Reviews

Mr. Pell had a case he was doing for me . I never once got a call about my cases nor dates that I would of missed if I didn't go to the court and see what was going on. His office was dirty. Kids running around the office. He was always to busy to talk. Never got a invoice on a monthly cycle . He takes your money and no work is done.

Steve took my divorce case on short notice. I was handling. It myself and found that I was over my head with a critical court day a week ahead.Steve was excellent in preparing my case and representing me at the hearing..The firm continued to represent me through the duration of my case. They were responsive to my concerns,issues,and desired outcome.I would like to thank Steve & Cliff for their work on my case

I hired Mr. Pell many years ago to fight a DUI case. We met a couple times over YEARS. He kept collecting money and in turn would push back the court dates. He kept telling me that this is how we win. The office itself was very unprofessional and always acted as if they were doing me a favor and that I was a disruption to them. He pushed my case off more than 4 years and cost me almost $20,000 to fight a DUI case that he did not win or even try to win. Run run run away from this law office and the "lawyers" who work there. Since then (more than 8 years ago) I now have experience with many other law firms, primarily for business and trust purposes. I have never met another attorney that was this terrible.

I am Jerry. I am a client of Mr. Pell. I retained Mr. Pell in June of 2014 for the purpose of handling a DUI and DMV hearing. I only had two Beers. The outcome was we had a DMV hearing, Mr. Pell hired the best expert for me, and we won the hearing saving my license and we won the criminal case saving me from a DUI conviction and from insurance increases and all the penalties. I came in and Mr Pell and I sat down face to face. He said I can help you and he did. We have had contact around 30 times, every time Mr. Pell has been available to me and has taken my life and matter very seriously. I have friends that I recommended and he handled their matters with the same professionalism. He took care of a woman's DMV hearing, attended with her, was victorious and she was extremely happy. She was very fragile and Mr. Pell helped her tremendously. A Pastor asked me to help her. She did not know where to turn and helped her throughout the matter and resovled her problems. I felt confident that the advise he gave me was competent and completely correct. Mr. Pell followed through with everything he said he was going to do. He did everything timely and well. I observed others in his office and everyone who I run into feels he did excellent work for them. When I shopped around looking for counsel. I talked to a different attorney and felt he was not genuine and another one was a better than thou. One could not get off the dime. When I saw Mr. Pell he did not hide anything and was right out front. He knows the system and took great care of me. Except for what is on the internet which I think to be false there is nothing negative about Mr. Pell. Sunday I went to a memorial. Police were there. A councilman was there. My problem was mentioned and I said: If there is a problem I told him to go see Attorney Steve Pell. Mr. Pell allowed me to make payments and I was very happy with him and the outcome. Regarding the posting of STEER WELL CLEAR OF THIS GUY THE PERSON FROM 2007 and any negatives, Mr. Pell was voted the Best Divorce Lawyer by the Star Readers in 1996. His office has 10 years of being the Best Law Firm DIRECTLY POSTED. I would believe Star Readers vs a nasty posting. Reputations take forever to build and seconds to destroy. Mr. Pell may be intimidating to the other side but not to his clients. I know both of Mr. Pell's staff, Mrs Pell is a certified civil litigation and family law specialist. Those certificates are on her wall. Every time I rang the Bell Mrs Pell was right there Every document I got from her was very much appreciated. Mr. Pell has called me back every time I have called and has called me on his own. He kept me totally up to date on every aspect of my case. I am told that child/support is only as reliable as the proof of the numbers supplied. The Disso master spits out the numbers. I am told that Mr. Pell is the best Divorce Attorney. REGARDING PHONE BOOK CREDENTIALS BEWARE: This sounds very crazy. Some people are liars. People can say anything. Note houses usually will be divided 50 50 depending on who put down what. Retirements are governed by law, so no one would lose 90% unless they cheated somewhere else and got stuck having to give away more of their retirement. If someone lost their house, that would based on whatever happened in their case. They may not have paid their mortgage. Mr. Pell is known at being excellent in child custody. Mr. Pell would not give in an inch of my rights. I am sure he would not let someone who was entitled to more lose their house, give away 90% of their IRA which is governed by law that directs how IRA's are divided. I think he is an awesome lawyer.

I made the mistake of retaining Steve Pell back in 2007 when a friend advised me to "lawyer up" for my divorce. Not knowing how to find a good attorney (besides word of mouth), I picked the lawyer with the biggest ad in the Yellow Pages. Biggest mistake of my life. It started with his staff who were completely incompetent. The few times I called with a question, they treated me like I was calling for the very first time (i.e. "How do you spell your last name?" or "What is your phone number?"). Pell would never call me back when I would leave a message with his staff. I engaged in a total of one sit-down with him where I found him to be intimidating and condescending in his approach. Being the first time I'd ever hired an attorney, I figured those characteristics would serve me well in the court room when dealing with the ex-wife's attorney. Wrong. His initial speculation for my bottom line, a month, in Child/Spousal Support came in $1000 higher than expected. I switched attorneys after a very short time with him, but never saw a dime of the remainder of my retainer. Unfortunately, I'm STILL dealing with the fall-out from hiring this guy to this very day. The ex-wife's current attorney recently discovered that the state of CA had no jurisdiction over the Child Custody/Visitation portion of my divorce due to the fact my kids had resided out of state for at least 60 days prior to my filing. I personally feel Pell knew this fact, but decided I was one more "rube" with a retainer fee in hand. And if he didn't know...well, just another testament to his lack of knowledge on CA law. I only wish they had this website back in 2007. It would've saved me the displeasure of ever meeting Pell, while saving me thousands of $$$ in the end.

Steve represented me in a personal injury case, which was not taken very seriously by the company at fault. I was injured while shopping due to the stores poor product placement. Steve was diligent with his efforts. He continued to fight on my behalf, until a reasonable settlement was reached. I appreciate all that he did for me and would recommended him to any one in need of excellent legal representation.

Recently, Steve and Dionna Pell went the extra mile to help me and my 92 year old mother write her new will. They carefully explained her various options without pressure or bias and took the time to guide us through the process and be patient with her questions. Their staff was also courteous and helpful. She is very happy with the results and I am relieved at how what could have been a difficult experience was handled sensitively.

My son was injured at school by bullies. One boy crouched behind him and the other boy stood in front, shoving him over backwards and breaking his arm. The school district would not identify the boys. After a thorough consultation, Steve hired a private investigator who identified the boys, resulting in a lawsuit against their parents. Due to Steve's efforts, we recovered a substantial settlement for my son's injuries. Thank you, Steve!

Looking back on my experience with Steve Pell I wonder what he did for me besides take my money. I hired him to represent me in my divorce, I was married for twenty two years. I lost the house, the kids and my ex got ninety percent of my IRA. He makes triple in wages yet I only get a hundred bucks a month, also I now have no health insurance. This guy could care less about his client in fact I never even met him until my first day in court. We never sat down together and discussed my case-his daughter in the front office did.This was not what I thought I was paying for. Also he served my ex with orders without consulting with me the terms, is this legal? The order asked for full custody and a ridiculous amount of support, this resulted in my ex becoming enraged and this hurt me in the long run. Of course he tried to get more money than agreed to which he did. Thanks for nothing Steve.

Mr. Pell is highly intelligent and knows his area of practice. I felt comfortable with him. You can tell he is determined to win your case. I feel he will come through for you no matter what even if he has to do an appeal.

Situation: Age 66; Married 20+ years; Retired and called back to work twice for two one year terms; 1 of 3 children still at home Wife filed for separation the third time, but I was prepared. With Steve and Dionna Pell, 2 1/2 years later, and 2 weeks after my third retirement, we went to trial. Mr. Pell came away with my owning all three properties outright, and no spousal support, and the one remaining child still at home, had now passed 18 and was no longer eligible for child support. The result has actually freed me up to bring what remains of the family together, so we can go on building true family relationships with as much as we can with the true family that remains. Meanwhile, the imprudent drain on family resources has been stopped and the full set of assets are being protected from further erosion. My deepest thanks to God first, and Steve and Dionna Pell next. Together they effected a total, clean result that has left me sleeping well. Thank you Steve and Dionna.

Steve has to be the most intelligent, dedicated person I have known in my lifetime. That he has decided to apply these traits to the practice of law in Ventura County is a plus for anyone needing good legal representation. I had the good fortune to have met a few of his former clients before engaging Steve for the first time. Their regard for him and his firm was off the charts! What struck me the most was that they each described how they were immediately put at ease when they met him and then in following court appearances and proceedings his confidence and professionalism were assuring. The fact that he won their cases was almost secondary. My experience with Steve was just as I had been led to expect. He has that reassuring quality that only comes from experience and dedication. Your case is important to him and that is how he treats it. For most of us, the law and the courtroom environment is very intimidating. Steve understands this and puts you at ease immediately. With him on your side, you know the best possible lawyer is in your corner. You can't help but feel more at ease. I am happy to say that he won my case, but it was his professionalism and commitment that won me over. I knew where we stood at all times and if I had a question either he or his staff promptly responded with the answer. I have and will continue to refer anyone needing legal assistance to Steve Pell.