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30 Sep, 2023 by Nalani allen
My lawyer Dominique Malia tansley saved my 15 yr old from a abusesive father that had custody of him and I had fought my son father for years this time I needed someone strong and fearless of who the lawyer my son dad had was scaring all the lawyers I was trying to hire them and they all turned me down finally we found Dominique tansley the first 1 who told me I'm not scared of her I like the challenge and I felt it in my heart she's the one! Everyone This WOMEN NO what she is doing and what angles to approach situations just trust her work I'm thankful for Dominique tansley I hadn't had my son for 14 yes and today I got FULL CUSTODY of him FOREVER my son is safe finally happy the nightmare has ended because of this amazing women Dominique tansley thank you!! every cent wroth it ...
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28 Mar, 2023 by Leonevi
I am absolutely impressed with her knowledge, understanding, and service she provided. I searched through and consulted with multiple lawyers before deciding on her. She is very understanding and listens to exactly what the clients needs are. She doesn’t waste time or file useless documents to increase her bill like other lawyers I have met. She is honest and will tell you the truth about your case, not give false hope. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a great lawyer without breaking the bank and wasting time. Thank you Dominique for your continuous help.
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20 May, 2022 by Jennifer
I was going through a horrible divorce and custody issues. I had contacted and consulted with about 10 to 15 lawyers/lawfirms befire finding Dominique. I was about to give up and then meeting with her gave me hope. The others were wasting my time and money, playing games and not listening to my needs whatsoever as a mother going through a divorce. She listened, she got things done efficiently and we were able to settle. I am beyond grateful for the peace she brought to my life and the wisdom and efficiency she brought to my divorce case.
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03 Feb, 2022 by Jeff
Mari did an excellent job helping with my divorce. I have never been through the divorce process before and after being married for 25 years it was difficult emotionally. Mari walked me through the process and explained all the options. She was prepared when we went the court. The divorce was expedited because of her excellent tactics.
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02 Feb, 2022 by Anonymous
I cannot recommend Mari Kishimoto Doi enough. She is professional, compassionate, organized, an excellent communicator, experienced and knowledgeable about family law and child custody, and above all, puts her client's needs and wants above her own feelings and opinions. I trusted her judgement completely while going through a contentious divorce & custody battle and felt that every step of the way, she had my & my infant's physical & emotional wellbeing at the forefront of everything she did. Mari was excellent at dealing with the high-conflict opposing party and did not get derailed by frivolous or irrelevant claims that had no bearing on the child's physical or legal custody or on my parenting. Although I hope I never need a family law attorney again, I would hire Mari again in a heartbeat.
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22 Aug, 2024 by Anonymous
My experience with Carol was simple and excellent. Carol made me feel comfortable, secure and she went out of her way to help me. I appreciate her guidance, good morale, and integrity. She represented me so well and I would recommend her to anybody seeking legal counsel.
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05 Aug, 2024 by Stacey
I hired Carol Tribbey 3 times over the past 4years...First time was for family court to get life time child support for my special needs son which she worked hard on paperwork, evidence and finding father to serve (since he was hiding service) we got everything we asked for...Second times was to represent me in a child support hiring my ex falsely requested knowing that family court order states mediation first (which Carol smartly asked family court judge to place in orders prior to this happening)...Carol got it thrown out without even having the hiring, ex and ex's lawyer was not happy...I was...lol...Last was this past July for guardianship of my special needs son since he just turned 18years old...Carol had to get a process server for a out of state service to my son's dad and she made every effort to find a Processor in the state and made all efforts needed to try and contact him, which made it easy for me to get the full guardianship because true effort was made to contact him...Carol always got back to me in a timely manner, spent time explaining the process, offering me suggestions and advice, helped me to find evidence to support my case and always caring about the outcome...She treats you like family with genuine care!
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30 Jul, 2024 by Pie
I hired Attorney Carol Tribbey for my TRO case, I was worried but Atty. Tribbey got sorted out after just a couple of meetings. My TRO case was dismissed and i got my kids back.
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17 Jan, 2023 by Linaking9
although they represent my husband in our divorce and I am Pro Se. They seem to be helpful and professional altogether good people.
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12 Nov, 2022 by Trevin hofmann
I cannot recommend working with Hartley & McGehee on any legal case. From my experience, they were unresponsive, slow, and expensive. After a $250 consultation on 2022-02-14 regarding divorce, I was left with a positive impression of Hartley & McGehee. On 2022-02-22, I hired Hartley & McGehee as my legal representation in seeking a divorce. My case was primarily handled by Elsa McGehee, Kalani Kim, and Alyssa Le’i. 164 days and $5,441.77* in fees later, I terminated the services of Hartley & McGehee on 2022-08-05. Within this timeframe, the great accomplishments of Hartley & McGehee were limited to (1) filing the Complaint for Divorce and related documents with the court, (2) serving my spouse with the case paperwork, and (3) proposing a Divorce Decree which was ignored by the defendant. After terminating their services, Hartley & McGehee waited until 2022-08-30 to file their motion to withdraw, squandering another 25 days of my case. Not only did they waste more of my time, but Hartley & McGehee continued billing me after terminating their services, sending an invoice which included an additional $714.44* in fees from 2022-08-09 to 2022-08-25. Here are a few other highlights from my experience with Hartley & McGehee: • They provided me with misinformed guidance on the sponsor’s contract of USCIS Form I-864, even after discussing the matter with their immigration law colleague. The key piece of misinformation they provided is that the immigrant’s income (including alimony payments) would not reduce the financial obligations of the contract, and they insisted that their guidance was correct even after I cited multiple legal cases to the contrary. • When refunding the remainder of my deposit / trust account, they mailed the check to an old address in the wrong state despite having been provided with my latest address. • Elsa McGehee admitted plainly in an apology to me on 2022-08-10 that they had “been short-staffed.” • They failed to send me all relevant documents for my case, such as email communications with their immigration law colleague, when I requested them upon terminating their services. I needed to pry further with more specific requests, and I am still not certain if I have everything. • They cautioned against getting a restraining order against my abusive spouse because it “may make our communication with her a bit tricky” and left me to “handle that on [my] own.” In an unrecorded call, they also downplayed the severity of my spouse’s abuse and harassment since it was no longer physical. However, my spouse has continued harassing me with _thousands_ of messages and numerous voicemails using _hundreds_ of spoofed phone numbers to circumvent attempts to block communication. • I requested multiple times that we proceed with advancing the divorce in court in order to have a hearing and a resolution because the defendant was not being responsive to our proposed resolution. These requests were ignored, which was the primary cause for this case being dragged out for so long. • On 2022-03-03, near the beginning of the case, I emailed a list of 16 direct questions regarding the case and how to complete the Income & Expense and Asset & Debt forms. Alyssa Le’i responded only to questions #4 and #12, ignoring the rest. * This is a sum of the subtotals, not including the 4.712% tax or the 10% discount for early payment.
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14 Mar, 2022 by Theresa v kamana
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17 Jan, 2023 by Linaking9
although they represent my husband in our divorce and I am Pro Se. They seem to be helpful and professional altogether good people.
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12 Nov, 2022 by Trevin hofmann
I cannot recommend working with Hartley & McGehee on any legal case. From my experience, they were unresponsive, slow, and expensive. After a $250 consultation on 2022-02-14 regarding divorce, I was left with a positive impression of Hartley & McGehee. On 2022-02-22, I hired Hartley & McGehee as my legal representation in seeking a divorce. My case was primarily handled by Elsa McGehee, Kalani Kim, and Alyssa Le’i. 164 days and $5,441.77* in fees later, I terminated the services of Hartley & McGehee on 2022-08-05. Within this timeframe, the great accomplishments of Hartley & McGehee were limited to (1) filing the Complaint for Divorce and related documents with the court, (2) serving my spouse with the case paperwork, and (3) proposing a Divorce Decree which was ignored by the defendant. After terminating their services, Hartley & McGehee waited until 2022-08-30 to file their motion to withdraw, squandering another 25 days of my case. Not only did they waste more of my time, but Hartley & McGehee continued billing me after terminating their services, sending an invoice which included an additional $714.44* in fees from 2022-08-09 to 2022-08-25. Here are a few other highlights from my experience with Hartley & McGehee: • They provided me with misinformed guidance on the sponsor’s contract of USCIS Form I-864, even after discussing the matter with their immigration law colleague. The key piece of misinformation they provided is that the immigrant’s income (including alimony payments) would not reduce the financial obligations of the contract, and they insisted that their guidance was correct even after I cited multiple legal cases to the contrary. • When refunding the remainder of my deposit / trust account, they mailed the check to an old address in the wrong state despite having been provided with my latest address. • Elsa McGehee admitted plainly in an apology to me on 2022-08-10 that they had “been short-staffed.” • They failed to send me all relevant documents for my case, such as email communications with their immigration law colleague, when I requested them upon terminating their services. I needed to pry further with more specific requests, and I am still not certain if I have everything. • They cautioned against getting a restraining order against my abusive spouse because it “may make our communication with her a bit tricky” and left me to “handle that on [my] own.” In an unrecorded call, they also downplayed the severity of my spouse’s abuse and harassment since it was no longer physical. However, my spouse has continued harassing me with _thousands_ of messages and numerous voicemails using _hundreds_ of spoofed phone numbers to circumvent attempts to block communication. • I requested multiple times that we proceed with advancing the divorce in court in order to have a hearing and a resolution because the defendant was not being responsive to our proposed resolution. These requests were ignored, which was the primary cause for this case being dragged out for so long. • On 2022-03-03, near the beginning of the case, I emailed a list of 16 direct questions regarding the case and how to complete the Income & Expense and Asset & Debt forms. Alyssa Le’i responded only to questions #4 and #12, ignoring the rest. * This is a sum of the subtotals, not including the 4.712% tax or the 10% discount for early payment.
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14 Mar, 2022 by Theresa v kamana
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What a Family Law Lawyer Can Do for You

A family law lawyer provides legal services related to family relationships, including marriage, divorce, child custody, and adoption. Family lawyers help clients navigate emotionally charged legal issues, providing guidance and representation in disputes that affect spouses, children, and parents. Whether you're going through a divorce, seeking custody of your children, or drafting a prenuptial agreement, a family law lawyer ensures your rights are protected and your interests are represented.

Family law attorneys often handle sensitive matters and offer objective legal advice, helping clients reach fair outcomes either through negotiation, mediation, or litigation.

When Should I Hire a Family Law Lawyer?

Hiring a family law lawyer is beneficial in several situations, especially when legal matters involve close personal relationships. Common reasons to hire a family law lawyer include:

  • Divorce or separation: When ending a marriage, a lawyer can help you navigate issues such as division of assets, spousal support, and child custody arrangements.
  • Child custody and visitation disputes: If you and your co-parent can't agree on custody or visitation, a lawyer can represent your interests and work toward a solution that benefits your children.
  • Child support: Whether you’re seeking child support or defending against a claim, a lawyer can help ensure the appropriate amount is calculated and enforced.
  • Prenuptial or postnuptial agreements: A lawyer can help draft or review agreements that protect your assets in case of divorce.
  • Adoption: Family law lawyers guide you through the legal process of adoption, ensuring that all requirements are met.
  • Domestic violence or restraining orders: If you're a victim of domestic violence or being falsely accused, a lawyer can help you obtain or challenge protective orders.
  • Paternity cases: If there are questions about the paternity of a child, a lawyer can help establish or dispute legal fatherhood.

Hiring a lawyer early can prevent issues from escalating, and they can offer you the best chance of achieving a favorable outcome in emotionally charged situations.

What Does a Family Law Lawyer Do?

A family law lawyer provides a wide range of services depending on your specific legal needs. Their responsibilities may include:

  • Advising on legal rights and options: Helping you understand your legal rights regarding divorce, child custody, support, and other family law issues.
  • Filing legal documents: Drafting and filing petitions, motions, and agreements with the court, such as divorce papers, custody agreements, or support orders.
  • Representing clients in court: Arguing your case in front of a judge if a settlement can’t be reached through negotiation or mediation.
  • Mediation and negotiation: Assisting with alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation, to reach agreements on issues like custody, property division, and support without going to trial.
  • Enforcing court orders: Helping you enforce court orders related to child support, alimony, or custody if the other party fails to comply.
  • Drafting prenuptial or postnuptial agreements: Creating agreements that protect your assets in the event of a divorce.
  • Handling adoption proceedings: Ensuring that the legal process of adoption is followed, from filing paperwork to finalizing the adoption in court.

How Are Family Law Lawyers Paid?

Family law lawyers typically charge clients in one of several ways, depending on the complexity of the case and the lawyer’s experience. Common payment arrangements include:

  • Hourly rates: Most family lawyers charge by the hour, with rates varying based on experience and location. Clients are billed for the time spent working on their case, including consultations, court appearances, and document preparation.
  • Flat fees: For more straightforward legal services, such as drafting a prenuptial agreement or handling an uncontested divorce, some lawyers offer flat-fee arrangements.
  • Retainer fees: In cases that are expected to require significant time and attention, such as contentious custody battles, a lawyer may charge a retainer, which is an upfront payment that covers the initial costs of legal services. The lawyer then bills against the retainer as they work on your case.

The exact cost will depend on the complexity of your case and the lawyer’s fee structure, which should be discussed upfront.

How Much Does a Family Law Lawyer Cost?

The cost of hiring a family law lawyer varies based on factors such as the lawyer's experience, the location, and the complexity of your case. Here are some general cost guidelines:

  • Hourly rates: Family law lawyers typically charge between $150 and $500 per hour, depending on their experience and the complexity of the case.
  • Flat fees: For simpler cases, such as drafting a prenuptial agreement or handling an uncontested divorce, fees may range from $1,000 to $5,000.
  • Retainers: For more complex matters, such as contested divorces or custody battles, lawyers may charge a retainer ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 or more. The lawyer will bill against the retainer for the work they do on your case.
  • Additional costs: You may also be responsible for additional costs, such as filing fees, mediation fees, or expert witness fees.

Always ask for a clear breakdown of the lawyer’s fees and any additional expenses during your consultation.

Top Questions to Ask a Family Law Lawyer

Before hiring a family law lawyer, it's important to ask questions to ensure they're the right fit for your case. Here are key questions to ask during your consultation:

  1. What experience do you have with family law cases like mine?
    Make sure the lawyer has experience handling cases similar to yours, whether it's a contested divorce, child custody dispute, or adoption.
  2. How will you charge for your services?
    Clarify whether the lawyer charges by the hour, a flat fee, or requires a retainer. Ask for an estimate of the total costs involved.
  3. What are the possible outcomes of my case?
    An experienced lawyer should be able to give you a general idea of what to expect based on the facts of your case.
  4. What is your approach to resolving disputes?
    Ask whether the lawyer tends to favor negotiation and mediation or whether they prefer to take cases to court. This can help you determine if their style matches your goals.
  5. How long do you expect my case to take?
    While it’s difficult to predict, the lawyer should give you an estimate based on similar cases.
  6. Who will be handling my case?
    In larger firms, junior attorneys or paralegals may do much of the work, so make sure you understand who will be your main point of contact.

How to Check the Credibility of a Family Law Lawyer

To ensure you're hiring a reputable family law lawyer, follow these steps to verify their credentials and reputation:

  • Check state bar association records: Verify that the lawyer is licensed to practice in your state and is in good standing with no disciplinary actions.
  • Read client reviews and testimonials: Look for reviews on websites like Avvo, Google, or Martindale-Hubbell. Previous clients can give you insight into the lawyer’s professionalism and success in family law cases.
  • Request references: Ask the lawyer for references from past clients who can speak to their experience with the lawyer.
  • Review their website or professional profile: Look at the lawyer’s background, case history, and areas of focus to ensure they have substantial experience in family law.
  • Look for professional memberships: Membership in reputable organizations, such as the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), can indicate a lawyer's expertise and dedication to family law.

What Should I Prepare for My First Consultation?

To get the most out of your first consultation with a family law lawyer, it’s important to come prepared. Here’s what you should bring:

  • Relevant documents: Bring any documents related to your case, such as marriage certificates, prenuptial agreements, financial records, custody agreements, or court orders.
  • List of assets and debts: For divorce cases, prepare a detailed list of all assets (e.g., homes, bank accounts, retirement funds) and debts (e.g., mortgages, loans, credit card balances).
  • Details of the family issue: Provide a written summary of the situation, including key dates and facts related to your divorce, custody dispute, or support issue.
  • Questions for the lawyer: Write down any questions you have about the legal process, costs, and potential outcomes.
  • Your goals: Be prepared to discuss your objectives, such as custody arrangements, property division, or spousal support, so the lawyer understands your priorities.

Being organized and clear about your situation will help the lawyer evaluate your case more effectively and offer the best advice for moving forward.

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