Kelly Carson Parks

I hired Kelly based on positive reviews and was initially told that 50/50 custody was realistic. Unfortunately, my experience was the opposite. From the start, his office gave me the wrong date for my first hearing, which caused me to miss it. Although it was rescheduled, this mistake showed a clear... lack of communication. By the time we finally reached the first hearing, I was shocked to find my retainer already depleted, with little meaningful progress. I was billed hundreds of dollars monthly for "team meetings" that offered little to no progress with the case. At my first hearing, I was blindsided to learn he had already negotiated a temporary agreement with opposing counsel without ever discussing it with me. He expected me to sign on the spot and told me I shouldn't fight just for the sake of fighting. Over the course of the case, he repeatedly discouraged me from seeking equal parenting time and decision making, offering no real strategy beyond telling me to move counties or drop my case. As trial approached, I spent weeks trying to prepare with him but was ignored. Two days before trial, after five unreturned calls, I finally heard from him, only because he wanted me to sign a last minute proposal. It would have given me every other weekend, 2hrs on alternating Wednesdays, no decision making or extra time in the summer. I declined, and instead of respecting my decision, he passed it along to opposing counsel, who then shared it with their client (who rejected it anyway). During that call, he continually talked over me and repeated that he couldn't get me "anything else". When I asked why he had previously encouraged me to move, which I did, if that wouldn't actually improve my case. He contradicted himself, saying the distance was still too far. I asked if moving to a tiny village (with under 200 residents and an hour from employment and anything substantial) would make a difference. He admitted it wouldn't because I work full time while the other parent was a stay at home mom. He always had an excuse why he wouldn't advocate for my wishes. On the day of trial, instead of preparing me, he again pressured me to sign the same proposal and even had opposing counsel meet with me, privately, to try and convince me. I stayed firm and took it to trial, where I advocated for myself. Kelly still offered little help during the trial, his questions of my self and my ex were nothing to be desired. Even though I was awarded more than Kelly was offering, and more than the standard county rule, I was disappointed with the entire process. Overall, I felt misled, unsupported, and pressured into agreements I didn't want. Communication was poor, billing was questionable, and his strategy was inconsistent and defeatist. I ended up spending close to $10k only to be told to settle for minimal parenting time.