During our very first meeting, Attorney Gislason asked me to write down three possible outcomes I…read morewanted for my child custody case.
My answers were simple:
1. I want to return to Liberia with my child.
2. I want to return to Liberia with my child.
3. I want to return to Liberia with my child.
There was no Plan B. There was no compromise.
As simple as those answers look, this was no ordinary custody case. It was a complex INTERNATIONAL FAMILY LAW case.
As an international student in the United States, a single mother, and someone fighting one of the most painful and unexpected battles of my life, my only prayer was to graduate and return home with my daughter.
Attorney Gislason fought for us with everything she had. She was brilliant, strategic, meticulous, and fierce. My sister and I jokingly called her "Judge Judy." She could scold me one minute and have me laughing the next. She challenged me, kept me grounded, and constantly reminded me to focus on my child and nothing else. This came with interruptions to prevent circumvention because she wanted results. Looking back, I needed exactly that.
On one particularly difficult day, when I could barely stop crying, she told me to call my pastor to pray for me because she couldn't bear to hear me lose hope. That moment reminded me that she wasn't just fighting my case, she was also protecting my spirit. She became my attorney, and, in many ways, my anchor.
One moment I will never forget was when she was on a work trip in Scotland. Despite being thousands of miles away, she remained fully engaged and made herself available to ensure my daughter's safety on the fateful day. That level of commitment doesn't come from someone simply doing a job. It comes from someone who genuinely cares.
Because of her dedication and persistence, the court upheld my child's best interests, and every day I get to spend with her is a gift that Attorney Gislason helped make possible.
Surprisingly, our relationship did not end when the case was over. Atty. Gislason celebrated one of the happiest moments of my life by attending my graduate school graduation, bringing thoughtful gifts, and taking my child and me to dinner before we departed the US in celebration of everything we had overcome together.
That act of kindness spoke volumes about the kind of person she is. Behind her fierce courtroom presence is a woman with an incredibly generous heart.
There are attorneys who know the law, and then there are attorneys who change lives. Attorney Gislason changed mine!
If you are looking for someone who is exceptionally skilled, relentless, and invested in her clients, I recommend Attorney Gislason without hesitation. My daughter and I will forever be grateful for everything she did for our family.
Attorney Gislason, if you're reading this, thank you. Thank you for believing in us, for fighting for us, and for helping write one of the most beautiful chapters of our story. We will never forget you.
Thanks also to Stephanie for her dedication.
