Reviews

I initially hired Rachel Silverman of VSB to represent me in my divorce 6 years ago and was impressed with her services as she helped me to obtain a settlement that I could be happy with. A few years later, I needed to hire her again to deal with my ex-husband's refusal to continue required payments, which was in violation of the original divorce agreement. Rachel helped me to come to a good resolution of the most recent case against my ex, and I loved what she was able to accomplish despite the fact of how difficult it is to work with my ex! Recently, my ex even went as far as to provide a review on Rachel and her firm despite the fact that he wasn't even a client which makes absolutely no sense! If you are considering using Rachel and VSB I would disregard my ex's review as it doesn't apply to how hard Rachel and VSB work for their clients.

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this firm. I recently went through a divorce, and I felt so safe and cared for by Scott Braybrooke and Rachel Silverman. They were always so quick to respond, and handled my questions with such compassion and clarity. During an emotionally stressful time, I really felt like they cared about my specific situation and always advised me with my best interests in mind.

It takes something exceptional for me to leave a review for anything, and my experience with Michael Goldstein has been truly life changing. He and his team are the ultimate professionals with a personal touch. He is THE VERY BEST THERE IS and is MY ATTORNEY FOR LIFE. He has handled a number of situations for my family, and he consistently handled each one the same way - EXCEPTIONALLY! Mr. Goldstein is very generous with his time and gives wonderful advice because he really cares about you. We have prevailed against the toughest of adversaries and have won each and every time. I recently had a situation that was very traumatic for my family to go through, and Mr. Goldstein & his team really went the extra mile and made us feel that they had our back and really understood what we were going through, physically and emotionally. We had peace of mind and 100% confidence that we were in the right hands. Great communication, a great proactive approach to righting a wrong that had happened to us, extraordinary in navigating the legal system, quick responses to all of our questions, adapted to unpredictable situations like a best friend would, and finalized a settlement to get us compensation as fast as possible. Final result was life changing and far above anything we could have expected. THANK YOU!

I recently settled a 3-year long divorce case against my ex-wife who has been represented by Rachel Silverman for the last many years. The settlement was extremely favorable for me, so this is written not as an embittered loser but as someone who witnessed what seemed to be bad representation in my opinion, one in which the lawyers ended up with almost all the money, leaving my ex-wife with pennies on the dollar. Take my review it with a grain of salt if you wish; it is just my opinion and, given that the attorney used her relationships in the community to build trust in the South Bay, it just seems some caution should be warranted. I explain below. The facts of the case were that my income significantly reduced 2 years after our initial divorce settlement almost 5 years ago. I indicated to my ex-wife that my income had reduced and I asked for some patience while I got things back on track. I continued to pay a high percentage of my monthly requirements, just couldn't pay 100% of it. Sadly, my ex re-hired Rachel (who had represented her during the initial settlement) to come after me. While I was not the perfect defendant (slowly providing the requested documentation because I was just too busy to spend the days on the tens of thousands of documents requested unnecessarily), I provided all the materials needed to prove that my income had reduced. Despite thousands and thousands of pages of tax returns, Quickbooks files, bank records, credit card records, pay stubs I was forced to hand over, they simply would not believe that my income had reduced, even writing that in their final briefs to the court explaining their unwillingness to settle. During the months and years after which they had access to all the records they needed to know that my income had reduced, not once did Rachel ever acknowledge my new situation, instead continuing to file motions to compel even more documents and seek sanctions, at a high cost to my ex wife and our children. It took me filing two RFOs against my ex to essentially bring the case to a head. Each RFO cost my ex perhaps tens of thousands of dollars, but Rachel still didn't advocate for a settlement. They had the tax returns, they had the Quickbooks files, they had the pay stubs, they had the bank records. Proof was easy to see. Throughout the three years, I had repeatedly told both Rachel and my ex that there was no extra money and that I had no intention of ditching any of my obligations--I had never missed or objected to a single payment until my income reduction. Yet almost three years later and $50,000 spent by my ex wife on Rachel, it took a mandatory settlement judge screaming at Rachel and my ex, pointing out the that my ex would never receive her lawyers fees and should have stopped receiving spousal support two years ago and would not receive nearly the amount Rachel was asking for to end the ridiculous case. Strangely, Rachel seemed to believe she would be awarded her fees, too. Because she wasn't, my ex sadly had to pay it. It hurts me to know that two years of college savings funds were spent on Rachel. I can't ever know or even claim to know what was going through Rachel's (or my ex's heads) during the case, and it is quite possible that my ex was driving this despite objections by Rachel, but this case should have been stopped years ago when it became apparent that my income had actually reduced as I had claimed and proved. So, while I respect Rachel's doggedness (she does know the law, and it was scary for me as I decided to represent myself when I didn't want to waste fees on lawyers), to see the judge literally scream at her and my ex was a sight to be seen. In the end, Rachel got almost 70% of the money my ex was awarded, which was only about 1/3 of what I would otherwise have had to pay. So, not a good result for my ex. It saddens me tremendously that so much money was wasted and that my ex ended up with 10 cents on the dollar. Rachel does have skills, but it looked from the outside that she massively misread this case and thought she'd be awarded fees.

Mr. Scott Braybrooke is a zealous advocate, with a very high level of knowledge in personal injury law. His combination of high legal acumen, strong negotiation skills, and attention to clients make him a lawyer I would strongly recommend to anyone in need of representation. He is well versed in the law and is the lawyers that other lawyers go to for help. He takes the time to explain everything, in details, follows up to make sure you understand, and never leaves you with any doubt. I endorse Mr. Scott Braybrooke.

Smart, professional, highly skilled attorney. I had the pleasure of working with Scott Braybrooke and I can’t say enough about his skills, knowledge and dedication. He is one of the smartest people I have met. He just knows exactly what to do and what to expect from the other side. He is the lawyer that lawyers go to for help. He is also just a great person. He took his time explaining every detail. He kept in touch with us every step of the way and always said it how it was. I highly recommend Scott and his firm. Our case successfully ended some time ago but I still call him for advice on many things.

This review is loooong overdue! I first contacted Diane four years ago, after having spent much time researching family law attorneys and comparing reviews, pricing and Attorney’s personality & feedback on our initial call. After my consultation and speaking with her a couple times after (still at no cost), I knew this is who I needed on my side. Her level of expertise, professionalism, devotion, responsiveness, honesty (Optimistic...yet realistic), invaluable advice and down-to-earth personality is like no other. She is so personable and easy to talk to. Immediately feel comfortable discussing such unpleasant, intimate topics such are issues in your family. Non-judgmental, impartial and genuinely compassionate. I’ve worked with several attorneys on other matters in the past, and I can tell you that Diane has blown them all out of the water! By far the best Attorney I’ve ever worked with. A true Master of her Craft. Often times attorneys are solely focused on profit, charge for any time spent on a call/email/text, advise, etc. and once you hire them you find, they lack the devotion and responsiveness you need from them. There have been times I emailed her panicked about new findings, and she literally has called me within MINUTES and put me at ease with her logic and analysis of facts. She is honest and a straight shooter, who will not over-promise, yet has always delivered. I am so appreciative to have found her and have her on my side during these tough times in my life. She will put you FIRST and give you a sense of importance and genuine devotion that is hard to find. I personally vouch for Diane and HIGHLY RECOMMEND for any of your family law needs.Look no further, this is who you need on your side!

No nonsense No BS

Working with Diane as a mediator / lawyer was a relief during a very contentious period in my life. She was incredibly patient and listened to the needs of both of us, even when it became uncomfortable. Her willingness to hear both sides and negotiate amicably are the reason that we were able to accomplish the goal at hand. I would recommend Diane as one who is organized, determined and willing to mediate both sides of a discussion. Thank you, Diane! Bijan G.

What's better than marmalade? Marmolejo! I hired Diane and found her extremely responsive, knowledgeable and at no cost for my multiple meetings, emails and calls. I had interviewed 8 attorneys prior to selecting Diane based on price, service and “vibe”. I liked Diane and always felt comfortable and that she was on my side. Also, Diane went out of her way to ping other attorneys on subjects outside of her AOC (area of competence), which was very nice of her. Based on my experience…an easy 5 stars is warranted.

Clarity, compassion and understanding. When you are dealing with the insanity of a car accident and the even more insane insurance companies, you need someone who can help you make the best decisions possible (as they potentially will effect the remainder of your life). Scott Braybrooke was an invaluable asset to this process offering clarity, kindness and balance. He helped me to achieve a settlement that was fair, timely and more than appropriate. He carefully and patiently helped me weight the pros and cons of each choice I had to make all the while taking ME into consideration through the entire process. I could not have done it without him.

I was seriously injured in a car wreck over Christmas when a loved one called Mike. He was very kind and compassionate while advising me. Mike explained the process and was always polite and direct, as was his staff. The legal system moves at a glacial pace, but Mike kept things moving. Also, he’s not the type to knuckle under with a bad offer. I was never uncomfortable nor was I talked down to. Mike is super chill and respected my goals as a client. He is an intelligent, highly competent, and motivated attorney. Mike is thorough and willing to exhaust all options. He not only met my expectations, he exceeded them. I would highly recommend him to everyone.