Reviews

Marisa and her team helped me navigate through the legal process, gave thoughtful advice and provided clear direction. My case could have ended unsatisfactorily for me but, with Marisa's guidance and knowledge of the law, my case was resolved even better than I ever expected. She was able to address every concern and answer every question I had that gave me confidence we were moving in the right direction. I would highly recommend Marisa and her team.

Marisa was great to work with, very knowledgeable and reasonable in her recommendations. She provided balanced input and has a great demeanor. Would highly recommend.

Marisa and team were excellent! I hired Marisa as my consulting attorney during my divorce. She was very responsive in person and on email. She offered thoughtful guidance, accurate information, and presented clear options. She helped me prioritize issues and understand their impact. I never felt like she pushed me towards either uncomfortable compromise or unneeded conflict, but rather, encouraged a fair outcome for all while looking out for my interests as her client. She was careful with her time and my money, and I never felt that she suggested extra work just to bill me, but rather, she worked efficiently. She arranged coverage when she wasn’t available so that I always had support when needed.

Divorce is a difficult and intimidating experience and finding the right attorney to help navigate this territory is important. After interviewing a number of attorneys, I feel very fortunate to have ended up working with Marisa San Filippo! She is young, ambitious, smart, capable and with excellent communication skills! Marisa first of all worked with me as a consulting attorney through a long and difficult mediation process. When mediation bogged down, she became my full time attorney. Marisa had a realistic idea of what to expect in a divorce settlement. She understood the difficulties, nuances and personalities of those involved. She paid attention and followed up on complex details. She worked with accountants, understanding their spread sheets, and giving them direction as needed. She was good at presenting alternatives and strategies for negotiation and she helped to move things forward when resolutions were difficult to achieve. It was very helpful that Marisa and her assistants, where readily available by email or phone to answer questions or give guidance. She combined a good mix of empathy, confidence, intellectual sharpness and toughness when needed. Her fees never seemed inflated and she worked dilligently to help me reach a fair and reasonable settlement. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a family law attorney.

On the advice of a partner at a competing firm, it was strongly suggested that I retain Marisa San Filippo in a paternity matter that was potentially challenging. Marisa represented me well beyond my expectations and provided the kind of counsel and guidance one needs and wants, as well as lending a compassionate and sympathetic ear when that was needed. When picking an attorney, we often want to hire a named partner, but hearing from a peer counselor that Marisa is the one to hire after understanding the situation went a long way to convince me that she was the right lawyer. Add to it the rapid and professional support of her paralegal, and how well they worked as a team with me and the accountants created a calm and professional tone surrounding a matter that could have become highly charged. Marisa's client side manner is one her strongest attributes, that and her almost always switched on communications mode. She listens and reads what you share, and offers feedback in a no nonsense way, explaining the law, the process and the route to the best outcome so its easily understood. As someone who has worked with other very savvy attorneys in business, finding Marisa was a very lucky strike, and without question the best route to have taken. Her briefs and submissions are clear and concise and most of all, able to be comprehended. Her knowledge of case law and current trends only adds to her skills. If you need a family law attorney, look no farther. Marisa won't be an associate for long, as she's got star partner written all around her.

Marisa represented me in custody dispute involving my young daughter. I was continually impressed with Marisa's legal acumen, strategic thinking, grasp of the nuances of my situation, and combination of toughness and compassion in successfully reaching a settlement that was in the best interests of my daughter's emotional well being. Specifically, Marisa advised me on my custodial rights as a father as well as my financial obligations. I was very concerned with creating a custody plan that gave me sufficient time with my daughter but I also wanted a plan that was the best thing for my daughter's emotional well being and development. Marisa brought in a third party expert on childhood development and together we crafted a proposal that met my needs that was also the right thing for my daughter. Marisa has a strong grasp of family law both in terms of custodial rights and financial obligations. She was able to clearly articulate the relevant law to my case and it was obvious she was well versed in how the Family Law courts operated in both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Marisa demonstrated superior strategic thinking in how to best achieve our goals. She consistently explained the various ways the process could play out and advised me on which actions to take (or not take) to get the best long term result. Marisa was generally very responsive to emails and phone calls. There were multiple times that I requested in person and phone meetings with short notice and she accommodated me. She did get busy with some other matters for a couple of weeks and was less responsive than normal but all and all she was very responsive through the settlement process. Finally, custody disputes involving children can be emotional. Marisa demonstrated a good balance of empathy for the emotional elements of the matter and toughness in getting the right long term result. Marisa did a great job for me and I definitely recommend her.

As a client, I appreciated Marisa strong support, attention to detail, legal expertise and depth of knowledge, as well as her professionalism throughout the process. I firmly believe that it would have been exceedingly more challenging, had I not been working with an attorney of her caliber, who is insightful, competent and caring. I would highly recommend Marisa as an attorney of record to others in need of legal counsel. I'm confident they would be equally pleased.