Reviews

When I was searching for a divorce attorney, several I first consulted with, said to make sure to see Doris so I can conflict her out, so as to not have her against me. I thought, wait a minute, if they are all telling me that I dont want Doris against me, then maybe she is the one I want for me. Thank God I did, my ex tried to take everything from me as well as trying to get me into criminal trouble for her fabricated BS. Doris was a no-nonsense direct attorney, kept me abreast of all that was taking place, and basically told the other attorney to jump in a lake. She saved me tremendous grief and heartache. Dont overtook her.

I completely agree with the previous review. The only time that Mrs Sipes seemed to be engaged and listening to me was during the initial consultation. During the consultation she put me at ease with all her advice and recommendations on how she was going to come after my ex wife. This feeling was short lived. Three months after paying my retainer nothing had been done on my case, I found this out when I called to get a status on my case. Six month went by and nothing much had changed with my case. At this time I took it upon myself to try to work something out with my ex wife in regards to custody with my kids and we came to an agreement. Even after I did all the work for her it still took her 6 months to draw up the paperwork and have it signed by the judge. Her paralegal Robert seems to incompetent, every time he emailed me the child custody order it had the same errors I had just corrected in the previous draft. This went on for a couple of months until I refused to deal with him anymore and only worked with Mrs Sipes son after that. Worst experience ever, would never recommend her to anyone.

Attorneys are hard to judge on the basis of just a single consultation. One the first visit, most of them seem amazing -- energetic -- optimistic -- motivated. I was referred to Doris Sipes by another attorney and I found her to be intelligent, soft-spoken, confident and reserved. At the consultation, we discussed the details of my case and I tried to listen as much as I talked. It seemed to me that we had similar expectations regarding the outcome of my case. I had heard that Ms. Sipes has a reputation for being a tough attorney and I interpreted the low-energy consultation to be a sign that she was being forthright and honest with me. What a relief to be dealt with in such a respectful way. What a relief to have avoided the typical over-promised sales pitch that I've experienced with other attorneys -- or so I thought. As the case progressed, I found it hard to get Ms. Sipes attention in any meaningful way. My case wasn't rocket-science but I had some important details that needed to be considered. The question of how to present the relevant details to the court in a way that would make sense was an important issue for me. How do we present a defense for a convoluted case in a way that the court will understand? How do we win? My attempts to get Ms. Sipes to discuss the nuts and bolts of my case only seemed to make her annoyed. She wouldn't discuss strategy with me and didn't ask me for any evidence to support my defense. All of the evidence presented in court was the evidence that I rushed to have her review in the minutes before the trial. I even asked her to call one witness in my defense and it seems like my request was ignored without the benefit of thoughtful consideration. Doris seems to be intelligent, articulate and capable. Maybe all of her best effort goes to bigger, better clients -- I don't know. The irony is this: The low-key consultation that made me think that Ms. Sipes was the right choice for my case was more like an over-promised sales pitch because that's the only time she engaged me regarding the details of my case. I'm very disappointed because I lost my case and I wonder how the results would have been different if Ms. Sipes had worked closer with me to present a better defense.