Reviews

Melissa and Ruthie were like working with family. They truly cared about what was happening in my situation, explained everything thoroughly, and treated me with much respect. I also appreciated the "Divorce 101" emails, as well as the reminders and suggestions. I would recommend this firm to anyone who wants to be treated fairly, and at a fair cost.

Melissa Kleminski-Bower, at Stewart Law Group was great. She is very nice and always answered my questions throughout the divorce process.

Melissa Bower, with Stewart Law Group, was my lawyer throughout my almost two year long divorce battle. When I came to her, she didn’t sugar coat anything and was completely upfront and honest with me. She informed me that getting “sole custody” of my children was going to be an uphill battle and it was. Melissa was by my side every step of the way. She was always available to answer any questions and address any concerns. It was a very long road with a lot of ups and downs due to my ex’s unreasonable behavior. In the end, I was awarded physical placement and sole legal decision making authority of my children and my ex received supervised parenting time and has been ordered to pay me back a portion of my attorney fees. Melissa knew my case inside and out. She owned my case as if she was fighting for the safety of her own children. She was brilliant each time we went in front of the judge. I will never be able to thank her enough for all that she has done for my children and I. I have and will continue to recommend her and Stewart Law Group to everyone. She is absolutely amazing!

The Stewart Law Group, especially Melissa Bower, was fantastic in handling my divorce case. She was sensitive to my emotional needs through this tough process regarding my children and finances. She was detailed, organized, and knowledgeable with regards to family law. I highly recommend her and their services to guide anyone through the divorce process.

Jessica is an excellent attorney. I was involved in an extremely high conflict custody dispute that went all the way to a final hearing. Jessica made sure all my concerns were addressed and intelligently argued my case. I was thrilled with the final ruling in my case and feel Jessica's approach played a crucial part in obtaining that ruling. Conversely, my ex's attorney was extremely aggressive and unprofessional, sending an endless barrage of letters that contained empty threats and baseless demands. Jessica only responded to what was necessary and did not inflate my bill with hours spent on needless bickering. In the end, I was awarded 50/50 parenting time and joint custody (considering I'm a man, I am very grateful for that decision). While an attorney can't change the facts of a custody case, they can make sure the proper facts are presented to the court, diligently challenge and disprove false allegations/forged evidence, and (as much as folks in high conflict disputes hate to hear this) talk down their clients in moments of frustration so as to not exasperate the situation. Like anyone who feels their parenting rights (and even basic human rights) are being violated by an ex hiding behind his or her attorney, at times I wanted to fight "fire with fire" and retaliate aggressively to allegations and demands I knew to be false, unfair, and completely inappropriate. Jessica wisely reminded me of the bigger picture and, more importantly, the impact increased conflict might have on my child. In retrospect, this approach was absolutely the right decision in my case and, as cliche as it might sound, in the end "justice was served." If you want to get back at your ex by paying an attorney to be your arm of harassment, then I'd recommend someone else. If, however, you care about your child's future and want an attorney who is going to present a very convincing argument on your behalf, I could not recommend Jessica more highly. Once the dust settles, and your custody/divorce dispute is over, you'll come to realize the only two things that really matter are 1.) what the court decides in the final ruling, and 2.) how much it cost you. Based on those two criteria Jessica is one the best attorneys I had the pleasure of retaining (and I've retained half a dozen, in several states regarding my case). She helped me win a decision I feel is fair and best for my daughter and she billed me in an extremely ethically manner. I will always be grateful to Jessica and I know when my child is old enough to appreciate having her father in her life, she will also be thankful of the amazing work Jessica did for our family. Highly recommended!

I can some up my experience with the Scott David Stewart firm in a word; fantastic. Melissa Bower walked me through every step throughout the entire process. It was her direction and drive that made the case a success. She made me feel like we were a team, and not just another client. She was professional, personable, and down right used her boxing gloves when she needed to. Even though I live across the country she always answered and responded to my emails in a reasonable amount of time. I never felt ignored. I wish Melissa, and the Scott David Stewart law firm, nothing but the best for the future. I know if I run into any situations when I need a family attorney I will give them a call. Paul

I found Jessica Cotter after being milked for thousands by a previous attorney for my Child Custody case. I was angry at lawyers when I walked into her office, but I knew I needed a new one to go forward. I walked into the office for my meeting with Jessica very skeptical, expecting to be fed lines of BS and asked for an outrageous amount of money. Boy, was I in for a shock! The staff was friendly from the beginning. Jessica came in, met with me and was very straight and to the point. She talked to me in a language I understood: No bullish!t, just the facts and no promises. She is a straight shooter. If you can't handle someone telling you like it is and not coddling you, then she is not the attorney for you. If you like the truth, realistic view of your case with the experience of working in the courts in several capacities, then this is your lawyer! Not only did she put me at ease with her demeanor, she has backed it up so far too. My case is still ongoing, but so far her and her staff have been amazing and very responsive. She won't tell you what you want to hear, she'll tell you the reality and what she'll do to get the best outcome for you. She comes to court prepared! I could only laugh in court as the other party's lawyer was unprepared and uninformed, but Jessica knew my case every way possible! Worried about her per hour billing? She has been cheaper the 8 weeks I've retained her, then the previous 'Flat fee' attorney that I hired before charged me in 3 weeks. Her office does not nickel-n-dime you. They use common sense in the billings, even not charging you for mistakes on their end that create extra communication back-n-forth to get documents correct for court. I HIGHLY recommend Jessica Cotter and her staff. Having to go through a stressful child custody situation with a knowledgable, friendly, straight shooter like Jessica has been stress relieving beyond measure! Jessica and staff: THANK YOU!

I have never been so embarrassed by such an unprofessional , unladylike attorney in all my years. Ms. Cotter does not have the decency to corporate with anyone as an adult . Dealing with custody is already a difficult situation . Her demeanor does not make matters better. In fact, I would say that due to her lack of continuity and follow through she made matters much worse. And there is a price tag to show for it. I will never recommend Ms. Cotter even to my worst enemy.

Jessica is a straight-shooter and a total professional. She's honest, highly competent and I would recommend her to anyone needing legal services. The rest of her staff are also friendly and professional.

It’s one thing to be right, to know you’re right. It’s another to actually prove it in court and make the judge believe you. Jessica did just that. Because of her efforts in court I was vindicated. And on a personal note this vindication has actually helped restore relationships in my life. Relationships I thought were severed forever. I appreciated Jessica’s ability to hear my side, believe it and prove it. Hopefully I’m never be put in that position again but if I were, I would not hesitate calling on Jessica and her team for help again.

Jessica is a true professional and she will fight for you in the court room. She will analyze your case and give you the best advice on how she think she can best represent you in court. I provided her with calendars, documentaions from schools, doctors, emails, etc. I worked hard to provide the essential documents in order for Jessica to be successful. She used the information in a manner which kept the other side on the defense. She will give you straight talk and not a bunch of nonsense so that you will become a client. Her entire staff is professional, helpful, and makes the process a smooth as possible. Since I have hired Jessica, we have been successful on two seperate court hearings. I gained additional time with my daughter each time, gained 50% legal custody, three weekends in a month, child support reduced twice, and the other party found in contempt. I would not think of hiring anyone else other than Jessica. If you are looking for a good lawyer to represent you in court, don't hesitate to give Jessica's office a call.

Jessica was very eager to take on our case, told us "YES YES YES" to just about everything we wanted. We had great evidence to back us up too. Once she got our $5000 retainer, she waited till the last minute to process everything and eventually it was like pulling teeth to get her to fight for us. She got our money waited till the last minute, then gave up because we didn't want to pay her any more. We paid her almost $7000, to gain nothing for our children. She had us process some documents, charged us to retype them, then she never submitted them to the courts. Made us look very bad! She will nickel and dime you for everything. It's $30 dollars just to READ an email. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND JESSICA. We found her online because we were in a hurry and her reviews seemed ok. DON"T BE FOOLED! Go with a lawyer who will help you for one lump sum, no matter what happens! Above all you can be certain, the only ones that win in court are the LAWYERS!