Reviews

We hired this attorney due to his flyer he mailed to us. We completely regret hiring him. He was warm and understanding before we paid his retainer. After, he became a curt, unresponsive, rude with his communications with him. I have NO idea what we got for our money. Our son was not defended vigorously or even listened to. As usual, the D.A.'s in Ventura throw every charge at the defendant, scareing them with long prison terms, so they settle without going to trial. Our attorney had no advice on whether to fight or risk a trial. My son was locked up in jail for months, with little advice or a modicum of understanding from this defence attorney. In retrospect, using a public defender would have been the way to go, with probable equal results.

The circumstances of my case were such that they required a minor level of effort to approach the nuances of the situation. From my conversations with other Santa Barbara lawyers, in my first case he could have pushed for a better decision through increased communication and effort with the District Attorney. When I received a DUI, a more serious offense than my first charge, he was misleading in his role as an attorney. I did the required programs through Zona Seca and participated actively in all activities as dictated by the Santa Barbara Superior Court. After all of that, I was told by the DMV that I had to spend another 16 months at Zona Seca before I could get my license despite legal decisions surrounding my case. Pearlman was non-responsive on multiple occasions even after I had become aware of this information. When I finally got in contact with him, he informed me that I had no options other than to take the non-legally dictated decision of another 16 months at Zona Seca. In that same vein, he offered no legal advice nor action to approach or alter the decision, which was eventually determined to be a simple clerical error. Through other local Santa Barbara attorneys, I was luckily able to get the legal support I deserved. They were able to draft me a writ certiorari for a nominal price and worked to ensure I had my license back within a few months. The lack of Pearlman's willingness to help rectify my situation was remarkable. Had I not worked with other great attorneys in Santa Barbara, I would have been under the impression that I had no other options and was hopeless in responding the inadequacies of the DMV. If you have any nuances or complex components to your DUI, I would highly advise you continue to do your research and look elsewhere for consultation.

I can't express how grateful I feel to have hired Mr. Pearlman. He is an extremely experienced and thoughtful attorney. Moreover, I believe his long experience and reputation with the DA's office was critical to my success. I was arrested for suspected DUI and multiple substance related charges. I was expecting the worst as this wasn't my first offense. In the end he got the multiple counts down to one possession charge leading to an informal probation which is so much better than I was expecting. I paid him a single very reasonable fee (not going to trial) and I always felt that I was getting a service consistently worth every penny I paid. I can't say that of other lawyers that have represented me at all. In fact, he kept to our contract without charging more even though the case unexpectedly dragged on for more than a year (solely due to the red-tape of the county). I could tell that he really cared about my case and his office gave me the personal attention and time that I needed. He answered all my questions very promptly and professionally. Moreover, his office and administrative staff were just as helpful, polite and kind. They always dealt with any issues, paper work, court dates or appearances in a quick, detailed and professional manner. I thought my career, life, license and professional certification were all going to be over & ruined. Instead, because I followed his advice and instructions, I'm getting a second chance and learning a serious lesson. I would 100% recommend Mr. Pearlman first for any criminal defense needs.

I contacted Mr. Pearlman due to being arrested after I was assaulted. I had no prior record and was the victim in this case looking at felony assault charges on myself and the other party. Mr. Pearlman assured the case would get dropped because of circumstances that I was the victim and assured me he knew people in D.A. Office to help expedite this matter. I gave him the retainer fee and signed paperwork. The day of my trial he was late and did not show on time before the judge to address my case. The case was dropped none of which was addressed by Mr. Pearlman to the courts. I emailed Mr. Pearlman that he did not represent me in court like he said, nor did he make any kind of reasonable attempt to discuss getting this arrest taken off my record like we discussed during consultation. Mr.Pearlman wanted more money to discuss helping me get the arrest taken off my record, which I found out fromD.A. Office I could do on my own without a lawyer or fee needed. Mr. Pearlman had poor communication with me following retainer fee received and contract signed. His office assistant was the only professional in this whole situation. She was lovely. Thanks to Mr. Pearlman I now feel like I was victimized twice. Please consider many other lawyers that hold true to their word that will show up to your court date. A phone call to someone he may or may not have known was never verified nor did it help my case. Mr. Pearlman knew it would get dismissed and took my money anyway without making much effort.

I enjoyed working with Mr. Pearlman on my petty theft case because he got the job done with no hassles, and he's fairly priced. But, he didn't necessarily get me the results I wanted. He got me informal probation for 3 years. I don't know if he had the option for what I wanted, and I'm sure with good behavior I'll get off probation early, but I was hoping for 6-18 months initially.

Adam Pearlman saved my future, he represented me for 3 months in Two hearings for a case that had to do with a false accused restraining order, the combination of him doing his job and me keeping a level head during testimonies + my witness and our synergy together allowed the Commissioner to deny the accusations, and dismiss the case. Adam questioned the accuser and the witnesses and made them all jumble their stories. He saved my record and saved my dreams thanks Adam

Adam had all charges dropped for me back in 2008 and got 3 misdemeanor charges reduced to one infraction where I only had to pay a fine this year (2015). The way he works is different from other lawyers I have had, so my advice would be not to constantly bug him about your case. He WILL take care of you, you just need to let him do his thing. Do not be foolish and go with a public defender. Thanks again Adam, you are truly one of the best in the area.

We hired Mr. Pearlman to attend a bail hearing for a federal case. I made sure he was familiar with the system and he assured me he was. On the way to the court hearing he was calling his friends in the area asking how 'it works' and trying to get any info that would help him. Once at the hearing, he clearly was in over his head and did not know what he was doing. He stuttered and didn't fight the case. He refused to listen to us and present crucial information for the judge to make his decision. Mr. Pearlmans office charged me for phone calls that were not pertaining to myself or our case and way over charged.

Mr Adam Pearlman represented me for a bizarre Temporary Restraining Order petition against me (Dec-May, 2015) by an illegal foreign student. I had a very positive experience with him and his law office. Throughout several court hearings, Mr Pearlman guided me step-by -step for preparations and court appearances in an organized fashion. He asked good questions from the witnesses and his examination of the petitioner was powerful/winning during the hearings. He made strong/effective arguments, in the court, against the petitioner's attorney and in his closing statement in an articulate manner. We won the case decisively as a result of his performance/guidance, my comprehensive response, testimony and my witnesses' testimony.

Adam is the only lawyer I would hire. Used him twice and he is the best.

Mr. Pearlman is a expert at strategic defenses. He has handled too many cases for my son sad to admit. However I can say this each and every case was handled with care, compassion but most importantly we got the results needed every time!!!!

This was my first time hiring a lawyer to represent me in court. I was facing a misdemeanor charge at the time and decided to have Mr. Pearlman help me with my case. I knew very little about the criminal justice system and the overall court process was very intimidating to me. Mr. Pearlman's legal services helped me out in many ways. First of all, he was honest with me about my case and about everything he was doing with my case. I felt like I could trust him and never felt as if I was going to be scammed in any way. Secondly, he had more than enough experience with the criminal justice system. He was able to inform me on various details, like what I should do at the time, what to expect, best-case outcome versus worst-case outcome, etc. Finally, Mr. Pearlman was very responsive and always got back to me in a timely manner. The people who worked in the office were very helpful as well. There was never an issue left unaddressed. I had the opportunity to have peace of mind the entire time and, most importantly, win my case. I suppose the only downside was that it cost money, but even that was manageable since I was able to make payments on the services. If anyone were to ask me for any recommendations for a lawyer, I would definitely recommend Mr. Pearlman.