Smith and Shipley, LLP Attorneys at Law

This is the worst Law firm i ever experienced, Miss Shipley is a liar, she will have you giving her the same paperwork over and over. You will pay this firm and end up fighting your own case. Also be aware when requesting paper work from the other party. Miss Shipley did not press the other side about providing all documentation, went into mediation without the other party providing little to No Financials. She also did not show up to my court date. I spoke to her on the phone and through emails 30 minutes before my court hearing. She was a NO SHOW. I told the judge I just spoke with her and showed him the email from her. The judge finally got her on the phone, and she shifted my case total opposite f rom what we discussed. She did this over the phone. And when in mediation she tried to make things about herself, pretending she was going thru something in her marriage to get my sympathy. This lady tries to play so many mind games. Debra Wester was the opposing attorney, I would recommend Miss Wester, she whipped Shipley"s butt in court. Wester took care of her business every step of the way. Bad for me though. But, LESSON LEARNED. if you want a good family law attorney Debra Wester is it. Let me say Miss Wester is loud and peculiar, a lot to deal with. But she will do her job to the best of her ability.

Horrible communication, they don’t communicate with you at all. They tell you everything will go fine then abandon you. As well for the lady on the front desk does not help with anything or even try to help, she’s rude and sometimes even speaks loudly to you. Not only with the lady but this establishment needs more communication we didn’t just pay them to sit there and not help our case. Please look for a better lawyer.

Terrible and horrible service! Their front desk associate was very rude and unprofessional. We were treated poorly, and shown no empathy. I think everyone deserves respect, whether they are a client or not.

Fully incompetent people, they overcharge and immediately cut off all communication with you. They have HIDDEN FEES that they “disclose” but it’s all a scam because they don’t notify you that you’re getting charged those fees. Staff always has an attitude with customers. Instead of scamming your customers, you should do a real job by actually communicating and working with your clients. Do better.

Do not trust this law office with your child’s future. ⚠️ Once they have your deposit, communication stops. When I first spoke with Ms. Shipley—in person, by phone, and through text—she promised that if I wanted a refund it would be provided, or if adoption was pursued, she had the skill to make it happen. Over a year later, I have received neither. Every time I tried to follow up, I was passed from one person to another with no answers. Emails I was instructed to send went unanswered, or I was told they were never received—even though I used the exact addresses provided by her office. Instead of professionalism, I experienced delays, dismissive responses, and a complete lack of accountability. These delays directly impact a child’s well-being. Promises were made about protecting children and following through, but they were not kept. After reading similar reviews from others, it’s clear this is not an isolated case. Families deserve honesty, communication, and results—not excuses. This review is being written in hopes that I will finally receive the refund so that I can hire a lawyer who will properly handle my child’s adoption.

No, damn good. No updates on your cases no communications with the office or the attorney. I am basically having to work the case myself and I still Get no results no answers. When you call to make an appointment, you get the runaround. A simple case that has been going on for over a year and still no results no answers no nothing. Don’t waste your money or time.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 – Outstanding Legal Representation I had an excellent experience working with Team at Smith & Shipley law firm. From the very beginning, they were professional, attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable. They took the time to explain every step of the process clearly and always made me feel heard and supported.Their attention to detail and strategic approach gave me great confidence throughout my case, and the outcome exceeded my expectations. Communication was always prompt, respectful, and reassuring — I never felt like just another case. If you're looking for legal representation that combines expertise with genuine care for clients, I highly recommend Bruce Smith of Smith & Shipley . They truly go above and beyond.

***PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU HIRE JOLEI SHIPLEY*** Read her reviews. This isn't a one off complaint from a disgruntled client. It is a consistent pattern of behavior. I hired Jolei for my divorce and she is one of the worst lawyers(and people) I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Her only goal is taking your money and closing your case while doing as little work as possible. She didn't advocate for me in any way, shape or form. She constantly pushed me to accept the lopsided terms my ex and her lawyer were offering while trying to scare me by saying the judge would likely give me even less if it ended up going to trial. I am not exaggerating when i say it felt like it was me versus Jolei and my ex during mediation. I am fortunate that I can afford to hire a different attorney and the difference was absolutely night and day. My new attorney said there was absolutely no reason for me to accept anything close to what my ex was offering and he could see no reason the judge would say anything differently. If I had listened to Jolei during mediation I would have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. My new attorney was going to do depositions, sent questions to opposing counsel to be answered and was taking many other steps to put us into an advantageous position. Jolei did absolutely NOTHING before pushing me into mediation and then trying to manipulate me to take my ex's offers. In all honesty my ex wife should have paid Jolei the $10k because Jolei advocated for her much more than me. After hiring my new attorney my ex and I quickly reached an agreement in which I literally got 100% of what I was asking for. The reviews about her lack of communication are also true. During mediation she said she was going to forward me an email sent from opposing counsel. I have emailed and called her office for over a month trying to get her to do what she told me she would do. She FINALLY responded and said she had no idea what i was talking about and that no such email even existed, lol. I replied to that email and its been 9 days with no response. I guess $10k doesn't get you what it used to..... To top everything off, she is also VERY racist. We were talking about the local Harmony Science Academy school and Jolei said "Oh, you don't want your kid to go there they teach Jihad". When I told her how offensive that was she doubled down and literally couldn't understand how I thought she said anything wrong. I have filed a complaint with the State Bar, but I have low hopes that they will do anything. To summarize, if you want to burn $10k on a racist, lazy lawyer who will probably do more to help your opposition than you then Jolei Shipley is exactly who you are looking for. If you want a lawyer that will earn their money and be an advocate for you then please look elsewhere. Please trust the reviews that others and I have posted and find someone that will do what is right for you.

Smith and Shipley group is the Best Ever! Bruce Smith and Mrs. Shaelynn Are Absolutely Amazing. They took the time to help me and my family to get the absolute best outcome. Communication was spot on every time we needed them. We wish nothing but Big Success for them and the full office. Thank Yall Again!!!!

Mr. Smith took care of my legal matters without hesitation! He assured me that everything would work out perfectly and that is exactly what happened! I strongly recommend Bruce Smith and his partner!

Terrible service!

I hired shipley for my custody case, and seen her one time. The day of mediation I didn’t hear a word from Shipley. Just her para Emily who could never give me clear answers to anything telling me some other random man from a different firm would represent me. The man who showed up said he had only been in law for a couple years, and was still learning. I since then have had questions and concerns, and to this day have yet to hear anything back. Very inconsiderate business. Focus too much on having hundreds of open cases with the firm instead of truly caring about the clients.