Madonna Shaker Harmina

I am sharing my experience because I don’t want another mother—especially one facing abuse, CPS involvement, or a high-conflict divorce—to go through what I went through with this attorney. This is my honest, firsthand experience. I originally hired another attorney at this firm, Gary Warren. With...out warning, my case was suddenly handed to MaDonna Harmina, someone I had never met. I was never given a choice. I was in the middle of a terrifying divorce from my narcissistic, abusive ex-husband, who is also an attorney. I had six children, three under age ten, and one with significant special needs. I needed strong advocacy. Instead, I felt dismissed, talked down to, and ignored. From the beginning, I repeatedly begged her to take my case to trial. My ex violated orders constantly and used his legal knowledge to intimidate me daily. Meanwhile, my children and I survived on food stamps for almost a year. Every time I asked her to file sanctions or child support enforcement, she either argued against it, dismissed my concerns, or ignored my requests entirely. I have emails and recordings documenting how she spoke to me and how often I was brushed aside. Throughout my case, I felt misled, minimized, and left out of decisions. When the final orders came, major protections were missing—things that will affect me for the rest of my life. I lost adult support for my special-needs child. I lost retirement protections after supporting my husband through law school. The mistakes and omissions in the final decree destroyed my financial future. I estimate the damage will exceed $1 million over my lifetime. I am 53 years old, caring for a disabled child who needs constant supervision, and I left this process with nothing. I also felt kept in the dark during the case and never felt I had full transparency about what was happening behind the scenes. That alone left me feeling blindsided and betrayed. At one point, the firm agreed to reduce my remaining bill by almost $30,000, but only in connection with me signing a waiver I raised during that discussion. Regardless of how the idea came up, it felt like an attempt to resolve the situation financially instead of addressing the harm that had been done to my case and my future. The most devastating moment came at my final hearing. Earlier in the case, I had asked her to withdraw, but the judge denied that request. Because of that ruling, she told me she had to appear at the hearing and that I would have to pay her for attending. I expected her to remain beside me in case I needed her. I only asked her not to speak for me because she was not representing my wishes, but she was still my attorney of record and responsible for supporting me if needed. Instead, she ran up to the judge, acted as if she had no idea what was happening, and used that moment to separate herself from my case. Under intense pressure, with the judge staring at me and appearing annoyed, I signed her withdrawal—but it was out of shock and stress, not because I wanted to be left without counsel. She walked away immediately, leaving me completely alone and unrepresented in the most important hearing of my divorce. I stood there shaking and crying while orders that affect the rest of my life were entered with no advocate beside me. I am filing a formal complaint with the State Bar of Texas and have extensive documentation, including emails and recordings. I share this review so that no other mother ends up in the same vulnerable, devastating position I did. This is my lived experience, and it has changed my life forever. Please be cautious and protect yourself.