Reviews

We paid $3500 Two years later, the international divorce process is still not complete and my calls are not being answered. They don’t answer or return my calls. I asked the court myself and was told my paperwork was incomplete. The paperwork was not done properly they are not willing to do their job. I am really disappointed. You should not use John and pat

Forgot court dates, failed to file documents, provided me documents for someone elses case and left them in my electronic file to read (If I had chosen to), had multiple meetings to go over the same thing without corrections in errors noted previously and in writing. If you dont care much about your case, this is your law firm. If I could select less than 1 star, I would.

I have used for my needs two separate occasions. He was the third one that I had tried to help my with a ex husband who felt he didn’t need to pay me 23 years of marriage. John took care of it quickly and represented me and got me my pride back and the money I needed to start my life over. Pat his assistant was always immediately on task when John was in court I felt supported and that he truly cared. The second time I remarried and sadly my new husband passed away after a few years. I needed papers from previous marriage I thought I would never need again and John answered the phone and took care of it immediately. I no longer lived in Sacramento and it was time sensitive. Again he cared he listened to me and helped me w my needs quickly! I recommend John Montero due to his professionalism and he got me results when the other two lawyers did nothing . Thank you! My life was forever changed due to him!

I wouldn’t even give one star, that was the only option. Avoid this man at all costs. He’s an ambulance chaser and that’s it. I’ve been billed for work he’s never done, threatened by supposing counsel because he didn’t file. Try getting him on the phone and when you do, he rushed me off. I accepted a bad deal, fired him and got a great attorney. He had no idea what he’s doing and his very limited office staff is an angry person. Do not hire him!!

I left a highly dangerous situation for the benefit and safety of myself and kids. I wouldn't have had the strength and peace of mind if it wasn't for John and Pat. The legalities of my situation were unique, but they were able to help me navigate through it for the most benefical outcome for my family. I also know that my children will be looked after with John and Pat on their side. The focus of their practice is to protect those that cannot protect themselves in a world that is mostly unfair, but with people such as this awesome duo making sure the kids out here are safe, then there are a few more young lives in this world that will start out great thanks to them.

John Montero was extremely helpful and knowledgeable with family law case. He did his research and came out on top. He put my anxiety at easeand is very well versed in family law. I would definitely recommend him to anyone.

I hired John Montero after endless headaches with my divorce in which my ex was hiding a considerable amount of our assetts. I made it VERY clear to John that I had a certain amount of funding to finish the divorce with. Before money had exchanged hands at all he said that this was fine and if needed, would set me up on a payment plan for whatever I was not able to pay upfront. Within the first two months, this dollar amount was over $5000 to him along with another $5000 for a forensic accountant that I needed. I again brought up that I am not made of money and simply demanding thousands of dollars per month on a case that has had no progress in two months was simply not realistic. He agreed and then set me up on a payment plan. I made the first month and second month payment to him in advance. I was over a month ahead on his own payment plan. I then received a phone call from him less than 2 weeks later demanding payment in full for the entire bill along with the most unprofessional letter I have ever received in my life about what a terrible client I was and a nonpaying deadbeat. To this day, I have no idea what this was about. But basically what I am left with is a trial date that I now have to go to alone because my attorney simply would not follow through on his end of things. You have to be able to trust that your attorney has your best interests in mind. In my case it became quite evident that John was simply going to "get what he could" from his client and walk away from the case. In the end, we have to pay a tremendous amount to get through a divorce financially and to have an attorney try go get every last penny you have to your name, including the very money you survive on each month, just to walk when they are sure they can get no more, without so much as going to trial to complete your case. I can not suggest to anyone to go to John Montero for the above reasons. For the $15,000 bill that was racked up by his office for me, not a single court order for financial orders was challenged or upheld by this attorney. EVERY phone call was asking for more and more money while accomplishing nothing, and more importantly, not sticking to his own payment plan agreement after he had already received over ten thousand dollars from me over the course of two months. I urge people to shop around a great deal before choosing an attorney. The financial burden is enough already without having an attorney that is simply trying to get every possible dime you have and not following through with their own agreements in the end. Because even after you pay thousands of dollars, you will still be nowhere further in your divorce if they can not follow through with their job. In my case, this has been a 3 1/2 year long divorce with no end in site and over $40,000 out of my pocket during this time to attorneys who simply are in it to get what they can from you and then drop you the second they cannot collect $5-10k per month from your case. I have kept my personal views on his practices out of this review because, quite frankly, they are not relevant here. What is relevant is that he simply will not do what you pay hard earned money for and will not even stand up for his own word.

I am very pleased that I chose John to represent me. John is friendly, knowledgable and explains clearly what the processes are and how the case might go. Excellent, I highly recommend John to anyone who needs a professional confident lawyer.

We are so very Pleased with John and Pat! We have been going thru a child custody case since the 90's which has been a constant character assassination against my husband and myself. With constant mediation reports in my husbands favor however while in front of the judge the petitioner would twist and manipulate the truth, ending with my husband and the children feeling let down buy the courts. We happened to stumble upon John's name while searching for a family attorney and when I called the office( after calling around and only getting receptionist at the end each time). I found Mr. Montero directly and he took the time to speak to me understanding of everything I was explaining. I did see he had a negative report in 2010 but had a really good feeling about him when we hung up, I knew he was going to be our attorney. Although we had a 2 hour consult and we felt good about him and Pat it was very hard to just believe that someone understood our battle enough to " Get it Done" seeing as how for 11 years we have always been IN PRO PER we knew It was time to get a attorney because,if our child did his part in speaking his feelings to a mediator it was our job to support and keep being strong in his best intrest. Mr. Montero and Pat are so down to earth and very personable. They are approachable, excepting, understanding, and truely a blessing to have on our side! They know what they are talking about its what they do question them I did but to them is how I did it they simply said " Don't worry we got you" , we still were worried because its family court and very emotional, in the end " They delivered"! We got way more than we were asking Fully physical custody with visitation at our child's discretion. So you ask if We would recommend him , MOST DEFINATLY!!! And we will! We are very happy it seemed so unreal! Love them!!!! Thank you so very much John & Pat!!!!!!!

I would recommed John and his assistant any time. They know how to get the job done. They go above and beyond they are excellent to work with. They have heart and principle. They have done wonders with my divorce and child custody.

I've worked with John for more than 5 years on a monster divorce case and continuing child custody case. John worked extremely hard on my divorce when opposing counsel was running up fees and churning the file. My case resulted in me retaining 50% custody of my child, and financial stability with regard to splitting up assets. He and his assistant are first rate when it comes to speed, legal knowledge, complete case review, and knowing what is important about a case, and which small stuff not to sweat. He has an excellent rapport and reputation with the Judges. Judges know that he follows the rules of the court and legal code/conduct, which doesn’t put your case in jeopardy. John kills people with kindness, and fights hard in court when necessary. If you follow John’s advice, you won’t go wrong and will get the best possibly results. If you go against John’s advice, then you’ll shoot yourself in the foot (and then lay blame).

I don't write reviews but I saw a negative review and just had to give my personal experience with John as my attorney. What do you do when your ex dates an attorney who will work for them for free? You hire the 'best'. My original firm was rated in the top 3 in Sacramento. They helped us sell our house and put it in a trust. Over 2 1/2 years they managed to get ONE thing done. The divorce. And charged within $800 of our entire trust. I HAD to 'downgrade'. On word of mouth - I went to John. In 6 months more had been done than the previous 3 years. Within 2 years - I was done. I no longer need John's services and haven't for a year now. Because he got the job done. He managed to get us more than 5 minutes with a judge. He managed to get the facts looked at. And (most importantly) he actually took a VESTED interest in our (me and my daughter's) lives. There were plenty of times I doubted him, and his 'long term goal'. But in the end, he always prevailed. I can sum it up like this: If you want an attorney that walks/dresses/talks like a congressman, bills and nickle & dimes you like you've hired God, talks in legal jargon even to you, and makes you ultimately feel like you are putting your future (and your child's future) in the hands of someone who seems to be enough 'classes' up that they really wouldn't care much either way what happened to you in the end, and if you want someone that when you walk in their office, you will feel like you've entered some gentleman's club where you truly don't belong... John is NOT for you. But if you're a bit scared, unnerved, and even a bit confused about how you even GOT into the situation you're in now in the first place. If you need someone that can talk to you and NOT make you feel 3 classes down and uneducated regardless of your own life/education. And if you want someone that will take the vested interest in your well being as though you went to highschool together and will talk to you like a friend and not just a client. John MAY be the one for you. If you want someone that won't charge you $250 to look at your kids report card, or to simply read a 6 sentence fax, and focuses more on getting the job done than when your next check is coming in... John MAY be the one for you. I think people often go to an attorney and expect things to happen immediately (I know I did). But after having multiple attorneys in my life from accident to divorce, I can tell you that simply doesn't happen often. So I understand other's frustrations. But what I learned about John versus others is this.. Some attorneys use Law, Legal Jargon, half-made truths, and a LOT of hope when they enter the courtroom. They play it hearing by hearing and they do it JUST like we do our own DAY JOBS... 'get the task out of the way so I can go home....' John and Pat use a formula of law, common sense, pattern recognition, and whatever TRUE facts they have to put together a final outcome. True facts are harder to dispute. They dismissed more 'soft facts' than I wanted them to. They have an END plan beyond just the next hearing. They got me exactly what I wanted in the end. Exposed the lies on the other side and made me glad that we didn't 'bend truths'. You can't go into a custody/divorce battle expecting short term closure. And I learned the hard way that a higher charge by an attorney doesn't speed up the process, nor how much they care. From someone who has had both sides John made the long trip easier to deal with. Even when I was out of my mind from it all. I would go on record and gladly share my story or confirm this review as true to anyone who cares to inquire with me via John. I am not getting a 'break' for this review. My case is closed. I have referred 3 friends to them since. I have referred my (now) wife to them as well. Because in my opinion, they do what's best DESPITE your thoughts. And believe me, during all this chaos, you HAVE to trust someone else.