Billie Jo Hopwood

After my divorce was over in hindsight and after diligence on my part in hindsight and hiring another attorney, I have discovered the complete failure Billie Hopwood and her firm were for my case. Forms were filled out incorrectly, and altered after I signed them which lost me my marital home. My cas...e was never fought as strongly as it needed to be, and money was spent faster than any other attorney in this county for zero results. My desires were never given any weight and in hindsight my ideas would have had the desired results but I went with theirs which ended in disaster. Run !

Ms. Hopwood represented me in my objection to a proposed relocation by my former spouse with my child. From the top, she was clearly knowledgeable on Florida statutes on the issue, as well as on the case law. What's just as, if not more, important, is that she was able to concisely explain the releva...nt points to me. She was also very good at quickly grasping the particulars of my situation, and listening to and addressing my concerns for my child and myself. She was also considerate in pointing out where I could (safely, with her final review) help my own case out, which of course leaves billable time for where you really need her expertise. She and her paralegal, Teena, never missed a step on the procedural side with hearings and motions and filings and such, which I'm sure could have cost me otherwise. What you might miss with the "years licensed" here is that she was a paralegal for many years before pursuing a law degree, and that additional experience shows. She didn't just guess or rely on memory, but actually documented significant relevant case law (a major one of which was actually an appeal she had won for a previous client). Ultimately, we did get the outcome I thought was best for my child.

I would highly recommend Billie Jo Hopwood to anyone going through a divorce. She is very professional, knowledgeable and she doesn't waste my time or money. I recently received a letter from my ex husbands lawyer to reduce child support. I was worried that I would have to spend a lot of money going... to court to fight the change. I had a meeting with Billie Jo about the situation and shortly after our meeting she wrote a letter for my ex-husbands lawyer. She was very knowledgeable about the laws and what he could and couldn't do, which she stated in the letter. The other lawyer quickly dropped the case after getting her letter. I feel that if I hadn't been using Billie Jo Hopwood I would have spent a lot of money in lawyer fees to fight the change.

Failed to exhibit a sense of confidence in my case. Seemed as if things were pre-scripted and my case was just a typical family law scenario. This is the way it is and there's nothing that can be done about it. Just going through the motions. There were times that I thought a better fight could have ...been fought in my defense, or, that she could have represented me in the forum of Family Law by introducing motions to contest the petitioners actions more vehemently to show malice and lack of substance in their case. Instead, she appeared to take a more passive approach; more defensive than offensive and yet I was the respondent. I also felt that she relied on her paralegal too much for my taste and there seemed to be an acceptance of everything from opposing counsel as a reason to communicate and a reason to bill rather than it being legal rubbish, vacuous in concern and lacking any merit for reprisal ( thus saving the client any concern and money .... Let's face it, all things seemingly legal are not and might not be worthy of being billable.) I would not recommend her or her firm if one wishes to fight for your rights in Family Law and wants an attorney who thinks outside the box or fails to accept the status quo. Look elsewhere.