Shawn Dougherty

She is condescending and rude. Makes you feel like YOU work for her. I disliked dealing with her but was happy with the settlement she fought for. However, I let her go after the settlement was done figuring I could represent myself if I had to "enforce" the order. She told my ex's lawyer that sh...e let me go and I owed her money. NO! NO! NO!

I hired Ms Dougherty to help me retain joint custody of my daughter. She was late to meetings, missed (and would not listen to) critical information, and over billed me. I lost custody specifically due to her lack of preparation. Her final bill was high so I asked her to itemize her charges, she d...id not. There is more. Beware of working with this person.

I contacted Shawn Dougherty by referral and had a very thorough, educated consultation with her, which led me to hire her. It's been a nightmare since. Divorce is something I know absolutely nothing about and expected professional support and guidance-- no hand holding, no hugs as I have people in ...my life for that if needed.. I know nothing more about it now except that all of my questions are stupid and I talk too much for her when I've always been accused of not talking enough by anyone else. The divorce is simple, uncontested and amicable so there is not a lot of work involved but I couldn't figure out why this woman disliked me so much until I read these reviews. I now understand that this is simply who she is, not who I am. I've always had a healthy educational relationship with lawyers so it's a relief to know it's the personality I'm dealing with. So to avoid being yelled at and mocked, I simply do not call and I do not ask questions. If I need to know something, I've been informed via email so I know that will continue. It's just a shame that in the midst of dealing with something so emotional anyway, your bigger enemy turns out to be the person who is supposed to be the one fighting for you.

My experience with Shawn Dougherty has not been pleasant. During the time that I had her representing me, I never really felt she was on my side, or in my best interest – which is literally what I was paying her to do. 1. She always seemed to be in favor of the other party. a. Whatever the other... party wanted she would want that too instead of asking me what I want. Even in the courtroom, she wouldn’t even save me when the other party tried to pin me down. 2. She would show unprofessionalism towards me in front of the other party. a. There had been several times where she has used profanity towards me – literally cursed at me – in front of the other party. 3. She basically used my winnings as retainer. a. When my case was finally finished, she held my money claiming it was not “ready to be picked up yet”. The money that I had won in court exceeded her retainer fee, and she held on to the money well after my case was over. When she finally let me come pick up my money, significantly less because she charged me for unnecessary fees that would not have existed if she had just given me my money when I won it. 4. Poor communication. a. My case had many intricate details that were necessary for her to be aware of in order to successfully argue in my favor. I rarely had a chance to inform her of these details, and when I did, I had to rush through it to make sure I could get out everything. Throughout the whole process she really didn’t know too much about the case. b. Shawn Dougherty and her paralegal would sign and submit documents without even letting me see the draft. She rarely updated me on what she was doing. At the end of the day, it’s all about the money for her, she’s made that quite clear. She doesn’t care about the case. Listen to me, listen to the other reviewers, because what we’re saying is valid. Get a lawyer that actually cares about your case.