I hired Mr. Hammond for a child custody case. He was very professional, organized and polite. He was very respectful and caring for my position as the grandmother/guardian of the children He asked a lot of questions in order to know all the facts of the case which I appreciated. I was amazed at how... much research he did on the opposing party. When we had the hearing, he hit every point to prove my case of my retaining the children. I would highly recommend him and would definitely use him as my attorney if I needed one.

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.

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.