Suzanne Alicia Nelson

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.

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 s...he 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.

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 he...aring, 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.