No Counsel, No Help, No Justice: What Happens When the Family Court System Targets the Poor
“They’ve built a system where you can’t win unless you have money or connections. If you’re poor, they’ll take your kid, your rights, and then charge you for it.” — William H. Sewell
Introduction: When Poverty Becomes a Legal Disability
What happens when a father can’t afford a $25,000 Guardian ad Litem (GAL) fee? What happens when that same father is denied legal aid, ignored by the state attorney general, and left to navigate the family court system alone—while facing jail time?
You get William Sewell.
This part of the series explores the systemic roadblocks that trap poor parents like William in a cycle of punishment, silencing, and judicial indifference. It’s not just about injustice—it’s about who the system was built to serve.
The Legal Labyrinth: Three Attorneys, No Advocacy
William was represented—on paper—by three attorneys. In practice, each failed him.
Kate Schmutz, hired with $5,000 from William’s stepfather, never filed key motions and allegedly misrepresented his case in early hearings.
Jonathan Lewis, paid $7,500 by William’s stepmother, allegedly left behind a box of disorganized documents and no strategy. His performance, William says, bordered on negligent.
William Clifford, a retired Navy JAG officer with decades of experience, accepted nearly $11,000 but never conducted proper discovery or cross-examination. He claimed the case was too complex to prepare for, despite months of lead time. He still has this alleged box of disorganized documents he is holding hostage from William.
“Clifford told me he’d go through the banker’s box of files. But he never did. And when we got to court, he was winging it.”
Each attorney was paid. None of them helped. All of them left William closer to losing his child.
The Clerk, the Court, and the Culture of Silence
William turned to the Clerk of Court for help understanding how to file motions and navigate his pro se status. He says he was met with confusion at best—and obstruction at worst.
“I asked them how to submit a request for a continuance. They said they couldn’t help me. I asked for a form. They said it didn’t exist.”
This lack of transparency is no accident. It reflects a deeper reality: South Carolina’s family court system was not built for people like William.
Retaliation and the Attorney General’s Office
Hoping for intervention, William emailed the South Carolina Attorney General, detailing his concerns about misconduct by the GAL and his ex-wife’s attorneys. Rather than investigate, the AG’s office allegedly forwarded William’s complaint to the opposing counsel.
“They didn’t help. They ratted me out.”
Afterward, William says the retaliation increased. He was warned not to contact agencies. Motions he filed were ignored. His witnesses backed out. It felt like he was making things worse by trying to fight back and assert his rights.
The Process Server and the Breaking Point
One of the clearest signs of systemic failure came when a process server entered William’s home without permission, left paperwork on the floor, and later filed proof of service.
“I wasn’t home. No one was. That’s breaking and entering.”
This single act enabled a chain of hearings and custody rulings that should never have occurred. Yet the court accepted the fraudulent service—and punished William for someone breaking into his home.
A Justice System for Sale
This isn’t just William’s story. It’s the experience of thousands of poor and working-class parents who:
Can’t afford private attorneys
Are denied legal aid for family court cases
Are punished for asserting their rights
Are labeled “uncooperative” for filing pro se motions
South Carolina—and much of the country—treats custody as a civil matter but with criminal-like consequences, such as jail for contempt or child removal without due process.
And if you’re poor? The system can charge you thousands for the privilege of losing your child.
What Needs to Change
Mandate legal counsel for indigent parents facing custody loss or contempt threats
Reform GAL payment structures to prevent extortion and unlimited billing
Ensure court staff assist pro se litigants with basic procedural rights
Punish improper service and document fraud with the same vigor as missed deadlines
Hold state AGs accountable when they enable retaliation instead of oversight
Final Words
“They told me justice was blind. But she sees money just fine. If I had cash, I’d have my kid. That’s the truth.” — William H. Sewell
This is Part 6 in our ongoing series, “Court of Ruin: The William Sewell Files.”
Michael Phillips is a writer, father, and advocate for family court reform. He is the founder of the REBUILT Justice Project and editor-in-chief of The Republic Dispatch and Father & Co.
All claims in this article are based on the personal experiences and allegations made by William H. Sewell. This article includes opinions and reporting based on interviews, court documents, and publicly available information. Any named parties are presumed innocent of any wrongdoing unless proven otherwise.
Obviously this is not just happening out of one state. He had money and paid attorneys. Those of us fighting this systemic corruption out of Southern California (including other honest attorneys) have had the exact same experience. These are not oversights of attorneys and it's not just happening to poor people. He had money and he paid his three attorneys. These attorneys are not just mishandling things. I believe this is Rico as has been in my situation in Probate Court that my family ended up in as a result of corrupt attorneys. This is not negligence. My friend who was found dead from bullet to her head on January 13th at the young age of 45 had the same thing happened to her with her kids taken from her after her husband who came from a very wealthy family was found dead at 42. She had his body on a hold for an autopsy and he was cremated. They then orchestrated The taking of her kids from her, having her disinherited and putting the kids trusts under their control. She was concerned her kids would end up dead as well. Although my uncle and mother were attorneys who both died at the hands of attorneys out of Southern California who had very strategically planned to embezzle their estates, as a whistleblower in my family, I have been under attack for over 7 years by attorneys. Every person in Southern California connected to the same players have all had the exact same thing happen to them. It's a Godsend that Trump is in office and investigating the American Bar Association which will show the incestuous corruption between all of these entities connected to family and probate court. I'm just curious if the opposing party side in this case did have more money. It wouldn't make sense for them to be putting this much energy into this unless there was money involved because that's what this all stems from.
Sewell needs to send letters to each of his 3 former attorneys demanding his retainer fees back for their failure to perform their fiduciary duties as attorneys and properly represent him zealously to protect his fundamental rights--which they did not! In the letters, he needs to strongly state if the money IS NOT RETURNED within 5 business days, he will be filing ethics complaints against each attorney for their failure to represent him, they stole his money for what can only be termed as shoddy work, if any work at all, and that they were incompetent. Also, in his letters he would need to cite criminal statutes for theft by fraud, theft by deception, theft for failure to perform services, and whatever other South Carolina criminal statutes can be used in a like manner. He then should also state he will sue them. Based on the amounts they each took from him, it looks like he can sue them in S.C. Small Claims court depending on the maximum statutory amounts that court allows. In South Carolina, Magistrate Courts, which function as small claims courts, have a jurisdictional limit of $7,500.00 or less. If the claim exceeds this amount, you would need to file in the Circuit Court (formerly Common Pleas Court).