PRO

Licensed for 29 years

Divorce and separation Lawyer at Augusta, GA
Practice Areas: Divorce & Separation, DUI & DWI, Juvenile ... +3 more

Free Consultation

About Shawn

Biography

Practice Areas

Divorce and Separation 45%

Divorce, Military Divorce, Custody, Grandparent Custody, Domestic Violence, Family Law, Child Support, Alimony

30 years | 2,250 cases

45%

DUI and DWI 15%

DUI, DWI, Administrative License Suspension Hearings, Traffic Offenses

30 years | 350 cases

15%

Juvenile Law 15%

Juvenile Court, Deprivation, Juvenile Criminal Offenses, School Tribunal, Custody, Termination of Parental Rights

30 years | 500 cases

15%

Child Custody 10%

Grandparent Custody, UCCJEA Cases,

30 years | 500 cases

10%

Criminal Defense 10%

DUI, DWI, Felonies, Misdemeanors, Drug Offenses, Probation and Parole Violations

30 years | 1,000 cases

10%

Adoption 5%

Military Adoptions, Stepparent Adoptions, Grandparent Adoptions, Agency Adoptions

30 years | 125 cases

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes

Payment Methods

Cash
Check
Credit Card

Awards

2025 2014 2011

Licenses

Licensed in Georgia for 29 years

State: Georgia

Acquired: 1996

Active Member in Good Standing

No misconduct found

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Location

Shawn P. Hammond and Associates

(706) 860-2022

Fax

601 North Belair Square, Suite 7, Augusta, GA

hammondlaw.org/

Message Get Directions

Shawn P. Hammond

505 Courthouse Lane, Augusta, GA

hammondlaw.org/

Message Get Directions

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Gallery

Online Presence

Other places you can find Shawn online.

Shawn Patrick Hammond's Reviews

Overall Rating
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.

4.6 /5.0

48 Client Reviews

Avvo

4.2

(39)

Lawyers.com

5.0

(9 )

See client reviews from Lawyers.com

Showing 6 - 9 of 9 reviews | Communication Style

Posted by Rachel | December 13, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

Horrible!

My lawyer did not respond to questions in a timely manner. He spoke with me about changing my name after divorce but never put it in the paperwork so now I have another battle. When I called back to find out what I needed to do, I was told it was my fault I did not let him know (though we talked ab...out it at mediation) and I should have made sure it was in myself. I thought that my lawyer was the one on my side to help me in a difficult situation. I never felt like I was anything more than a number on a folder. He was not outright rude but cold and I honestly wish I had hired someone else. I would never recommend him to anyone! Although his paralegal Gabriela (who I learned no longer works there) was amazing! She responded back to me within 24 hours about any question I emailed. She would even reply if she forwarded the information to Hammond and when she did. She was always polite and cheerful, and acted like she cared about my case and me. To her I was not just a number on a folder.

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Posted by anonymous | May 23, 2018 | Hired Attorney

I fired Shawn because he lacked the skills I needed for my case

My family has a long tradition of military service so when I found Shawn's website on the internet that emphasizes his military background I decided I wanted to give back to those who have served our country. Without interviewing other attorneys in the Augusta area I hired Shawn sight-unseen to repr...esent me and enforce my parental rights. Before I paid Shawn he went to great lengths to tell me how buddy buddy he is with all the family law judges in the Augusta area. He said that he knew all the judges personally as friends and he told me that he even lived on the same street as one of the judges and therefore had more access than other attorneys in Augusta. Later, after hiring him, during our sessions I began to find some of Shawn's behaviors bizarre, unprofessional and worrying. My impression based on his tone and line of questions is that he did not believe what I was claiming. The Avvo description Shawn has provided of himself (as of May 2018) states, “Shawn demonstrates dominating trial skills that reflect a blend of his legal and combat experiences.” And “dominating” is the operative word. Shawn dominated all aspects of our communication. I found he would not answer many of my questions regarding strategy, tact and potential scenarios. At one point he even threatened me during our attorney-client interactions. With each interaction I slowly came to realize that Shawn has an ego that is out of check. He lacks humility, compassion and he is a poor listener and I felt these character flaws would damage my case. Due to my deep concerns about my interactions with Shawn, I started checking with other military personnel in Augusta. I came to learn that many service personnel do not respect Shawn because they felt he had over-inflated his military record and constructed a narrative that puffs up the 'sacrifices' he has made for his country. I was also told that after he served he has asked the army not to request his future service because his legal practice is too important. Ultimately, I fired Shawn. I found his ego was too out-of-check for a family law matter that requires finesse and skillful negotiation skills. And while Shawn may, or may not, be domineering in a courtroom, I certainly can't stand a lawyer who is boastful during attorney-client meetings that lacks humility, listening skills and who I fear may alienate my ex and the judge due to his inflated ego. Essentially, I found that Shawn treated me like I was a subordinate military rank and that he was not bound by civil norms of conduct because he was too important for all that due to his prior military service. Shawn seemed to be in total disbelief when I fired him after already paying him a large sum of money. And I had to wait a long time before he finally refunded the money I had not used for his hourly services. I was surprised by how much of my money Shawn kept since the actual amount of productive work he did on my case was so minimal. When I got back a partial refund of my money I was so relieved to be free of all his chest-beating antics. In sum, if you have a court case that requires skillful and diplomatic negotiations then I would encourage you to do your research very carefully before hiring Shawn. He may (or may not) know all the judges but that doesn't mean they all like him and Shawn is not even a native of Georgia. Working with Shawn was exhausting and I would certainly never hire him again. Oh, and when I hired my next lawyer in Augusta, after doing careful research, I was told that other clients had left Shawn before too.

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Posted by anonymous | June 21, 2013 | Child Custody

Do Not Hire Mr. Hammond

We had, what I feel and what Mr. Hammond confidently said was simple, an easy case. My husband has had sole custody of his son from Alabama for years. Simply put, his mother is unfit. She has a history of living in an unstable, volatile, and non-traditional household, a history of manipulation that h...as led to unjust arrest, a history of child abuse, abandonment, neglect ,and drug use, she hasn't paid child support for years, and hasn't made contact with the child for a year. My husband even went so far as to drive the child to NC to visit for a weekend and that landed him in jail after she took him, filed an unjust TPO, and filed for child support in NC. After yet another false accusation of child abuse and assault against her to his commander, my husband (while deployed) hired Mr. Hammond for termination of parental rights. Mr. Hammond had me to do all of the leg work. All previous court orders, I had to find. Paper work in regards to her maltreatment of his son and her daughter, I had to find. Contacting previous lawyers after clearly giving him their contact information, I had to do. He did nothing, but sit at his office, ask me to gather documents for him, and charge me for office visits, phone calls, emails, and faxes (which, by the way cost $35-$50 a pop). Even with doing all of the leg work for him, he's still late and/or absent for court dates, yet has the audacity to still charge. When he does show up for court, he is a dud. He didn't even fight for anything he was hired to do, as a matter of fact he seemed to agree with everything the defendant and her NC lawyer wanted. He made contact and discussed things with her and her NC lawyer, and then waited until the day of court to let my husband know what they have already decided. DO NOT HIRE HIM. We paid somewhere between $4000-$6000 for custody in Ga (which we already had in Alabama and the child had been living with us in Ga for 24 months) and termination of parental rights (again, she is definitely a text book candidate of a parent who should lose those rights), which was too simple. We ended up with joint custody****.......???? The last and final court date was this past April, we have yet to receive a court order. We refuse to call, email, or go to the office because it'll be another $50 to remind him to do his job. ****I originally posted a review earlier this week, but decided to take have it removed because I thought it did more harm to my husband's case. Literally two days after posting the review, Mr. Hammond sent a copy of the joint custody court order to my husband via email. It's basically Plan B I believe, but point is we could have gotten that ourselves and saved a lot of money. I'm re-posting this because even though we've spent thousands and thousands of dollars on him, you shouldn't have to.

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Posted by Michael | March 26, 2013 | Criminal Defense

Don't Use Shawn Hammond, esq. - Find Some Else to Handle Your Criminal Case

Shawn Hammond is basically a Divorce Attorney (mostly Military). He displays the Bronze Star not for Valor but Merit. In my opinion, he is not a well experienced criminal defense attorney. As a 100% disabled Military man, I originally choose him to help me with a false charge. He charged me $37...50 for 3 hours of work. He loudly argued with me in his office because he said he didn't believe me concerning the allegations against me. He being a former military officer, he psychological put me in the position of enlisted speaking to an officer... a mind game. In another situation, my family hired him for a false charge. He never investigated the charges; never interviewed my witnesses; never interviewed the police; never visited me while locked up for over 10 days and never got my local military medical records that would have shown I was not capable of the actions charged against me. I was seeing a military psychiatry and taking medication for several illnesses including Major Depression and Dementia. When my family posted bond, I asked them why did they go to this attorney given our previous bad experience with him. Mr. Hammond made my son sign an agreement for services for another $3750. After release on Bail, Mr. Hammond made me sign another form saying I would pay $3750 ($370 per hour for 10 hours of work). Mr. Hammond did not appraise the court of my medical condition after being informed of it and he never divulged to the Court that the arresting officer was seeing the same military psychiatrist I was seeing. The police entered my home and beat me without cause. I would not open my front door and told them I didn't want to talk to them unless I had an attorney present. My wife had secretly taken out a loan for over $18,000 and we argued. One officer actually was able to get his foot inside my home and would not allow me to close the door. When I had safely closed my home door, the officer in charge commanded my wife (who was outside) to "Open That Door." I was on the phone with my daughter and she heard the entire exchange. When my wife opened the door, two officers stormed into my home (remember I'm a 100% disabled vet) and they knocked me into my grandfather clock and on into my living room... a distance of about 10 feet. One officer threw a handcuff on my right arm as they knocked me over my sofa. As I went over the sofa on my back almost upside down, my foot apparently hit one of the officers in the face. I was then pepper sprayed. The officers found themselves in a situation where they had no legal purpose for entering my home. I had did no violence and at one point during this situation, I left my home and went to a neighbor's home because I was afraid. If I had done anything wrong, they could have arrested me then... but I had broken no law. So they made up a phoney charge after they illegally entered my home and peppered sprayed me. They dragged me outside and hog-tied me with handcuffs. I told them I was disabled and had heart surgery and that my right arm had limited "range of motion." They yanked my arms behind my back and in so doing, spained the right arm. The cuffs were on me so tight that they let cut marks in my flesh. Anyone looking at my "mugshot" could see that I had been severely beaten... and I use a wheelchair and I'm disabled. After release, I went to the VA Hospital where my wounds were still visible and my condition documented. Mr. Hammond refused my request to go to trial and said I would be found guilty. I signed a bunch of papers and Mr. Hammond told me to say "yes" to everything the judge said or I would go to jail and my wife would lose our home. It is all a blur. Later, Mr. Hammonds refused to give me copies of my case file and refused to initiate an appeal. He said it was too late and besides, he said, you can't appeal a guilty plea.

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Shawn Patrick Hammond's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Shawn

Robert Galbraith

Divorce and separation lawyer | Oct 25

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse Attorney Hammond. He provides zealous representation to his clients and is very knowledgeable."

Catherine Ryan

Divorce and separation lawyer | Mar 16

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Dana Niehus

Military law lawyer | Jan 23

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Blake Marcus

DUI and DWI lawyer | Jan 06

Relationship: Other

"I endorse this lawyer."

Michael Waddington

Criminal defense lawyer | Jun 04

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse Shawn. He is a highly skilled attorney that is well respected in the legal community."

Matt Andrews

Divorce and separation lawyer | Feb 14

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Shawn Hammond is one of the hardest working and most knowledgeable Domestic Law Attorneys in the Augusta area. He really understands the military community and is willing to do whatever is necessary to take care of them and their families."

Carl Schluter

Divorce and separation lawyer | Nov 04

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. He is an expert in military divorce. I would highly recommend this attorney."

Matisyahu Wolfberg

Adoption lawyer | Nov 21

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

William Cassara

Divorce and separation lawyer | Nov 19

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Shawn is well known in the Augusta legal community. He is an experienced and zealous advocate in the area of military divorce. I refer clients to him on a regular basis."

Charles Rick

Adoption lawyer | Oct 30

Relationship: Other

"I endorse this lawyer. He is an excellent part of the AVVO community."

Joseph Ostrowski

General practice lawyer | Jan 28

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I do not know Attorney Hammond personally, only through participation in answering questions in the AVVO forum. Attorney Hammond is highly dedicated to helping individuals in his community and attorneys in general. The responses posted by this Attorney Smith indicate a high level of knowledge in his field and he evidences the depth of knowledge necessary to represent his clients in a multitude of different matters. I have worked with many other veterans and have found they are well suited to the practice of law and our way of life. It is with pleasure that I endorse Attorney Hammond and commend him as a veteran and officer of the court. His answers on Avvo are demonstrate a diverse and excellent understanding of general legal principles. I am glad to call him a colleague in this forum."

Howard Lewis

Criminal defense lawyer | Jun 25

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Attorney Hammond is an outstanding attorney and a strong and zealous advocate for his clients. In addition he is man of honor and integrity who has served the United States of America in combat. He is the type of attorney and man that I would retain if I ever needed an attorney. I strongly reccommend him personally and professionally."

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Matt Andrews

DUI and DWI lawyer

Dana Niehus

Family lawyer

Rodney Quesenberry

Criminal defense lawyer

William Cassara

Military law lawyer

Charles Rick

Family lawyer

Howard Lewis

Divorce and separation lawyer

Experience

Rating: 10.0 (Superb)

Honors

2014

Preeminent 5.0 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell

2013

Preeminent 5.0 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell

2012

Preeminent 5.0 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell

2011

Preeminent 5.0 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell

2010

Preeminent 5.0 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell

2007

Combat Infantrymans Badge, United States Army

2007

Schützenschnur - Gold, Federal Republic of Germany

2007

Iraq Campaign Medal, United States Army

2007

Afghanistan Campaign Medal, United States Army

2007

Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, United States Army

2007

NATO Medal, United States Army

2007

Bronze Star, United States Army

2002

Honored Professional, Who's Who

2001

Honored Professional, Who's Who

2000

Honored Professional, Who's Who

2000

Honored Professional, Who's Who

1999

Honored Professional, Who's Who

1998

Honored Professional, Who's Who

1997

Honored Professional, Who's Who

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Work Experience

1997 - Present

Managing Attorney, Shawn P. Hammond and Associates

2007 - 2007

Battle Captain CSC Scania Iraq, United States Army

2006 - 2007

Embedded Tactical Trainer - Afghanistan, United States Army

1997 - 2006

Managing Attorney, Shawn P. Hammond - Attorney at Law

1996 - 1996

Externship, United States Court of Appelas for the Armed Forces

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Associations

2011 - Present

Boy Scouts of America

Executive Committee Member

2008 - Present

VFW - Veterans of Foreign Wars

Member

2005 - Present

Augusta Family Law Bar Association

Founding Member

1997 - Present

Augusta Bar Association

Member

1996 - Present

State Bar of Georgia

Member

1988 - Present

American Legion

Member

2002 - 2006

Boy Scouts of America

Cubmaster / Den Leader

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Education

1996

University of Mississippi

JD - Juris Doctor

1991

Augusta College

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Speaking Engagements

2014

Army Legal Seminar Military Domestic Relations

2013

Fort Gordon Unit Training Lautenburg Amendment and Military Discharges

2013

Army Legal Seminar Divorce During Deployment

2012

Army Reserve Unit Training Military Domestic Violence Protective Orders

2011

Army Domestic Violence Unit Training Lautenberg Amendment and Military Discharges

2010

Unit Annual Training

Domestic Violence and the Military

2010

Annual Training

Military Divorce

2010

Annual Domestic Violence Seminar Domestic Violence and the Military

2009

Cobb County Bar Association, Family Law Section

Divorce and Military Divorce

2009

Augusta State University Veteran's Day Ceremony Veteran's Day and Global War On Terrorism

2007

Commander's Conference - Unit Training

Military Domestic Relations

2007

Afghanistan Ministry of Defense Legal Seminar

Divorce and Domestic Violence

2007

Afghanistan Ministry of Defense Legal Seminar

Law of War

2006

Unit Training

Military Divorce

2006

KMTC Legal Seminar

Commercial Contracts

2006

KMTC Legal Seminar

Law of War

2006

KMTC Legal Seminar

UCMJ - Uniform Code of Military Justice

2006

Afghanistan Ministry of Defense Legal Seminar

International Law

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Publications

2012

Augusta Chronicle Augusta legal interns embrace courtroom experience

2012

Augusta Chronicle Having husband, son fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan was woman's nightmare

2011

ABC News Local decorated veteran comments on troop withdrawal

2010

Fort Gordon Signal Domestic Violence

2010

Fort Gordon Signal Newspaper Military Domestic Violence

2007

Salem News Rough Road to Pesh Valley in Afghanistan

2007

Augusta Chronicle Lawyer Returns From Serving in Afghanistan and Iraq

2006

New York Times Not Your Typical Hero

2006

Salem News Camp Joyce: Remote Firebase Near Afghanistan - Pakistan Boarder

2006

Salem News Jalalabad: Center for Taliban Abuse

2006

Augusta Chronicle Augusta Lawyer is Back at Attention

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Activity

Legal Answers

Legal Guides

Legal Answers

Q&A

Can I move out of the country (military pcs) with my daughter?

10 Jul 2012

Q&A

My neighbors goats keep coming on to my property, and they are tearing up my fence. is there a law regarding this?

09 Jul 2012

Q&A

What is a good format for a military clemency letter?

08 Jul 2012

See More Legal Answers

Legal Guides

Legal Guide

Military Divorce

23 Jun 2011

Shawn Patrick Hammond

About Shawn

Biography

Practice Areas

Fees and Rates

Cost

Payment Methods

Awards

Licenses

Licensed in Georgia for 29 years

Location

Shawn P. Hammond and Associates

Shawn P. Hammond

Gallery

Online Presence

Shawn Patrick Hammond's Reviews

Overall Rating This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.

Shawn Patrick Hammond's Lawyer Endorsements

Experience

Honors

Work Experience

Associations

Education

Speaking Engagements

Publications

Activity

Legal Answers

Legal Guides

Overall Rating
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.