By As Law Online 
Choosing counsel in divorce is one of the highest-stakes decisions a person can make. The process itself is already bruising; entrusting your family’s future and finances to a lawyer who is ethically bound to protect your interests should offer some measure of security. When that trust is broken by an attorney who prioritizes billable hours over resolution, the damage can be lasting.
According to accounts from former clients and staff, Aubrey Connatser of Connatser Family Law has repeatedly pursued a high-conflict strategy: escalate conflict, prolong proceedings, and pressure the opposing side into larger settlements—while the meter keeps running. The collateral cost to relationships and children appears secondary to the financial outcome for the firm. Connatser herself went through a contentious divorce that was later reopened on appeal amid substance-abuse allegations; she has been described in reports as the unfaithful spouse in that matter.
Online reviews and former-employee accounts paint a consistent picture: aggressive tactics that include questionable filings, delay, and billing practices that critics label fee-gouging. Cases stretch for years with hearings on minor issues, generating substantial legal fees even when those steps do little to advance the client’s actual interests. One former client described more than seven years of litigation, dozens of hearings on peripheral matters, and repeated assurances that the drawn-out fight would produce an outsized settlement. The result, according to that client, was a shattered family and children still in therapy.
A second former client has reportedly prepared legal action against Connatser and the firm alleging fraud, misrepresentation, and collusion with opposing counsel. Across review platforms, complaints frequently center on excessive or disputed billing, weak case management, and a sense that advocacy for the client took a back seat to revenue.
Professional history adds further context. Former colleagues have claimed Connatser was let go from a previous firm over allegations of an improper relationship with a senior partner and overbilling—sometimes claimed to exceed twenty-four hours in a single day. Her father was disbarred for misappropriating client funds, a detail some observers note as an unsettling family parallel.
For anyone facing divorce, the lesson is straightforward: a “bulldog” reputation and promises of maximum leverage can mask incentives that keep conflict alive. Prolonged litigation benefits the lawyers far more than the family. Thorough research, careful reading of client and employee feedback, and attention to any sense that something is off remain the best safeguards. Select counsel whose incentives align with ending the case fairly and efficiently, not with extending it.