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.

I was threatened by divorce from my husband. Having raised our 3 children and worked part time I didn’t have much to back me. My husband was a trust fund baby and told me I’d get nothing. I was scared. I’ve never been divorced. I called for “free counsel” I spoke with his partner who was very kind an...d helpful. The next week I called back because I thought I was being served and my husband was paying to lock down every lawyer in Augusta. I asked Mr Hammond how I could secure him? He said “ the person who pays me first gets me” don’t let the picture of him holding a child fool you. He is a beast.

Attorney Hammond and his associate attorney are excellent child custody attorneys. They are hard working, timely, and detail oriented. He genuinely cares for his clients welfare and gives sound advice. We are very glad we hired them and are very thankful for all their efforts. The office staff is... very helpful and conveniently available to help in any way they can. I liked that anytime during the week I would call, someone always answered the phone with a smile and positive attitude. As tough as life is at times, a kind word goes a long way. Thank you and many blessings to you and yours Hammond Law Firm!