Reviews

I had the opportunity to work with Attorney Anne Fokstuen on a divorce case, representing opposite sides. Despite the inherent challenges, we were able to resolve the matter peacefully, ensuring a fair outcome for both parties. Anne’s passionate and strategic approach helped foster an environment where the family could part ways amicably, leaving as friends. Her dedication to her client’s interests, coupled with her ability to collaborate effectively, made the process smoother and more constructive. Anne’s professionalism and advocacy skills are truly commendable. She is an excellent family law attorney who genuinely cares about achieving the best results for her clients.

Successful 60% of the time but often required many trips back to court for basic outcomes. Simple matters and details that made negative, big differences in our case, were things she would just ignore. She does not represent well in a hearing and her paperwork was often riddled with typos and inaccuracies. Most organized paperwork was always her bill. She is constantly on vacation, unreachable, disorganized, as expensive as the bigger more skilled firms, and in general just someone I regret working with even though she did have some “wins” (if there is such a thing in family law).

Ms Fokstuen is an excellent attorney; in addition to a very strong knowledge base she is also fair and supportive. Anne’s competence, direct approach, and consistent reminder of what was fair enabled my divorce to be as amicable as was possible given the circumstances. Her calm demeanor was invaluable during what was a highly emotional time. I can’t thank her enough!

We hired her to process a simple, amicable, no stress divorce to be filed by the end of 2022. She charged $3000. We submitted paperwork in April 2022. She did not submit the second round of paperwork we had signed in October until November. I asked a friend of mine to check and see the Court record about where we were at. The record showed the document for the judge to sign had been rejected on Dec 2. She did not tell us this; rather, in response to our inquiry said “these things can take from 4 weeks to 3 or 4 months”. My lawyer friend told me that these rejections are due to not filling out forms correctly or missing boxes to check!, which when confronted Fokstuen then admitted. My lawyer friend also told me to ask her to backdate the document through a process called “nunc pro dunc”, which she did not respond to. Instead, after our nth reminder, and insistence that this must be completed by Dec 30, 2022, she offered that we could pay a Private Judge” to sign off before the deadline- for more money. We agreed, what else could we do? As I said, a simple process that someone with 19 years of experience should be able to do. But no. Is this her scam? I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt: she’s inattentive, a prevaricator, and incompetent.

She is personable and kind, and can make you feel supported in a traumatic time of your life. But that is not the same as being a good lawyer. In my case, she was not well prepared before or in court, and did not write my legal documents professionally. My case suffered and I had to scramble to find someone better.

She is terrible on communication. It’s very hard to talk with her. She never answer my important questions, she wasn’t ready on our court day. She didn’t even ask any questions on my court. $450 per hours and do nothing…

I don't write many reviews but I felt compelled to put in a few good words for Anne. I recently completed a very contentious divorce that lasted over 2 years with Anne's help. What I thought would be an amicable divorce quickly turned into hell, and an act of revenge. Through it all Anne kept a level head and guided me through more crap than you could imagine. In the end, Anne was able to negotiate a very fair settlement am thankful I hired her. If you are reading this I would highly recommend Anne, and I am sorry for what you must be going through ...MR

I hired Anne as my divorce attorney after 2 years with a previous attorney unable to deal with my contentious divorce. She was able to stand firm despite the respondent’s unreasonable demands and obstructions. She was able to be a strong advocate for me while maintaining her professionalism. She was like velvet armor, and will not bow to distractions. I found her warm and compassionate, balanced with her unyielding determination to bring closure to my divorce. I would recommend Anne without reservation.

1. Don't worry about distance if you are locked in South Bay. This was my concern in the beginning, and it turned out communication is not impacted in my experience, as Anne is very responsive and articulate, no matter you choose to communicate by emails or phone. 2. Anne is extremely experienced in divorce cases. Her extensive experience turns into a more direct and effective method when it comes to solving your problem. Her approach is to the point. And this key piece of difference from her compared to other typical family lawyers will make the big difference. 3. Anne has extensive experience in dealing with Chinese family cases, and she really understands the culture aspect of it. 4. Anne is compassionate, she truly cares her clients. You will feel this when you meet and work with her, examples are just too pale. It is not about how lawyers remembers your case, rather you need a truly compassionate lawyer who can feel your pain and thus work towards resolving it. 5. DONT worry about commute cost if you are locked in South Bay, she is very fair on that.

I hired Anne to be my attorney when I lost custody of my son. As a domestic violence victim I was devasted when the court ruled against me. But my friends wanted me to fight to get my son back and I hired Anne to help get my son back. She fought for me and one year later I got joint legal custody and primary physical custody because of Anne. She is a wonderful lawyer who really cares about me and my son. After I hired her I can sleep at night.

Anne was referred to me by an attorney spouse of a very close friend. I also saw her name pop up on a community app called "NEXT-DOOR" and she was highly recommended by a fellow attorney. Having her peers speak so highly of Anne speaks volume on her character and integrity. I spoke to 3 other attorneys and Anne was the most I felt comfortable and someone I felt would be a good fit to what I needed. I chose Anne bc i felt her sincerity and she never gave me the "Shark Lawyer" feeling on out to get your ex. but, at the same time I needed someone like her to protect my rights and what is due to me. Throughout the whole process, Anne made it more tolerable for me by being responsive with any questions I have, thoughtfully giving me options and also considering my ex reactions and feelings but most of all Anne cautiously crafted a plan that allowed me to keep my home and provide stability for my children. Anne's expertise and knowledge was also amazing. I also appreciated the fact that I work with Anne directly rather than a legal assistant. Thank you Anne for making a difficult time in my life more tolerable and giving me hope throughout the process. I am so happy with the outcome. I truly am blessed to have you as my attorney and would not have been able to achieve my goals without you. I am truly grateful to have work with you.

Without hesitation I would recommend Anne Fokstuen. I engaged Anne on a complex scenario regarding international divorce and domicile. This was a potentially life changing event and something that filled me with fear and dread. Anne was supportive and reassuring from the outset. Her knowledge of US law and international considerations is without doubt. Anne always made herself available to speak with me and kept me updated throughout the process. Her calm demeanor and her attention to detail helped immensely. I would be very happy to work with Anne again, and I would recommend her to all.