Reneka Catie Hayes

I was represented by Reneka Hayes at the Law Office of Bryan Fagan in a child-support enforcement matter. I am the custodial parent of three children and retained the firm in January 2025 to pursue unpaid child support. Reneka became my attorney after I raised concerns about how my original attorn...ey, Byron Shaw, handled the case. Court records showed that the citation for Byron's enforcement petition was not issued until June 13, 2025, despite earlier communications suggesting service attempts were underway. My former wife was served July 1, only nine days before the July 10 hearing, which was reset. After I escalated my concerns, supervising attorney Haley Singleton arranged for Reneka to replace Byron. I recall being told that Byron's enforcement petition had problems that could negatively affect my case. Reneka also expressed concerns about Byron's petition. I recall her telling me she would not use it and would rather withdraw than rely on that pleading. She prepared a replacement enforcement petition. Byron's petition remained the only enforcement petition successfully served during the firm's representation. Reneka's replacement petition was not successfully served despite further attempts. My case experienced additional hearing resets, service difficulties, and delays. I questioned whether Rule 106 substituted service should have been pursued earlier. I did not receive a satisfactory explanation of the strategy for overcoming the service problems. Communication was another concern. There were periods when I struggled to obtain timely updates and answers about my case. I also questioned the legal fees accumulating while the enforcement matter remained unresolved. I escalated my concerns to firm management, including Kimberly Washington, and participated in meetings about how my case was handled. I recall the judge indicating that no additional hearing resets would be permitted. After discussions with management, withdrawal was raised, and Reneka subsequently filed a motion to withdraw. I do not know Reneka's actual reason for withdrawing. However, the timing was frustrating because my former wife had not been successfully served with the replacement petition, and I was preparing to represent myself. I requested my complete client file and recordings of meetings with the firm's attorneys and management. Although I received some materials, I believe important records were missing. When the firm provided my client file during Reneka's representation, I discovered a legal document belonging to an entirely different client among my materials. This raised serious concerns about the firm's handling of confidential client information. I do not know who was responsible for the error, and I have not disclosed the other client's identity or documents publicly. The court signed the withdrawal order on January 20, 2026. My enforcement proceeding was dismissed without prejudice on January 21, 2026. I estimate that I paid approximately $20,000 in legal fees to the firm during the overall representation, not solely to Reneka. Approximately $25,000 in child support remains unpaid. Those figures represent roughly $45,000 in legal expenses paid plus support still owed, not $45,000 already spent. I understand attorneys cannot guarantee results, and service difficulties are not always within an attorney's control. My dissatisfaction concerns communication, case strategy, repeated delays, the handling of my client file, and the withdrawal after I invested substantial time and money. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Reneka Hayes. I encourage prospective clients to ask questions about service strategy, communication, billing, client-file handling, and what happens if an attorney withdraws before a matter is resolved.