Leesa I strongly urge anyone to avoid this law firm. My experience was distressing from start to finish. They made no meaningful effort to progress my matter, and their approach lacked basic empathy, communication, and understanding. I was treated with hostility, indifference, and at times outright contempt.
Only now, with a competent and supportive lawyer, can I fully see how negligent and damaging this firm was. Gillian in particular was deeply unprofessional — when I tried to offer feedback about my experience after leaving, I was met with a defensive, retaliatory response that completely shut me down. Instead of listening, they resorted to victim-blaming, to the point that I was in tears.
They treated me like an inconvenience — not a client — and often seemed more aligned with the other party’s interests, especially when there were personal connections between lawyers. They missed important correspondence, which allowed the other side to file an initiating application without any meaningful challenge. They had no grasp of trauma-informed practice, financial abuse, or coercive control, and as a result, their mishandling made my experience even more traumatic.
At no point did I feel safe, supported, or even remembered. They failed to review the other party’s disclosure and simply told me to "take it to an accountant" instead of doing their job. When I raised serious concerns about these failures, they refused to take accountability.
This firm is a case study in why people are walking away from legal representation and choosing to self-represent. They charge heavily for doing very little — or worse, for adding stress and confusion to an already painful process.
And if you’re reading this as a warning and they try to dismiss it with their usual line — “you must have the wrong firm” or "we dont believe you were ever a client" — don’t buy it. It is just another tactic to deflect responsibility instead of being professional enough to reflect on a clearly broken approach. They are not mature and professional enough to accept genuine feedback that could improve their practice and instead lash out like petulant children.
Michelle actually told me "not to bother" and told me not to bother trying find the thousands of dollars missing from our accounts. Terrible advice. I have now been successful and I have most of the disclosure I need as a self litigant. Forget these guys they will damage your case and give the other side free kicks galore.
As for their branding — the polar bears? Surprisingly accurate. Cold, emotionally frozen, completely lacking in warmth or understanding. They freeze you out, isolate you, and leave you adrift. You might as well be a polar bear drifting in the Artic if you choose this firm. Honestly, the marketing is perfect. Couldn’t have done it better myself.
Although close friends suggested Annalise she was completely unsupportive and condescending, like I was wasting her time. They all lacked understanding and empathy. They also share my private information with the other party whose clueless barrister brought it up in court.
Words cannot express how truly nasty and unprofessional these people are. They ended up breaking the contract because I tried to get them to do their job and make them accountable while all they wanted to do was stay on auto pilot and collect the money.
I have now made sure I have told everyone I can that these guys are shocking and will continue to spread the word as I just cannot stand the idea of other people being emotionally and financially abused by Gillian and her crew. Trust the negative reviews here. They are spot on. Regardless of Cootes attempts to say they "dont know" the clients. Further example of their gaslighting approach and willingness to throw their clients under the bus. Truly horrible experience that will stay with me for many years.
1 /5