Suzanne Alicia Nelson

Legitimized my son. In a quick and timely manner. Finally on the birth certificate. Also going thru w custody, things have gone better then planned. Overall great experience Suzanne is a great attorney.

Suzanne Nelson is a very capable and compassionate attorney who's able to see through the woods to get to the root of legal issues and provides wise counsel surrounding Family Law. She's also an experienced trial attorney and she really shined before the Court presenting my case to a satisfactory conclusion before a jury. One never wants to have to go to Court, but when I had to I was pleased that she represented me and effectively presented my case and interests.

I went through a terrible divorce and if it wasn't for Suzanne Nelson, I don't know how I would have survived it. She is patient, professional, level headed, strategic, and she aggressively fights for her her client's best interest. I was in good hands with Suzanne Nelson; one of the best lawyers I've come across in NC!

I hired Ms. Nelson to help me get custody of my daughter. Ms. Nelson fought hard for me and I got custody of my daughter. I was very happy with her services.

In Apr 2019, I hired Suzanne at the McIlveen Family Law Firm to represent me on my child custody case. I thought she was the right attorney to win me joint custody of my daughter, who I haven't seen in 5+ years. Her agenda consisted of a change of venue, deposing my ex-wife, getting a frivolous restraining order dismissed, and dismissing my motion to appoint a reunification therapist. She also talked about involving a child custody evaluator. All I wanted was for me to have my day in court (custody trial). She charged $6,500 to represent me on child custody/ restraining order dismissal. In June, she charged another $3,500 to represent me on change of venue/ dismissal of reunification therapy motion. She filed everything and set a hearing date for Aug 6. We had other matters pending for later this year. I asked why I was being charged so much ($10k) up front and she said she wanted to make sure there were enough funds for depositions and a child custody evaluator. I noticed she over billed me for some phone calls and other unknown charges. At the end of July, she asked for another $2,500 to appear at the hearing. I became suspicious of how the money was used, so I asked for an accounting of the charges in question, but to no avail. The opposing lawyer filed a motion to dismiss all of Suzanne's filings. At the hearing, the judge denied the change of venue motion and the depositions, but continued the hearing to Aug 23 to rule on whether to appoint reunification therapy. Much to my chagrin, Suzanne asked to withdraw from the case before the hearing was adjourned. The judge denied her request. After court, I asked why she asked to withdraw so early and she said she did so only for the change of venue motion (?). I asked how she was allocating my funds and her response was "That's none of your business." Disgruntled, I visited the law firm to complain about Suzanne's early withdrawal attempt. I also asked for an audit of all billed charges. The next day, she sent me an email saying she was withdrawing entirely from my custody case, even after the judge told her no. She emailed me her order to withdraw and demanded I sign it. I refused. I contacted the State Bar and a liaison tried to contact Suzanne but found out she quit working for the firm. Communication became poor and I was desperate to reach her. The opposing lawyer drafted an order with language that was false and erroneous. I had several objections but needed Suzanne to convey them to the court. She was unresponsive and, consequently, the judge signed the order, making my case even more complex. I hired a new lawyer but was previously turned down by 8 attorneys due to the amount of maintenance my case needed. I have filed a grievance against Suzanne to the State Bar.

In February of 2018, I entered into an agreement for representation in a custody matter with Ms. Suzanne Nelson and the now defunct Nelson Family Law Firm. The agreement was for legal guidance and representation at a hearing that was rescheduled from the previous year. During the time awaiting the hearing, I requested actions of resolution to conclude the case. Her uninvolved representation has not created any forward movement in my case. Over and over I have represented myself on legal matters without support from this attorney. She did not subpoena witnesses, gather any research outside of court, or advance the case in any way. I have no record of any actions taken on behalf of the case though I have made verbal and written requests for documentation. I tried to terminate this attorney with a written termination letter and she still appeared in court and only sat silently and watched the proceedings. The “wait and see what happens” approach has been the main course of action in my case. I have actually researched, downloaded legal paperwork, completed it, and done my own work on the case. I would like to point out, I am not a licensed attorney and I entered into this agreement in good faith thinking I would have an advocate who would work hard with me to bring this case to a close and that didn’t happen. The situation is the same as it was one year ago. My requests for a written cost of any action taken in this case have not been honored and this attorney has refused to return my retainer. I encourage you, if you are contemplating hiring this attorney. Choose someone else.

I hired Suzanne to handle a custody issue. At first she was very involved. She seemed to have an understanding that many attorneys dont have. We went to court and settled on a temporary order. After that she fought no longer... The opposing attorney is AWFUL and has a history of doing whatever she wants and interpreting words to suit her. Suzanne did nothing about this. She then stopped communicating completely. I am now in a worse situation then when I hired her and am completely broke. I have attempted unsuccessfully to reach her for months. So sad and so unfair.