Lisa Marie Williams

I really wish I were posting differently, because my initial visits with this attorney and her partner instilled within me a hope I hadn't had in this very long legal journey (almost 10 years). This firm seemed very confident they could help us, and I believed in them. They were patient, knowledgeable and kind. My spouse and I consulted with Ms. Williams and Mr. Hazlett in July 2021 with regard to a stepparent adoption. We had been in a relationship for 7 years or so, and had recently married and wished to file for adoption of our child as soon as the required one year passed - July 2022. We were assured that they were familiar with the complications of a case like ours, and that we could expect the process to take six months after the initial filing. To note - we were very specific about being expedient as possible. We paid the retainer fee of $4500, submitted the paperwork needed and kept this firm apprised of the domestic violence situation as it evolved (the reason this post is made anonymously). I made contact with Ms. Williams in January 2022 in preparation for some groundwork issues and I was assured that she and her partner had just been talking about our case and that things were going to be moving forward quickly. That was the last that I heard from this office until a year later, January 2023, six months after our case was supposed to have been filed and about the time we should have been expecting to wrap up the case. I contacted Ms. Williams twice, only getting a response after a month and a second email that opened an old thread. I was essentially told that my case fell off the radar - nothing was done. This was while we were patiently waiting for news we were going to court. Both partners apologized. Obviously, we were crushed and astounded and apologies don't fix that. I asked for a refund over a month ago, which was promised to me, and I have yet to receive it. I am posting this so that someone won't go through what we went through. If I had gone with a different attorney, our situation would very likely be different by now and I wouldn't be out the retainer that I need for another attorney. We - including our child - are heartbroken.