Suzanne Alicia Nelson

I was referred to Suzanne by a mutual friend from our church. She drafted a separation agreement for my ex-husband and me. The draft agreement was back to us the same week. I just had to fill out a questionnaire and return it first. My husband opted not to hire an attorney. He did consult with an att...orney and asked for some changes. Suzanne edited and we signed the agreement less than 3 1/2 weeks from the time I hired her. I was impressed with Suzanne’s attentiveness and professionalism.

Attorney Nelson got involved after the mother of my kids moved out of state and enrolled my kids in a school without my consent in a new state. There was a temporary order granting mom temporary custody, and I felt like the judge sided with mom and did not like dads. I hired This lawyer and she took ...the permanent custody to trial. After the trial in which I felt my attorney did a superb job, the judge gave me primary custody and ordered my kids to be returned to me as soon as school let out. She ordered them to Be enrolled in N.C. school where I live. I am now a proud single dad and the kids still visit their mom on holidays, which is fine. I would hire Ms. Nelson again if I ever needed anything.

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 restr...aining 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.

Ms. Nelson was professional, knowledgeable, and great in mediation and also in the one hearing we had. She was clearly respected by the judge, the mediator, and the other attorney. My outcome was my ideal outcome and not the minimum I was willing to agree to. I paid all of my bills on time. Ms. Nelso...n did explain that she would contact me when she needed something in the case and frequent email and phone interactions would drive up the costs in the case. Whenever something happened or was needed in the case she or someone from her office would e-mail very specific instructions or set a phone appointment. She always let me know when there was something that needed to be done and always did what was required. I am not a client who needs a lot of constant contact and hand-holding. Her firm may not have been right for very needy clients who needed constant reassuring unless they were willing to pay her hourly rate.