For attorneys
I am a criminal lawyer
Apply in five minutes. Shawn teaches the method. Listings are flat-fee advertising, never a cut of a case.
The Bench · Criminal attorneys · Every state
FAMILIES NEED A CRIMINAL ATTORNEY.
NOT ANOTHER FAMILY COURT LAWYER.
Criminal lawyers work in the same courthouse. They just work with different actors — prosecutors, criminal judges, investigators — who follow a different set of rules. Families have paid family court lawyers for years. Almost none of them have talked to a lawyer who knows what a wire is and where a complaint goes. We are building that bench, state by state, trained in one method.
For families
I want a criminal attorney in my state
Tell us your state. Meg emails you when a vetted criminal attorney is listed there. Your email stays private.
Practice family law, custody, or divorce? Those boxes are on the application. If you are a teacher, nurse, officer, doctor, therapist, creator, or anyone else who wants to help, start at the coalition.
The clients you have never met
THE RECORD IS ALREADY BUILT.
Stand With Meg is the largest family-reported record of court-actor conduct in the country. Families document who did what, when, and what it cost them. The public report shows the pattern by state and by name once three unrelated families name the same person.
Most of these families have paid family lawyers for years. Very few have paid a criminal lawyer for one week. That is the gap you fill.
6,026
families on the record
51
states and D.C.
$1.0B
in reported family losses
410
public court actors at the three-family threshold
Family-reported submissions.
Why a criminal attorney
MOTIONS GO BACK TO THE SAME JUDGE. COMPLAINTS GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
The family court way
SAME COURTHOUSE.
FAMILY-COURT ACTORS.
Files motions to the same family-court judge
Works the family docket with the same judges, GALs, and evaluators
Paid by the hour to keep the case going
Outcome is a custody order that can be modified next year
One family, one case
The complaint way
SAME COURTHOUSE.
DIFFERENT ACTORS.
Sends a record to an outside agency: FBI, U.S. Attorney, state Attorney General, Medicaid fraud unit, licensing board
Works the criminal side of the same courthouse, with actors who follow criminal procedure
Paid to build one record and route it
Outcome is a dated record that survives the judge
One method, and the registry shows the pattern across families
The goal is not to win one custody case. It is to change who wants the job. Bad actors leave when there is exposure. Good lawyers come in when the work is public and paid. This framework is Shawn Lee’s theory of these cases, and nothing on this page is legal advice.
Where the need is
THE TEN STATES WITH THE MOST FAMILIES WAITING.
01
500
California
families on the record
18 asked for a criminal attorney
02
349
Texas
families on the record
15 asked for a criminal attorney
03
333
Florida
families on the record
15 asked for a criminal attorney
04
306
Ohio
families on the record
11 asked for a criminal attorney
05
279
Kansas
families on the record
7 asked for a criminal attorney
06
238
Missouri
families on the record
15 asked for a criminal attorney
07
228
North Carolina
families on the record
5 asked for a criminal attorney
08
191
New York
families on the record
10 asked for a criminal attorney
09
188
Michigan
families on the record
2 asked for a criminal attorney
10
181
Oklahoma
families on the record
3 asked for a criminal attorney
Every state is open. These are the ten where an attorney is needed first.
Not a lawyer? Families, this is your door.
Want a criminal attorney in your state?
Tell us your state. Your email stays private, the count of families waiting is what brings attorneys here, and Meg emails you when your state has one.
From application to listing
HOW THE BENCH WORKS.
01
Apply
Five minutes. Where you are licensed, what you practice, why you want this work, and the ground rules you agree to.
02
Meg checks standing
Every applicant is checked with the state bar. Discipline history, practice fit, and no court-appointed roles inside family court.
03
A conversation
A short call about what families in your state report, what a complaint engagement looks like, and what you can take on.
04
Training
Shawn Lee teaches the method: elements first, a dated log, labeled exhibits, a one-page summary, and the right door.
05
Listed
A flat-fee listing for your state, labeled as advertising. Families contact you through your own intake. Nobody pays per client.
What you get
A METHOD AND A DOOR.
- ✓ Training in the law-enforcement complaint method from a criminal trial attorney who uses it.
- ✓ A listing for your state that families find when they are done paying for motions.
- ✓ The state report: what families in your state say happened, in their words.
- ✓ A badge on your listing when you complete the training.
- ✓ A flat price you know before you sign. No surprises, no per-client math.
The rules we protect
TRUST COMES FIRST.
- · Licensed and in good standing. We check with the bar.
- · No court-appointed roles inside the family courts you are listed for.
- · Conflict check and your own fee agreement before any payment.
- · You never solicit families in the registry. They come to you.
- · No outcome promises, no legal advice in our content.
- · Flat advertising fee only. Never per client, never a share of a fee.
Before you apply
QUESTIONS, ANSWERED PLAINLY.
Is this a referral service?
No. A listing is flat-fee advertising, published before you sign, the same for every attorney in your state tier. You never pay per client, per lead, or a share of any fee, and Stand With Meg never receives legal fees. Families contact you directly.
Do I have to be a criminal lawyer?
Criminal defense, former prosecutors, federal practice, civil rights, and personal injury are the fit for a public listing. Family law, child custody, and divorce are on the application so Meg can see that practice. A public Bench listing is still for attorneys who can build a record for an outside agency and who do not take court-appointed family-court roles. Attorneys who want to help the wider mission, along with teachers, nurses, officers, doctors, and everyone else, join the coalition.
Do I need to be in Kansas or Missouri?
No. Shawn Lee is licensed in Kansas and Missouri, which is exactly why the Bench exists. Families in every other state have been getting a decline. The top-need states right now are listed above.
What does a listing cost?
Nothing to apply. Listings are a flat monthly advertising fee by state tier, published before you sign anything, with a founding rate for the first attorneys in each state. The price never changes because of how many families contact you.
What is the training?
Shawn Lee, a criminal trial attorney in Kansas City, teaches how he drafts law-enforcement complaints for family-court fact patterns: the elements, the documentation log, the exhibits, the statutes, the truthfulness declaration, and the agency the complaint goes to. Attorneys who complete it carry a badge on their listing.
Does a listing mean Stand With Meg endorses me or my results?
No. A listing means you cleared the vetting and agreed to the ground rules. Stand With Meg does not vet cases, does not promise outcomes, and does not give legal advice. Your own fee agreement and conflict check govern every engagement.
Can I appear on the show instead, or as well?
Yes. On the Record with Mandy hosts attorneys for general education segments. That is a separate door on the show site. Applying here does not book you on the show, and appearing on the show does not list you here.
Still unsure? Send Meg a message before applying, or read about the show at The Shawn Lee Report.
Apply in five minutes
YOUR STATE IS WAITING.
Where you are licensed, what you practice, why you want this work, and the ground rules you agree to. No fee, no obligation. Meg reads every one and checks standing with the state bar before anything is listed.
Open the application ↗Listings on the Bench are advertising. Stand With Meg receives no legal fees and no payment for any client. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by applying, being listed, or contacting a listed attorney. The complaint framework taught in the training is Shawn Lee’s professional reading of the statutes, not a prediction about any case.