Clark Nelson & Burton, PLLC

Customer Experience Summary: Appreciate great attorney Michelle Burton, will use this service again if I need legal help. Clear, concise, thorough, and well argued. Invoices were also clear and easy to see where all work is charged to. If I ever have need of a lawyer again this is where I'll start. EVERYTHING WAS GREAT. AWSOME TO WORK WITH IN A TIME OF NEED. MICHELE IS VERY PROFESSIONAL AND WENT THE EXTRA MILE FOR MY FAMILY. THANK YOU AMAZING!!! Michele was literally the best. I had a situation where I was facing a misdemeanor traffic charge, and it was my first ever violation. I found Michele through Google, and she was amazing! From day one, she was super easy to talk to, and very understanding about my situation. On the backend, she did everything possible to make sure I was prepared for court! With her background of working with the county and prosecution, she was able to bring my charge down VERY easily and quickly. I would highly recommend her!! I have had a WONDERFUL experience with Michele Burton, who has been absolutely incredible in handling my traffic case. She was honest, kind, professional, and above all, provided the best outcome I could have asked for. Highly recommended! I had a great experience with Ms. Burton. They were incredibly compassionate and made me feel supported throughout the process. Their knowledge of family law was clear in every step they guided me through. They balanced empathy with strong, strategic legal insight. I highly recommend them to anyone seeking a caring and truly knowledgeable advocate. Ms. Michelle Burton was good in presenting my father’s case and very professional. She handled all matters in a professional manner. Happy with the outcome. I would use her business firm again. Mrs. Clark-Nelson is a very compassionate, caring and patient professional. I was explained every detail, given choices and respected my decisions. I didn't feel alone during the process because Mrs. Clark-Nelson was just a phone call away, no matter the hour, patiently listening to me. She handled the case like it was the most important case she ever had and made me feel heard, seen and valued. The office staff always made sure to deliver my messages and concerns to her in a timely manner. I couldn't have been represented by a better lawyer and am thankful to have them in my corner. I will always recommend their office to everyone who needs an excellent attorney. I am incredibly grateful for the representation I received from Clark Nelson & Burton, PLLC. My attorney, Michele Burton was instrumental in helping me secure an emergency hearing when my ex-wife attempted to relocate out of state with my son. From the very beginning, she acted with urgency, professionalism, and a clear understanding of how high the stakes were. She guided me through a very stressful situation with calm, clarity, confidence, and ultimately helped me reach a favorable agreement that increased my visitation time compared to the prior order. Protecting my relationship with my son meant everything to me, and her advocacy made that possible. Throughout the process, she was responsive, thorough, and respectful, always ensuring I understood my options and felt prepared. I highly recommend Clark Nelson & Burton to anyone in need of knowledgeable, compassionate, and effective family law representation. I am updating my original review and will continue to do so to reflect additional details about my experience with Attorney Shaniqua Clark Nelson. I scheduled a consultation with Ms. Clark Nelson through the Virginia Lawyer Referral Service because her background as both a former prosecutor and a defense attorney suggested she would be equipped to evaluate potential civil rights violations. The first appointment was a no-show. I waited more than 25 minutes, and her assistant contacted me five minutes before the session was scheduled to end to ask if I could join then. This occurred despite multiple voicemails and emails stating that my matter was time-sensitive, and I did not receive a response until I followed up again. At the rescheduled consultation, I explained the circumstances I believed at the time were contributing to my destabilization. I told Ms. Clark Nelson that I had come across the murder of six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume nearly a year and a half after it happened, and that seeing a child with my name who had been stabbed twenty-six times — the age I was that year — immediately unsettled me. I also told her that I learned of my father’s glioblastoma diagnosis during the same period. These were the associations I made at the time, even though I now understand they represented only a small part of a much larger decline. I then laid out the core legal facts of my case clearly and directly: No warrant was presented when I was taken from my home. I was told I was not under arrest, yet was transported and booked. I was denied access to legal counsel despite asking repeatedly. An EMT took my phone from my dresser and attempted to unlock it using Face ID. I was booked and committed without my contact lenses and could not see what I was signing. I was placed in four-point restraints for more than twelve hours across two incidents and injected while restrained. I was held for 24 days at Dominion Hospital after the first detainment. I was held for 7 days at Poplar Springs after the second detainment. I was later given the name of a police officer who does not exist. Surveillance footage was never obtained. Body-camera footage has been withheld for nearly a year. Hospital and police staff initially described both detainments as one continuous event, then later contradicted themselves. My public defender failed to present key evidence. I did not expect a complete legal strategy in one session, but I did expect engagement. Instead, the consultation felt limited and disconnected. Ms. Clark Nelson did not ask clarifying questions about the timeline or potential constitutional violations. During the call, someone entered her office, and her attention shifted to them rather than the consultation. The interruption halted what little momentum existed. When I explained that I was still extremely destabilized about a month after my first 24-day hospitalization, and that the comment I regretted had been raised in my criminal case, she asked, “What did you say?” with no focus on its legal relevance. I was hesitant to answer, and when I did, it felt less like an attempt to understand the legal context and more like an attempt to find a disqualifying detail. She stated that the police actions and the medical issues would be treated as separate cases, and then added that medical malpractice is difficult to pursue, without offering any further explanation or guidance. The issue is not that Ms. Clark Nelson declined representation. The issue is that the consultation did not resemble a thorough or meaningful legal evaluation. Her handling of the consultation left me discouraged enough that I did not seek further representation for several months afterward. Between the no-show, the communication delays despite documented urgency, the lack of substantive engagement, and the absence of any real analysis, I did not feel my case was ever genuinely reviewed. I will continue updating this review to document my experience fully.