Joan Marie Hawkins

If I could give her a zero, I would. She did not return phone calls or emails for many days, did not follow through with things she said she would do, did not update me regularly about my case, didn't have correct information about specific rules/guidelines. She did nothing to move my case forward, a...nd charged me hefty fees for things she claimed to have done. "Reviewed materials" was charged to me four separate times, yet there was never any follow-up from her about what her review yielded in terms of a plan.

Joan was quick to ask for a large retainer. From our first meeting I felt like i was being treated as if I was opposing counsel. I say this because she snapped at me and chastised me for past mistakes. As our custody case proceeded Joan requested an additional grand for retainer despite the case n...ot moving forward or even seeing the light of a court room. I gave Joan specific information I wanted brought to the opposing counsels lawyer and she just flat refused to do so. I ended up having to contact the opposing counsel myself and we agreed on a compromise for custody in just a few minutes. Joan was good for charging me money, dragging out a case for absolutely no reason, and then refusing to respond to email or phone for several weeks.

Upon my first meeting with this lawyer in her office I did not listen to my gut and leave; I should have. She was rude and insensitve to the reason I came for legal advice ( I was a victim of severe domestic violence). Once the legal proceedings began she stopped returning my calls and reported she... was only available by email but still rarely responded to those. She did not listen to my requests for my case i.e. custody specifications. She did have time to send me large bills for services I could not account for.