Dawn Allane Guilliams

I had Ms Guilliams handle my Chapter 13 case. She seemed to know what she was talking about when I first met with her but she did a very shoddy job of allowing me to keep my property. I will say that she is knowledgeable to the extent that she knew how to apply to get the money from my case when it w...as dismissed. She didn't return may phone calls until I threatened to call the state bar and when she did eventually speak with me she was rude and seemed bothered. Now I'm sure that she has done a good job in other peoples cases, but my experience with her was very poor. I would not hire her again as she lacks bedside manner or another way to put it would be a sense of tact. Definitely NOT someone who shows compassion. All she wanted was the money. I wish her well but I had someone else handle my new case.

Ms Guilliams was able to quickly evaluate the main issues involved and provide guidance during a very stressful time. She was able to develop a strategy for us to follow to minimize our financial exposure and protect our assets. She is a straight talker and she will tell you when you have screwed up.... Ms. Guilliams is also a good listener and will provide counsel beyond just the legal aspects. I have worked with lawyers for the last 20 years running the administrative side of various law firms, so I know the value of using an attorney who was board certified, which Ms. Guilliams has achieved. Bottom line - Ms. Guilliams is fair, smart and knowledgeable in her field of expertise and I strongly recommend her.

I found this bankruptcy attorney very easy to work with and extremely knowledgeable. Over the years I have had three other attorneys on other issues and she was by far the best. On the day of my hearing, she was one of the few bankruptcy attorneys actually prepared, on-time, and intimately familiar... with their client's case. I witnessed many attorneys quickly trying to review the file and just getting to know their client as they were about to walk into the bankruptcy hearing. This will not be your experience with this attorney. You will have 2 or 3 face-to-face meetings and go over each and every piece of information you submit and your responses to her questionnaire. Mrs. Guilliams has an excellent reputation among other attorneys and came highly recommended. As far as becoming her client, the volume and detail of required records prior to any bankruptcy is voluminous and can be very burdensome, but that is a result of the new bankruptcy laws and not the fault of Mrs. Guilliams or any other attorney. She does everything possible to make the process as straightforward as possible and will represent your interests well as the determination is made regarding which Chapter of bankruptcy you qualify for and why. You will feel well-represented on your day in-court and very glad that she is sitting with you and not one of the other attorneys in the room. My only slight caution is that after your initial meetings, she may be slow to return communication if she knows your question is something you do not really need to worry about. Remain confident that she is still representing you well; it is just that she does NOT do "handholding". She will tolerate a small amount of e-mail inquiries if they are brief, necessary, and to-the-point. Otherwise you may receive a reply from her support staff or have to send a follow-up inquiry. I suspect that it is due to the volume of workload that she simply cannot do otherwise. She did also at times have irregular staffing support as a result of frequent support staff turnovers, but does seem to attract the best and brightest and found all three support staff, during my year as her client, to be highly-skilled and personable. I recommend that if you are fortunate enough to establish an attorney-client relationship with Mrs. Guilliams, you would do well to also become familiar with her assistant when you have your consultation. Her assistant may be your first point-of-contact and quickest access for you as you make your way through the voluminous filing requirements. Additionally, no attorney is inexpensive and you always get what you pay for when it comes to legal representation, but it is an important factor to know whether the attorney you choose works by the case with a "flat fee" or by an "hourly rate" -- make certain you take this into consideration when selecting an attorney as the end result can be quite different depending on which it is. At the time I had Mrs. Guilliams as my attorney she was handling bankruptcies such as mine on a flat-fee basis, which was a real God send for me even though taking such a step is not cheap by any means. Lastly, I would have no hesitation in retaining Mrs. Guilliams to represent me again and have a great deal of respect and appreciation for the service she provides the community during what can be a very stressful time.