Reviews

I am in my fifties, and I have had my share of experiences with attorneys (family law, employment, real estate, etc). Out of the blue, I had a need for some advice on some family law matters. Through a contact, who similarly spoke highly of Jim, I ended up spending a 1hr complimentary consultation with him. Not the first time I do these complimentary consultations, and so I was bracing for disappointment. Most of the time, the signal-to-noise ratio when speaking with attorneys is low, and much more so in initial consultations; where by and large you speak in generalities, superlatives, and, in the worst cases, FUD enters the equation. I ought to have known this was going to be different. After all, Jim's office requested my documents well in advance so he could review. And it was evident that he had reviewed it. To make a long story short, in the 45 minutes we talked, I got *all* my questions answered. We reviewed the documents on Zoom, he pointed to specific parts and what the implications were and, important also, he listened. I have found that many attorneys like to talk, but they do not necessarily listen, and thus many times you have to hear them tell and re-tell things you already know well. Jim was experienced enough, and humble enough to know how to listen, and avoid the soapbox as much as possible. Towards the end of the meeting, and even though it was complimentary, I offered to pay him money. He certainly deserved it. He would not accept it, and negotiated me down to writing a review for him if I had time. I was going to do that anyways, but quite frankly, his candor was refreshing. I wish I don't need an attorney ever again but when, and if I do, I hope they are half as good as Jim. He has essentially set the bar for "initial consultations" for all of them :-) Thank you

Jim was a great attorney to work with. He helped me reach a divorce agreement that was fair and reasonable. His professionalism, experience and "cool head" during negotiations are a combination that leads to results. He is a great listener and has a way of explaining things that a lay person can understand. In addition, he is cost conscious, trying to keep fees low by working efficiently.

I was recommended to Jim Hoover by a friend when my divorce somewhat unexpectedly turned bitter, including attempts by the other side to request full custody of our young daughter. It was a very difficult time, and required fast response from the team at Hoover/Krepelka. They prepared our initial responses, including interviewing me and getting all of our forms in place within a couple weeks. This including some work on the weekend, in order to meet the initial hearing date. Jim and his team worked with me through the custody portion to resolve it in joint custody and split timeshare, despite delays caused by Covid and court shut-downs, as well as very good timeshare throughout to spend lots of time with my daughter. Jim was very proactive in including deadlines in the initial agreements, including the settlement of our home, which ultimately allowed my daughter and I to move back into the family home, which was very important to us. Also, I must say that the team was very efficient and practical in time spent and billing. Although they have a high hourly billing rate (rightfully so), I found them to be quite efficient in time spent. I know from experience that other law firms tend to send much higher billing hours which more than offset the rate, and that is important to consider. The divorce was very difficult and stressful, but Jim and the team got us ultimately what was important to us, kept mine and my daughter's relationship strong and the end result was the best we could hope for. I highly appreciate their support.

When I first met Jim, I was very nervous and didn’t have a clue how a divorce process works, let alone a high conflict divorce. I sat in his office and he showed me a flow chart of what to expect in each step, a list of immediate action items for my case, what I was dealing with and my expected cost of the case. I feel a sense of relief coming out of his office and that I have found someone who can lead me in the dark and he knows the direction. Throughout the whole process, many times we were thrown off track with unexpected rising issues. Jim impressed me with his detail oriented skills by staying on top of numerous issues at once. He remains sharp, calm and to the point with his extensive legal knowledge at all the court hearings. He had won many custody and financial issues in my case which I am truly grateful for. I had observed other counsels mixing up or offering false evidence in court. Jim is professional, ethical and has a good moral compass. He always educates his clients and advocates for them. Jim has earned his reputation to be one of the top family law attorneys in the bay area. Divorce is a very financially and emotionally draining process, choosing an experienced attorney to work with your pace and align with your values is very important. I highly recommend Jim.

James Hoover helped me resolve my divorce, the custody issues and made this unbearable situation smoothly than I could have imagined. James was extremely professional, yet personable and always available to discuss options to any of my concerns and took the work to closure. I highly recommend James and his law firm to anyone struggling searching for an attorney. He’s the best.

Jim and his team are the best family attorneys. I have a “one of a kind “ and highly complicated divorce case and I did interview several reputable attorneys. I really did my research. I absolutely have no regret hiring Jim and his team. My advice would be “hire Jim before your spouse does”. Jim is very knowledgeable, competent, experienced, professional, ethical and realistic. He is also amazing and incredibly articulate in courts! Divorce can get very nasty and expensive. I find Jim and his team to be very ethical in his process. I am grateful for Jim and his team!

I hired Jim after having begun the divorce process with a lawyer in solo practice. My divorce was very high conflict and involved child abuse and it was obvious that the time and energy required to deal with the demands of the case required a larger law firm. To date I have worked with Jim and his team on child custody and could not be happier or more grateful with the positive outcome and the way Jim handled the case. He is incredibly experienced in family law and the family court process and was very strategic in how he approached the very antagonistic situation that the opposing team had set up. As a person and professional Jim has the highest integrity. This was an invaluable asset in court where it was very obvious that the judges in our case greatly respected him and strongly considered the points he made. In presenting our case, Jim was very composed and kept his focus on the children and the outcomes he wanted, even when opposing counsel tried to obfuscate the facts and drag the case in a different direction. His approach won out every time! All our requests with respect to the children were granted, setting up a strategy where the children’s voices were heard as central to the custody outcome. In addition to working with Jim, throughout the process I was supported by his top rate team of lawyers who helped with everything from court filings to keeping me updated on all communications with opposing counsel and who were never more than an email away. Going through an incredibly difficult divorce, I’m very grateful to have Jim and his team by my side. He is a very strong advocate for his clients. I would not hesitate to recommend Jim and his law firm to anyone going through a divorce, especially a complicated divorce with a high conflict personality. I feel that Jim and his team have seen it all before and are experienced enough to strategize for the best possible outcomes.

Jim was especially great in court. He made strong arguments to the judge and did so in a calm and composed manner. Mr. Hoover saw the big picture in my case and was an excellent strategist. He always took the high road with opposing counsel and had my kid's interests as a top priority. He's clearly done this before and knows how to respectfully and assertively get his client's point across.

I spoke to a few attorneys regarding my visitation and child support case with my ex-wife and it immediately became clear that Jim is the most knowledgeable and experienced. He’s very friendly and kept it transparent the entire consultation. Should I have to hire someone for help with family law, I wouldn’t hesitate to reach out to him and his team. As a real estate broker/agent, he left no doubt who I’ll be referring clients to that are going thru a divorce and in need of reliable representation.

I have engaged Mr. Hoover and his firm representing me in my divorce case. Even though it has been a challenging and emotionally taxing process, Mr. Hoover and his team have been supporting me and keeping my head straight every step of the way. Throughout the interaction and the process incurred so far, it is clear that Mr. Hoover is an expert in the field and knows the law and legal system very well. At the same time, I can attest that Mr. Hoover is a very caring person with his client's best interest in mind. I will not hesitate at all to recommend Mr. Hoover's service to those who are in need of legal representation for family law matters.

What type of person do we want our attorney's to be? For me, integrity, communication ability, and legal knowledge, among other factors are key. Jim Hoover checks all those boxes, and more. I first met him about 3 years ago when I had a free consultation about amending spousal support. He provided some solid advice and a future game plan. Fast forward to present and I met with him again to discuss options and put together a plan moving forward. After hearing the details, Jim expressly said that I did not need to retain him and he provided some great advice on how to negotiate with my ex, and after doing so he typed up the agreement and I'm on my way. Very straight-forward. Jim has a great presence and communication style which immediately put me at ease. He's just a normal guy who happens to have a great legal mind and his integrity is awesome. He could have easily sold me on retaining his firm and battling it out with my ex in court which would have netted him eight to twelve thousand dollars over a year or more with no guarantee of success. He talked about the cost/benefit analysis and saw the big picture. Having said that, I had no doubts that if he needed to, Jim would do a great job fighting for his client in court, if needed. Jim is well connected in the legal community and serves as a fill-in judge in family court so those are pluses as well. Attorneys obviously cost a lot of money, but I found Jim to be more than fair with his time, and I'm confident that if I had to retain him there would be no issues in this area. Everyone at Jim's office is very friendly and professional. I highly recommend Jim and his firm!