Reviews & Complaints

While there’s plenty of advice about how to attract new clients, there’s far less discussion on managing damage to a lawyer’s reputation. Family law attorneys, in particular, face risks of vindictive complaints from former clients, who may feel wronged and go on a personal campaign to damage the attorney’s reputation. Many of these clients take to social media to publicly share one-sided criticisms and post negative reviews. In addition, entire websites exist to host anonymous complaints, and hundreds of social media groups allow disgruntled clients to share information with others to attack or defame a lawyer, especially after losing a case.

These biased complaints can stay at the top of Google search results, influencing potential clients and discouraging them from hiring the attorney. Addressing these reviews and complaints may feel uncomfortable, but they can have real impacts on your business. Ignoring them doesn’t make them go away, and managing this type of reputation risk is crucial for any successful family law practice.

While some clients openly voice their complaints against their attorney, others—who may feel shocked or even traumatized by their experiences—are reluctant to share publicly. If these complaints stay visible online, they may be the first thing potential clients find, possibly turning them away.

Handling a high-conflict case is much like dealing with a syndrome, where certain symptoms inevitably arise. These cases typically involve contentious issues such as child custody disputes, parenting time access, decision-making authority, allegations of child abuse or domestic violence, children refusing contact with a parent, and disputes over court orders related to enforcement, contempt, modifications, or relocation with the children. With this level of chaos and polarization, it’s fair to say that any lawyer striving for a favorable outcome is, at best, rolling the dice.

If these reviews aren’t addressed, they can affect your business in the long run, making it harder to build a stable client base. So, let’s talk openly about why clients might get upset, and what can be done to prevent negative feedback from damaging your practice

In high-conflict cases, many clients approach an attorney with strong opinions about what’s causing issues in their relationship with their child. Often, these ideas are shaped by information they’ve come across on social media while seeking advice. Many lawyers are familiar with situations where a parent claims they’ve lost contact with their child due to the negative influence of the other parent. Regardless of which side is making accusations, it’s the children who end up caught in the middle of these disputes. This brings us to the concept commonly known as “parental alienation.”

For more information about this issue please read our page on the website titled: The Theory of Parental Alienation.