saved me thousands in legal expenses, but more importantly, she helped me overcome a series of short-term losses in exchange for an overwhelming long-term gain in my journey to a new and better life. In the strongest terms possible, I highly recommend Colleen Haddow for all family litigation.

I hired Ms. Colleen Haddow in April 2019, about 7 months after the start of my separation. My ex and I had originally agreed to have an amicable divorce, but that did not last long. I discovered that my ex decided to hire a named-attorney in Fairfax to fight for primary custody of our child, (who, i...ncredibly, was nearly 18 years old at the time) and for an unequal share of our retirement assets. I remember the second guessing that I had immediately after I committed to hiring my attorney. Will she work hard for me? Will she be successful? Will I be able to retain my share of my 30+ years of assets? The answer to all three of these is an unequivocal and emphatic – Yes! Ms. Haddow is a terrific divorce attorney for many reasons. She is incredibly responsive. Many times, I would email her after hours mostly to ask questions in order to allay my angst and she always responded promptly. She knows the judges and the courts in Alexandria, Fairfax, and presumably many others exceptionally well. Her legal skills are outstanding. Most importantly, she is sensitive to the traumatic emotions, fears, and uncertainties that her clients are experiencing, and she knows how to calm them and instill confidence. As a result, I found myself at peace during the times that my ex introduced chaos. As our divorce was finalized Spring 2020, she proved quite successful in navigating the added complexities and obstacles caused by COVID. As for results, I could not be more pleased. Custody was set at 50% and I actually ended up with significantly more than 50% of the assets due to Ms. Haddow’s knowledge and attentiveness to the financials being negotiated in the Marital Settlement Agreement. It’s not enough to know the law; it also important to understand critical aspects of finances, market adjustments, tax law (401ks treated different than taxable accounts), etc. Ms. Haddow delivered exceptional results. I highly recommend Ms. Haddow to anyone seeking a divorce attorney. I am confident that she will represent your interests as if they were her own.