DO NOT HIRE HER
If…read moreyou are a woman seeking legal representation in a custody matter, I personally do not recommend Ms. LaTerria. I truly wish I had done more research before hiring her.
It is very important to me that my child has both parents involved in his life. I went through my pregnancy alone and supported my son entirely on my own for the first two years of his life. Despite that, I still allowed his father to be involved.
My concerns began when my son was returned to me with a swollen neck and bleeding, and no explanation was provided. From that point forward, I did not allow him to take him, but I made it clear that the father was always welcome to come see his child.
After a year of little to no involvement, the father filed for visitation. That is when I hired Ms. LaTerria, a decision I now regret.
I explained my situation in detail and provided photographs documenting my child's injuries. Instead of feeling supported, I felt as though my concerns were minimized and that she was taking the father's side rather than advocating for me. When I later researched her public posts, I noticed that many of them focused on defending fathers, often stating, "Let that man see them kids." While I agree that good fathers should absolutely be involved in their children's lives, every case is unique and should be handled based on its specific facts and circumstances.
There were also several important issues in my case that were not addressed:
* I requested multiple times that discovery be sent to the father, and it was never done.
* I requested an in-person appointment, which was never scheduled.
* As the sole provider for my child, I explained that I cannot miss work and asked for depositions, hearings, and mediation to be scheduled on my days off. My requests were not accommodated.
* I was not seeking child support; however, I did request reimbursement for the daycare expenses that I solely paid for a year and a half. She did not properly review the supporting documents I provided and instead advised me to settle without receiving any compensation.
I attended mediation, and while we agreed to a parenting plan, we did not agree on a specific start date. After mediation, I was told that opposing counsel would be contacted regarding this issue. However, when I later reviewed the documents, a start date had already been included, one I had not agreed to, and it even reflected the incorrect year. I brought this to her attention, but no corrective action was taken. As a result, I felt pressured to begin the parenting plan only days after mediation, even though I was not prepared to do so.
Additionally, there were times when I felt spoken to in a raised or dismissive tone. I did not feel that my concerns were fully heard or that my objectives were being strongly advocated for.
Regarding fees, I was told that once the retainer was exhausted, I would be contacted to arrange a payment plan. That did not happen. After mediation, I was informed that she would withdraw from representing me if full payment was not made and that final documents would not be filed until payment was received.
She charged me $8,000.00, which is a significant amount for me as a single mother of two children, one of whom has autism, suffers from seizures, and requires ongoing medical care and medication. Despite the financial hardship, I hired her because I care deeply about my son and wanted what was best for him. I needed an attorney as soon as possible, so I moved forward.
To date, I have paid $5,300.00 and am still making payments. I was initially told that the final judgment would be included in the fee; however, that was not honored. Ultimately, I had to discharge her as my attorney. In the end, very little was done in my case beyond what she chose to pursue, rather than what I believed was in my son's best interest.
Overall, I did not feel supported, heard, or properly represented during a very important and sensitive time in my life. I feel that once the attorney was paid, my case was no longer treated with urgency, and my concerns were not truly heard or addressed.
