Heather Murray Allan

I had a very disappointing experience with Heather Allan. In my opinion, her approach consistently escalated tension rather than resolving issues. In the legal documents she drafted, even minor matters were described using inflammatory and exaggerated language, seemingly designed to provoke the other... party and prevent peaceful resolution. Whenever any form of agreement was close to being reached, she would quickly move to take over the drafting and filing process, ensuring she could charge for both preparing the agreement and submitting it to the court. This gave the impression that maximizing billable actions took precedence over achieving efficient or amicable outcomes. While she maintains a polished and professional image, I found her methods to be more about creating friction and generating fees than truly representing the best interests of her client. I would not recommend her services based on my experience.

I originally hired Heather for the final stages of a dissolution I had already started but things took a sudden and ugly turn and I needed her for full representation. She’s the best decision I’ve ever made and not because this journey has been easy. Divorce in itself is a nasty and very expensive th...ing but adding custody/visitation into the mix pulls out the absolute worst in people, myself included. Over the last 4 1/2 years, she has been able to navigate all of my emotional outbursts, break downs and at times, completely insane behavior with a sense of calm and professionalism that I am ever so grateful for. She knows the law and understands what’s valid and relevant to present before the courts. She’s taught me that at the end of the day, you will have to give concessions and ignore your own personal frustration for sake of peace and the bigger picture and there are things you have no control over, no matter how it makes you feel. Actual family law isn’t what I thought it was. Outside of God, Heather’s support, ability to keep me grounded with her spot on legal counsel in my ongoing battle have been the only thing that I have been able to count on throughout all of my trials and tribulations. I have yet to lose any of my major requests and I attribute that to her expertise and logic. There are things that I felt strongly about but in the eyes of the law, my emotions sometimes had to take a back seat and Heather has always been empathetic with me and in the handling of my case. She won’t cut corners, sacrifice her integrity or violate her oath of ethics, these facts may not make her a match for people seeking to undermine the law. Heather has been absolutely amazing and I highly recommend her.

Heather was recommended for a custody case. Upon hire me and my ex were amicable but needed lawyers to finalize details regarding custody. What should have been a simple thing turned into an escalated issue and created much tension between my ex and I. Due to the increased conflict upon introducing t...his lawyer it ultimately dragged things out instead of handling matters quickly or amicably. For this reason, I wouldn’t re-hire or recommend this lawyer or her firm.

She made many mistakes on her documents. I had to constantly correct things for her. She is not able to move things forward, charging me unnecessary hours of work. Having to deal with my divorce and staying on top of her mistakes was burdensome. She did not verify her numbers which costed me a lo...t of money in error. She forwarded emails and correspondence without reading or validating them. She yells out at the court, very unprofessional. I would avoid her at all cost. My case is almost done, I'll be happy to get rid of her.

Heather has been an amazing attorney for me. From the get go she made it clear to me that her approach is to work towards a fair and appropriate dissolution of my marriage. No games and no nonsense. While my Ex-wives attorney prefers to use emotion, make fraudulent accusations about my character, and... accuse me of doing things I have never done Heather has stayed with the facts and the evidence and has continued to point out that the information being provided by the other party is simply not true and without evidence. Her and her entire team have been extremely compassionate and understanding with me. They understand that my budget is limited and have worked with me diligently to keep costs down as low as possible. Their communication with me has been consistent and precise (via e-mail). On the days when I start to freak out and panic about how things are going her entire staff has always taken the extra time to help put things into perspective for me to help me through. And on those days in court when I am as nervous as can be Heather has always shown me the kindness of taking the time to help put me at ease. As for Heathers approach in the court room. She is polite, courteous, and precise. She is not about having the biggest voice or over talking others. She patiently waits until it is her opportunity to speak, renders respect to both the other party and the judge, and what she says she says with confidence and a presence that commands it be heard. If you have done your job and given her the information and facts she requests she will properly utilize it and ensure the truth is heard and proven with out question. Outside of the court room during S.O.C. hearings she strongly advocates for your best interest and when a decision needs to be made by you she gives you the information clean and straight. Heather and her teams document writing is also of an extremely high caliber. They find a way every time to eloquently put things into perspective and make it clear that they are seeking an appropriate dissolution, will not be pushed around, and will not except nonsense at all. I am continually impressed every time I review one of these documents. I suspect Heather is not the least expensive attorney out there but, to be honest, for services I have received I feel as though I have received one heck of a deal over all. If you are looking for an attorney that will work hard, advocate for your best interest, and seek an appropriate dissolution between you and your Ex then there is no better attorney to retain in my opinion. Heather and her entire team are simply amazing people who are extremely good at what they do.