AVOID Shazia Sparkman: A Client's Warning I hired Shazia Sparkman for my divorce and deeply regret it. Despite paying $60,000+, I essentially represented myself - personally drafting and negotiating all settlement documents while she merely forwarded emails. My $15,000 retainer vanished for minimal work, and she refused to refund unused portions of my $45,000 trial preparation fee when we settled without trial, despite our written agreement. Sparkman consistently arrived late or missed appointments, took calls in restaurants or while driving, and was unreachable during critical decisions. When I needed time to consider settlement options, she snapped "Hurry up and make a damn decision!" This isn't isolated behavior. She has multiple Florida Bar disciplinary actions: Case SC17-479/2015-10,393 (13F) - Public reprimand Case SC15-639/2012-11,230 (6C) and related cases - Public reprimand Save yourself the money and stress. Find an attorney who will actually represent you. Her representation is reckless and negligent! read more

DO NOT RETAIN SHAZIA SPARKMAN OR SPARKMAN LAW TO REPRESENT YOU! I retained her on very short notice without doing my research AND BOY DID I PAY FOR IT. Her office is understaffed and her Legal Assistants turned over 3 times in less than a year. NEVER PRODUCED AN INVOICE, BUT ALWAYS ASKING FOR MORE MONEY. She was late to every meeting, in person or ZOOM. Her office filed incorrect Financial Affd. with the court, in short, I FIRED HER. My new Attorney has requested over and over for her office to release all of my information to no avail. Even the opposing attorney was disgusted with her lack of response and I am having to produce again. If I had the multitude of errors coming out of my office that she had come out of hers, I would be out of business. Only now am I seeing all the bad reviews about this law firm...hind site is 20/20...stay clear of this firm. read more

Mrs. Sparkman was not only highly capable, and incredibly knowledgeable, but she was also very compassionate and comforting as I was in an uncomfortable position. The case turned out to be better than I ever hoped for. I keep some of their business cards in my wallet just in case anyone ever needs a terrific lawyer. I'm very much indebted to them. They made me family while mine was going through a turbulent time. read more

Sparkman Law - Divorce & Family Law Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I am a Parental Alienation survivor with over 11 year of experience in Florida Family court. I hit rock bottom, lost faith in the system and I believed I would never see my children again. That is when I got lucky. I brought my case to 3 different attorneys over the course of a week and made the final decision to retain Shazia Sparkman. She is the reason I now have custody of my children, my relationships have been restored and her ability to set precedent in our Family Court System has helped lead the way in reforming the way Parental Alienation cases are handled in Florida. In my experience have gone before ten judges; opposed nine attorneys and have spent hundreds of hours in the Family Court system. I have witnessed numerous families make their way before judges and seen attorneys present their cases while waiting my turn. There is no other way to explain the family court system other than that if you are forced into a situation in which you will need the courts help than you must be prepared for all the worst elements that come along with it. The courts prefer that families take care of their differences outside of court but unfortunately it takes two to make that happen. It only takes one party to make the process a nightmare and unfortunately our system is not efficient or educated in Parental Alienation cases. Ms. Sparkman has become an expert in navigating this process through countless hours and dedication to find results. The favorable rulings she has gained in my case has laid the foundation needed in our court system to help me and others. I have compared notes to many other alienated parents throughout the country. I have been able to find these people through international support groups, face book groups and in my research. I know firsthand how difficult it is to have a voice in this mucked up system; whether it be the Department of Children and Families, Guardian ad Litem or the 15 therapist and endless hours talking to police officers. I pleaded my case to every Florida congressman, senator and the every Head of Psychology in every College in Florida seeking help. I never got results until I was represented by Ms. Sparkman. I must warn you in advance to be realistic with your expectation when engaging in a court battle. Going before the court to decide your fate is much like wrestling your former spouse in quicksand. It is often uncomfortable, unpredictable and may seem unrewarding at quite a cost. It takes patience and understanding. You know you are on the right track because the opposition will often try to obfuscate the process and make you waste valuable time and money. Unfortunately it is a tactic I have seen time and time again. Ms. Sparkman has done well for me in calling out these tactics and eventually been able to award me court costs. I think most people that engage in these cases run out of patience and grow frustrated with the process causing them to burn bridges and go out with a bang. It is unfortunate that people frustrated by the system lash out on the few soldiers we have in the fight to educate and advance the cause of alienated parents in our court system. With all due respect, it is an ugly process but I say with extreme confidence that Shazia Sparkman has been instrumental in setting precedent in our family court system so that families affected by parental alienation have a fighting chance to be whole again. Thank you Ms. Sparkman. Thank you for your dedication and efforts in a thankless fight for our families. read more

Not responsive. Late to court. She said I owed her more money. I said ok, where is my invoice showing where all my initial retention money went. She said that she didn't have but typically when it was time to actually go to court her clients owed more money. So, I once again asked how she knew I was one of those clients if she did not have any invoice actually showing what money was spent. She then went on to rehearse some story about why there wasn't an invoice. She did absolutely nothing for me. She misfiled paperwork which almost got the case thrown out because she did not file a certified copy of court records from another state. I spent a lot more time talking with her assistant than her. She took almost $7,000 and I got nothing. It makes me sick to think of all the money on wasted on an attorney for nothing. read more

Absolutely, hands down the worst experience of my life in any business transaction. Ms. Sparkman is excellent at demanding money, but does not deliver on any actual production in your case. When you approach her about her shortcomings , she yells at you and tells you that " she hopes you fire her". She also does not practice or specialize in criminal law , but will lie to you and take your retainer even though she is not equipped to handle the case. I was charged over $5,000 for a few emails to be sent with no progress. When I walked into court for the first time, Ms. Sparkman did not show up and had a man who didn't even know my name or why he was there to act on her behalf. The judge was appalled,as was at the acting attorney. She also knew nothing about the evidence in my case and her assistance wasn't even aware of my court date the day before when I called. I'm my opinion, she is nothing more than your A-typical south Tampa crook. I 100% do not recommend hiring her for any of your legal issues. Do not waste your hard earned money ! Save yourself and your family the misery of dealing with the aftermath of her mediocre results. read more

Worst lawyers office ever. DO NOT GIVE YOUR MONEY TO THEM. She is always in court and when you need them the most the hang up on you or blame you for why they couldn't get a hold of you. I had my ex husband lawyer send them documents and they called once and never again. I feel they get emotions people to pay them and then they just forget about you. Never use this company and not just bc my review. But bc they honesty have no empathy and lie. Yes lawyers lie but come on you are trying to make Me feel safe. I now owe them money bc my husband cancelled their services. I have not heard from them almost every day to get their money back but yet when I would cry on the phone and beg I couldn't even get them to blink an eye. So it goes to show human beings don't matter to this company stay far away read more

Gave this woman 2000.00 to get the ball Rollin. Never heard a word from her until i went to her office. She told me her father's in the hospital dying and she's so sorry for not getting back to Me. 3 months went by and still no communication just excuses after excuses from her staff saying shes really busy!! I will give her the message and than sent me a 5000.00 dollor bill. I called her and said have you lost your Mind. Really..im not giving you one more sent and she dropped the bill so i would go away. I went to the florida bar and nothing was done just a slap on the hand. Run from this person. read more

Worst lawyer! Didn't deliver on any promises and was only concerned about money. Followed up a year after divorce on an issue and she didn't even respond! There are much better attorneys out there!! read more

I hired Shazia almost a year ago to assist with child support modification and the restructure of visitation for my daughter. I was very reluctant to hire legal council. My ex-husband and I have been divorced over ten years and times have changed. My daughters needs have increased and her father refused to help. Shazia and her staff instantly made me feel at home and comfortable. I had issues midway paying for my legal fees and instead of Shazia letting me go on my own, she refused to stop fighting for us and has continued helping me on her own funds. I have never in my life heard of any family law attorney being so compassionate. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for legal help in custody or child support issues. Thank you for all you have done for me, you are the best!! I will never forget it. read more

Last month our family found ourselves in difficult situation when our son was facing charges. The Sparkman Law Firm provided an excellent services and we were very impressed with excellent knowledge and willingness to go the extra mile to clear my son's name. Everyone in the firm we dealt with was professional and hardworking individual. All the advice that attorney Shazia Sparkman provided throughout the case was incredibly useful in dealing with policy, judge, court, etc... All our options were clearly explained to us. As the ordinary individual never being in trouble with the law, having somebody trustworthy, reliable with sincere interest in our case helped us stay sane. Shazia provided us with regular updates every step of the way. Settlement was reached before court date due to diligent work of Shazia Sparkman and her assistant. Shazia was fully invested in the case and produced incredible outcome. She diligently worked with all parties involved and as a result the case was dismissed and we were able to restore our lives back to normal. I could not have asked for a better law firm to represent us. I would highly recommend Sparkman Law Firm. Shazia Sparkman, we are forever grateful to you. read more

Sparkman and Sparkman Law firm has been of great help through my divorce these past few months. I hired her after a year of me trying to do everything on my own. She picked right up where I was lost and was up front with me about how much I would need to pay and told me straight up what type of case I was up against. She helped me negotiate an awesome deal with my ex husband regarding child sharing so I wouldn't have to go through a lengthy trial. She is EXTREMELY knowledgeable about the law. She is also knowledgeable about Islamic marriages and Islamic contracts, which is what I needed to be deciphered. She was also very helpful with knowing information regarding divorce and the military. Shazia Sparkman and Erin Slattery did an excellent job with helping me through one of the most difficult times of my life! She is a fighter and she will insure that you have a just outcome of your case. I recommend her and her team with all of my heart. read more

Mrs. Sparkman has seen me through what has had to be the most difficult time in my life. Her consultation with me was both a question & answer for me but also helped her decide if she was willing and or able to take on my case, and what it would entail. Very unlike what I experienced at other consults. She is upfront about what kind of time and fees you are looking at, given FL's current court system. Her command and knowledge of the law and dedication to my case and the ongoing questions regarding it are unsurpassed. She is always quick to respond to any questions I have had and keep me very well informed on things the layperson doesn't understand. My case had to do with an ex husband hiding monies to prevent him from paying support. Shazia knew exactly what kind of team to assemble, i.e. experts, to put on the case, and find the proof needed. Mrs. Sparkman and her husband Kevin make an invaluable team, and her staff has also been instrumental in making sure to communicate and coordinate any information I may need, or questions I may have. I came upon Mrs. Sparkman while looking for a new attorney, and was referred to her by another lawyer I had called about my case, she had lost to Mrs. Sparkman in court, but had the respect for her to refer me to her. I feel truly blessed to have Shazia representing me in court. I don't think I could have found a more capable dedicated attorney anywhere. read more

My experience with "Sparkman & Sparkman" was excellent. Mrs. Sparkman, and her staff were excellent, and easy to talk too. Through the entire process I felt confident the information I received was truthful and honest. As a result my case came to an extremely successful conclusion. If you are seeking good customer service, and stellar business acumen I recommend "Sparkman & Sparkman". read more