Gawayne A. Kelly

This lawyer told me he will no longer represent me 1 week before trial after I asked him why he charged me for several things such as motions that were never filed after me retaining him for 1o months and spending over 15 grand . He laughed and said don't worry about the past , worry about my court d...ate in 5 days. He said he can look back in his notes but would rather resign then do that . This comes after him being gone for almost 3 weeks on a vacation and him failing to give me information that could have started temporary visitation with my son. This information was emailed to him from the opposing counsel agreeing to supervised visitation. His staff never called me , in fact I called them when this guy wasn't answering me regarding a emergency in my case. I had to wait 3 weeks for this information , and the first day he comes back from vacation he quits. 5 days before trial. This court date took 5 months to be set. There is 5 days left for trial and no lawyer has the availability with all the prep that needs to be done as well as attending a couple hours hearing at such short notice . This guy was so incompetent , he had a guardian ad lit em a judge and the opposing counsel all laugh at me as the ending to a hearing by horrible butchering and misrepresenting facts related to my suspended time sharing. His office sends you a monthly update that just includes the court upcoming court date and that's it . A court day is months away and he repeatedly sends a copy and paste every months and bills you for a "status update" it's like 2 or 3 pages long and the only information is the upcoming court date. The first time I received it I actually thought there was a update and read it only to find out it's just a court date. After a court date the date changes and it's just copy and paste again. Then on the month of court you get billed for a reminder that court is coming up. You get billed generally 3-5 times per hearing just on being emailed your court date. Everytime I call him he will sit quiet on the phone for no less then 5 minutes after you say anything... and says he's writing notes. Your simple question turns into at least a half hour of silence , and 10 minutes of conversation filled with long silent gaps , then rounded up to a hour and you get billed a couple hundred for a simple question at a high hourly rate. Then when you ask him about your case he always says he does not remember and that he does not have his notes in front of him . Not 1 time did he have his notes in him in 10 months. Just think about the ethics of a lawyer to quit 5 days before trial when all invoices were always paid on time and the only issue was you bringing him concerns about being charged for things on invoices that were never filed . There was a emergency where the other party stopped complying with a court order so I had to wait 3 weeks for this con to get back and update him. The same day he came back he quit. Took 3 week vacation with no notice to me . Then came back 5 days before trial and quit . Failed to file a contempt motion for a whole 3 weeks and ultimately just quit. He send me a consent to withdraw and after I refused unless I get compensated to be able to find a attorney on such short notice. I refuse to sign it . He filed a urgent motion to withdraw and left me in this horrible predicament where I probably won't see my son for another 5 months when it was suppose to be this court date in 5 days. So traumatized by this experience. Please look elsewhere as there is no ethics or morals by this man. BEWARE! Please spend your hard earned money on a lawyer who has the ethics not to quit 5 days before the day you been preparing and spending over 15 grand for 10 months . Feels like I have been robbed .

I hired Gawayne to advise me as family law counsel regarding a 9-year custody dispute involving my son's mother. Having worked with 2 attorneys prior, I was weary to hire another attorney, however, Gawayne and his legal team exceeded all my expectations. He was competent of the issues regarding tim...esharing disputes and knowledgeable of any respective procedural issues required to bring and address these legal issues before the judge. He or assistant was always available to address any concerns and were always proactive in communicating with me about any open issues in advance of hearings. He was also fair with me in the billing as his firm invoices were clear and accurately depicted his time spent on the file. Despite multiple legal issues at play and changes to the presiding judge during my case, I always felt Gawayne and his legal assistant were on top of my file and understood the importance of being upfront and responsive to the Court and opposing counsel. Gawayne also helped me obtain the result I wanted which was uninterrupted custody with my son and a reasonable end to the custody dispute with his mother. I would highly recommend working with Gawayne and his firm and would do so again in a heartbeat.

Mr. Kelly worked my divorce/custody case beginning to end. It took a little over 3 years, but he got it done and saw it through. He did an amazing job and was very personable and understanding. He kept me informed and always protected my interests, as well as my children. Mr. Kelly was very professio...nal, efficient, understanding, transparent and attentive. His work and effort showed that it was from a place of caring, and not all about the money. The office staff were also helpful when I needed assistance. Thank you Mr. Kelly for all your hard work, dedication, and guidance. I am forever grateful as we won the case by a landslide! This law firm is the true definition of going above and beyond. I highly recommend Mr. Kelly to anyone going through a family matter.

I hired Gawayne Kelly twice. The first time was to represent me in my 1st marriage. now with my 2nd marriage. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else. He is not about the money, but about winning your case, defending and protecting you. High moral and work ethics. He doesn’t abandon you, he tells you the tr...uth, even when you want to hear something else. He has an incredible team who will assist you. Please make the correct decision and hire the best family attorney. You will not regret it, I promise!