Alisa Family Law - Alisa P. Williams - Hamilton, Ontario

M S.

Absolutely brutal experience with this lawyer. She is cold, dismissive, lacks empathy, takes zero accountability for her actions and will blame mistakes she made on you. She was a legal aid lawyer. I selected her as she was literally the only option at the time. I knew from the beginning she had issues. It only got worse until I couldn’t take it anymore and called her out. She blew up at me and refused to work with me. Unfortunately legal aid won’t re-assign a certificate once it’s given to a lawyer, so I was unfortunately left high and dry to try and deal with the issue myself. I was dealing with financial and health problems and did not have the ability to. I lost my child because of this. I’ve never dealt with such a terrible, ugly human being in my life! I can’t believe someone with such a demented personality is allowed to carry on in role that serves the public in their most vulnerable and sensitive moments. I reported her. Buyer please beware!!! Especially if you are receiving legal aid. Judging from previous comments she particularly uses legal aid clients as her punching bag. Alicia, you should be ashamed of yourself. Don’t bother replying with a denial, or a “I don’t recognize your name” response. I know what you did and so do you. Do better!!!!

Jeremy M.

I have been working with Alisa since late 2017, during my never ending divorce process. when my trial finally came to a conclusion earlier this year, Alisa kept my son's best interests as our priortiy.

She was well prepared for every single deadline, knew how to phrase everything so that our offers to settle were fair and reasonable, and truly knew how to navigate the process of trial.

Alisa was incredible in dealing with the child protection concerns that led to 6 years of CCAS involvement in my son's life. She was able to quickly resolve the chaos that started the CCAS involvement, and had the best resolution possible for my son's future.

Alisa became involved in my legal process in 2017, and stayed committed to ensuring that my son's best interests (and mine), were always taken care of.

10/10 will never get married again

H

One of the worst people I have ever had the unfortunate experiences of meeting in my life. I agree with every single 1 (or less) star reviews on here. I won’t go into details about my case with this ‘lawyer’ because it deserves a full on book deal. She created a nightmare for me and my children. And by the sounds of it I wasn’t the only one left to suffer from her dislike of women and fighting for them! I’ve wanted to write a long review for the past few years but haven’t. The fact I’m here reading other reviews after she has retired is because I am still haunted to this day and affected direly by her.

Loretta Z.

[Updated after receiving a defamation threat from Alisa Williams]
I am revising this review because Ms Williams threatened legal action over my original public post. While it is troubling that honest opinions can be met with defamation threats, I am exercising my right to share my direct experience, truthfully, respectfully, and without malice.

Context :  Lawyers are public facing professionals. If they want consistently positive reviews, their conduct should reflect that. I had not thought about Ms Williams for years until a recent search for legal help showed her ranked as a “top lawyer.” My experience was very different, so I believe the public deserves the full picture.

My experience: Several years ago I retained Ms Williams for a sensitive matter. I arrived highly organized, with more than a decade of documentation. Although she seemed engaged at first, she later withdrew from my case with very little notice and, in my view, an unethical and very questionable cited justification on her part, leaving me exposed at a sensitive and critical time, I was also on legal aid back then and in a very vulnerable situation.

I subsequently learned that she had undisclosed meetings with opposing counsel (a young male lawyer). Based on my direct observations during the time she represented me, I perceived their tone and body languages to be overly familiar and professionally concerning. While I cannot confirm what was said, the lack of disclosure and the dynamic I witnessed erased my trust with her completely.

Wanting peace rather than protracted stress, I decided not to file a Law Society complaint despite what many people in my life at the time urged me to do and instead retained another lawyer, Deepa Dayal, who listened, respected my input, and acted with integrity. Together we prevailed in court four times over the next decade.

Why I am posting: I feel ethically obligated to share this so that prospective clients can make informed decisions. In my opinion, Ms Williams was dismissive, lacked transparency, and I felt she took advantage of my vulnerable situation and that she may suit clients who prefer a top‑down style. I also formed the impression she worked more comfortably with male clients; that perception affected my confidence in her representation. Others may, of course, have had positive experiences but this was mine.

On the legal threat: Her defamation warning felt, to me, like an attempt to deter valid criticism. In my view, such intimidation tactics contribute to a culture where professionals use legal power to silence feedback rather than engage with it. That only emphasizes the importance of protecting public commentary.

Legal note: Anti‑SLAPP (Courts of Justice Act, s. 137.1, Ontario)
Should any claim be filed over this review, I would bring an Anti‑SLAPP motion to dismiss. Courts must consider:
* Is the expression a matter of public interest? Yes.
* Does reputational harm outweigh the public’s right to speak? Unlikely.
* Does the claim show substantial merit? Highly doubtful in light of the documented facts above.

This review reflects my lived experience. It is offered not out of malice, but out of a sense of duty to help others choose legal counsel wisely.

AL A.

Ms. Williams is an excellent lawyer, she managed to take on my complicated case and get me a favorable outcome. I have worked with Alisa on and off for 5 years, during this time I had to stop her services due to financial constraints and when i wanted to get her services again she was not available that is when i went to another lawyer, the other lawyer wasted so much of my money and really messed up my case, I came back to Alisa and begged her to take my case, despite everything she took my case again and I am telling you she fixed a big mess that I and the other lawyer made. When I first worked with Alisa I did think she came off as cold and didn't care, but I know understand that I was quick to judge, she has really showed that she cares and could see how the other party were taking advantage of my situation. She is very knowledgeable and provides clear guidance. I am so thankful for Alisa and will continue to seek her services if needed.

Candice S.

She went above and beyond for my case. Extremely thorough and respectful. So thankful and appreciative of all Alisa and her paralegal were able to do for me!

Tracy L.

Amazing woman. An even more amazing lawyer. She cares about what you want. She may be blunt but in the world of court orders and litigation, it's needed. I'm genuinely happy to have worked with her. She made the process so much easier and less stressful. Made sure I knew what was going on at every turn.

Thank you Alisa. I'm forever in your debt.

Mr S.

I ended up with a favorable settlement due to Alisa's efforts on my behalf. I have found Alisa to be highly knowledgeable, articulate, extremely competent and well respected by the court and judges. She is also truthful and blunt as to the expectations you may have or may not have. Alisa's preference was to provide me with instructions to do the legwork, to get the required documents and information for my case. She would only intervene when I hit a roadblock in getting what was needed, saving me a great deal in unnecessary legal expenses. If you are looking for quality empathetic legal representation during this trying time Alisa is the person to go to. Highly recommended.