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Kelly Jean Gamble
477 Callan Avenue, San Leandro, CA
Practices
4.1
Avvo rating
8 Reviews
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Last reviews
Overall rating
4.1
8 reviews
4.1
Anonymous
10 Aug, 2018
I retained Kelly upon deciding to file for divorce from my now ex-wife. It's a decision I will regret for the rest of my life.
I explained to Kelly my situation upfront and what I expected my ex to try to use against me. She indicated that wouldn't be an issue in retaining joint custody of my kids as long as I was regular part of their life and routines, and that Family Court wouldn't use the arrest as a basis of proof that I did anything wrong or abusive.
My ex was ultra-aggessive and hired an attorney that amplified her aggression to obtain sole custody and ability to move children to East Coast. They secured Nancy Lemon (DV expert) to produce a 20 page report painting me as an abuser, just from talking to my ex and her accounting of incidents, real and made-up.
I was appalled and scared when I saw this, but even more so when Kelly indicated she had never seen anything like this before. It was clear at that point that she was in over her head and over-matched.
The bulk of the strategy was spent trying to defend against their numerous false narratives and accusations. I provided everything I could think of to combat their accusations including written responses to the “incidents” they claimed occurred, and even providing potential witness list to attest to the voracity of her claims (neighbors, teachers, family members, friends). To my surprise, Kelly immediately sent over the potential witness list to opposing counsel before we even discussed it and the strategy involved in using these potential witnesses. After all of this, at trial we ended up with ZERO character witnesses while my ex had three witnesses on their side (including her mother). Kelly only pursued one (and they ended as a witness for the other side). This was a clear misstep on Kelly’s part and left me looking like I had no supporters while my ex had multiple. After being through this experience, I understand that it’s a perception game and whomever plays it the best, wins over the judge. Kelly’s excuse was that friends and family would be seen as biased.. but she didn’t even consider using teachers and neighbors, mutual friends and this assisted in me losing the perception game.
Another tactical misstep was in not spending enough time detailing my involvement in my kids life. So much time was spent on defending against their accusations… but if more time was spent on my involvement as a father and the need for me to be in their lives, it would’ve been much more difficult for judge to grant decision for them to be moved away from me.
Aside from the many tactical mistakes and missteps, Kelly was simply unprofessional. In court, there were many times the judge had to reprimand her for her behavior and it was clear she wasn’t effective with her in-court arguments at all. She was thoroughly out-maneuvered and dominated in court by the opposing counsel.
Other tactical missteps included not insisting on a Custody Evaluation and making the judge accountable to do so before rending a custody verdict, and in allowing the judge to render a 3044 ruling without there being a standing restraining order issued. These were two areas that baffled others that looked at my case.
Outside of court, she was unprofessional in her dealings with me, multiple times yelling or being very short with me in our meetings. There was one occasion where I was very worried and emotional regarding the judge possibly making a decision just off of her testimony, and she showed no sensitivity and instead yelled at me saying “The worst thing that can happen is they allow your ex to move your kids to the other side of the country. It’s not the end of the world.” That showed me right there that she didn’t understand how serious this was for me. Why else would I be paying this much to her if it wasn’t a big deal?
When I lost custody, it was the worst day of my life. And I regretted not changing counsel when I had a chance.
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Sheetal
03 Mar, 2017
Kelly Gamble and Associates is a great law firm. They have been handling my case with lot of expertise. Kelly is patient, very knowledgeable and gives aggressive representation in court with detailed know how about legal aspects. I recommend her law firm to anyone dealing with child custody and divorce cases.
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Anne
03 Aug, 2016
I cannot say enough about Kelly Gamble and her staff. I had a somewhat complicated case and had been to another attorney in San Leandro that said he could not help me. I was totally freaked that I was not going to be able to protect my nephew and I called Kelly's office and set up an appointment.
WOW Kelly said she would do what she could, we had an out of state emergency guardianship case to protect our nephew who was staying with us on a temporary basis. Kelly and her staff got right on everything RIGHT AWAY as time was the essence. Kelly is OFF THE CHARTS SUPPORTIVE and will get the job done. Kelly is NOT afraid of a challenge. Not only is she a GREAT attorney but a wonderful person !!!!!!
Her staff Kimberly, Lorena, Jacquie BEST... Seriously supportive and on the ball. I was able to keep my nephew safe and make sure his mom got her act together before we had to send him home.
If you need a family lawyer that is on her game you should call Kelly.. hands down the best in the area.
Bottom line I cannot thank the "KELLY TEAM" enough for all they did to help my family.
Kelly Gamble - I will be forever grateful for all you did to help our family !!!!!!!
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Top review highlights
Pros
1
Knowledgeable and experienced in handling child custody and divorce cases
“Kelly is patient, very knowledgeable and gives aggressive representation in court with detailed know how about legal aspects.”
2
Effective at advocating for her clients and protecting their interests
“She brought the truth to light and her honest ethics and vast experience with the law helped not only maintain my custody, but increased my overall custody.”
3
Supportive and caring towards her clients
“Without her knowledge and expertise, I would have been completely lost. I recommend her office and her extremely supportive staff to anybody who needs help and wants somebody honest and caring to assist.”
4
Able to achieve favorable outcomes for her clients
“If you think you're doing the right thing in the best interest of your children, Ms. Gamble is the right person to approach, and she will get the job done!”
Cons
1
Can be unprofessional and ineffective in court
“In court, there were many times the judge had to reprimand her for her behavior and it was clear she wasn't effective with her in-court arguments at all.”
2
May make tactical mistakes that can negatively impact the client's case
“Another tactical misstep was in not spending enough time detailing my involvement in my kids life. So much time was spent on defending against their accusations… but if more time was spent on my involvement as a father and the need for me to be in their lives, it would've been much more difficult for judge to grant decision for them to be moved away from me.”
3
Can be unprofessional in her dealings with clients
“Outside of court, she was unprofessional in her dealings with me, multiple times yelling or being very short with me in our meetings.”
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