Reviews

I am extremely disappointed with the legal representation I received from Shaw Divorce & Family Law during my divorce case. I retained this firm because what Andrew Shaw, the name partner, told me during our initial consultation was exactly what is stated in his biography on the firm's website: "Youshould retain me because I am aggressive, and I will fight tooth and nail for you and your family." Unfortunately, my experience was the complete opposite of what Andrew promised. This was not a complex case. My marriage was very short—only four years—with no children involved and only one marital asset, a property that had already been sold and its proceeds placed in a trust before I even hired Shaw. Despite the straightforward nature of the case, the representation I received was shockingly inadequate. Prior to retaining Shaw Divorce & Family Law, I had been negotiating with opposing counsel pro se for five months. I retained this firm because I believed they would provide the aggressive representation and legal expertise necessary to achieve a better outcome. Instead, after months of legal representation, I ended up with the exact same deal I would have had if I had simply settled before retaining the firm. Not only did this outcome make the retainer and fees I paid completely unjustified, but I also incurred additional months of interest payments on the marital debts, further worsening my financial hardship. I made it clear to both Janet B. Coven, the attorney assigned to my case, and Andrew Shaw that my living situation had a hard end date. I was rapidly approaching homelessness if the financial strain caused by the unresolved marital debts was not alleviated. I shared this with them months in advance, hoping it would motivate more aggressive action to finalize the negotiations. Instead, I saw no meaningful progress, and ultimately, I had no choice but to accept the deal to avoid becoming homeless. To make matters worse, I found myself performing tasks that I expected the firm to handle, such as reviewing and editing documents to send to opposing counsel. At the time, my daily schedule included a lengthy commute and long work hours, which kept me out of the house 12-13 hours a day most days. Despite this grueling schedule, I was still doing work that I had hired Shaw Divorce & Family Law to do, leaving me feeling abandoned and unsupported throughout the process. Adding to the frustration, the firm did not even identify or resolve a financial discrepancy that affected alimony; I was the one who found and raised this issue. Despite this effort on my part, the final judgment was identical to the initial proposal I had before retaining the firm. Given the lack of advocacy, broken promises, and disappointing results, I do not believe the fees I paid were justified. Shaw Divorce & Family Law did not deliver the aggressive representation they advertise, and I cannot recommend their services to anyone seeking diligent and committed legal representation.