Reviews
Overall rating
A. f.
03 Mar, 2019
I think Jen was motivated more by wanting to remain chummy with my ex's attorney, than represent me. In addition, her lack of professionalism was stunning. Whenever she had to give me bad news, she insisted I come to her office. The problem was that her assistant would call me to schedule an appointment, but due to Jen's calendar, it might not be for 1-2 weeks. That meant 1-2 weeks of needless anxiety and sleepless nights. When we did meet, Jen had an amazing ability to make it about herself. One time, I was struggling to hold it together and Jen recounted that when her parents divorced when she was a freshman in college, she too struggled and turned to a life of promiscuous behaviors. In another instance, when she delivered bad news regarding money and I became upset, she told me that she too struggles with money as her husband buys and sells used cars which isn't overly profitable. Thanks Jen, but didn't need to hear either of those. In my own career, I work hard to build a professional reputation. In reading Jen's reviews, the platitudes and banalities indicate that they were not written by actual clients. Given that all court records can be easily corroborated via the clerk of the Court website,
http://www.alachuacounty.us/depts/clerk/publicrecords/pages/courtrecords.aspx
it was easy to confirm that a number of Jen's reviews are fictitious.
Ruth McIlhenny- Ms. McIlhenny wrote in part, "Jennifer's deep knowledge of collaborative family law and her empathy were key to having a positive divorce experience. She always listened, and clearly explained current law to me." Jennifer responded to the post saying, "Thank you for your review and feedback! I really enjoyed representing you." Interestingly, a search of Alachua County court records indicates that Ms. McIlhenny has never filed for divorce. However, court records indicate that she had a March 4, 2009 traffic violation in which she failed to stop at a red light. She paid a $125 fine and court records indicate that she did not retain Jennifer to assist with the payment. As a side note, I know of Ms. McIlhenny. She is a lawyer in town and presumably, would have a better than average understanding of divorce law.
Coral Cribb- Ms. Cribb wrote in part, "Absolutely LOVED working with Jennifer. She was able to take my concerns, feelings, and explanation of events and articulate them perfectly in a way I couldn't for myself." Unfortunately, a search of Court records indicate that Ms. Cribb has never filed for divorce. The only record on file is a Sep 27, 2017 speeding violation; she was driving 48 in a 35 mph zone. She paid a $159 fine and wrote a reflection on the consequences of speeding. The reflection is quite interesting and is worth a look if you have a few minutes to kill. Unfortunately, court records indicate that Ms. Cribb did not retain Jennifer for help with either paying the fine or writing the essay.
Suzy Forbes- In 2018, Ms. Forbes wrote in part, "Jennifer is so professional and caring. She really listens and goes the extra mile. I highly recommend her." A review of Court records indicates only one file on record; a divorce decree that was filed by a Suzanne Forbes in 2006. Unfortunately, court records indicate she was represented by Kevin Jurecko, ESQ, and not Jen.
There are several others that are fake including Joe Hancock. In sum, Jen spends most of her time creating online profiles for people that do not exist or coercing her friends to write about divorces that never occurred. Check it out for yourself. I long to think that if Jen had instead been invested in my case rather than concocting fictitious reviews, my outcome would have been better. With the number of attorneys in this town, you have a great many options. If you chose to hire Jen as your attorney, you do so at your own peril.
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Virginia h.
05 Oct, 2018
I was so grateful to have Jennifer's represent me in my recent divorce. With her help, the process went quickly and things were resolved fairly. She is very knowledgeable, compassionate, and skilled in advocacy. She is also approachable and easy to talk to about difficult things, but also an excellent an zealous advocate. I have and will continue to refer friends and colleagues to her.
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Peter s.
20 May, 2018
I approached Jennifer about representing me in a "Collaborative Divorce." Collaboratives are where each person has a lawyer, plus there is a "financial neutral" and a "mental health coach." At my first meeting with Jennifer, she assured me that she had done numerous "collaboratives" and could represent me well. She explained how collaboratives are different from litigated divorces, and I understood those important differences. I eventually asked, "How much will all this cost (ie, for all four professionals)?" She hemmed and hawed and did not want to give me a number. She said that each situation is unique and costs can vary greatly. I told her that I understood this, so I then asked her for the costs for her last five collaboratives, since she had done so many. She was even more uncomfortable with the question. I told her that perhaps a collaborative process wasn't for me, at which time she said, "About $10,000 total." I asked, "Worse case scenario?" She said, "$12,500." I retained her at that time. The billing was slow at the beginning, but once my financial information was provided to the collaborative team, the billing picked up. When those subsequent bills hit, the total cost was at $24,835, and we were only half way through the process. While Jennifer has the right to bill whatever she deems is appropriate, misrepresenting those costs made me quite upset. Jennifer and the other 'professionals' told me that in exchange for paying current invoices, all future billing would be suspended. I expressed my disgust with Jennifer in very clear terms. Her response was, "Had you litigated the divorce in court, the costs would have been much higher." I replied, "That may very well be true, but it is irrelevant, as I did not ask for the cost of a litigative divorce." I challenged Jennifer and told her that if she produced the total costs for her last five collaboratives, and the average cost was $10,000 or less, I'd donate a $1,000 to the charity of her choice. She declined my offer. The "financial neutral" was Helen Gyllstrom and the "Mental Health" professional was Bill Farley. Both were equally complicit in the fraud as they saw and heard Jennifer's $10,000 estimate several times and said nothing, yet knowing full well that the costs would go well beyond $10K. I spoke with a friend in Nebraska who is a divorce lawyer. After explaining my situation to him, he stated that while each circumstance is unique and there are differences from state to state, my divorce should have costed around $5K - $6K. Honestly, the Gainesville Collaborative Divorce group is run like a criminal cartel with Jennifer being one of the crime family heads. In closing, I can't tell you who to retain as your divorce lawyer. What I can tell you however, is that Jennifer and her colleagues were not truthful about the collaborative divorce process. Jennifer is also being reported to the Bar for this. It is frustrating when you're paying someone to professionally represent your interests and that person looks you straight in the eye on Day 1, and is not truthful.
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Peter
31 Aug, 2016
I approached Jennifer about representing me in a “Collaborative Divorce.” Collaboratives are where each person has a lawyer, plus there is a “financial neutral” and a “mental health coach.” At my first meeting with Jennifer, she assured me that she had done numerous “collaboratives” and could represent me well. She explained how collaboratives are different from litigated divorces, and I understood those differences. I eventually asked, “How much will all this cost (ie, for all four professionals)?” She hemmed and hawed and did not want to give me a number. She said that each situation is unique and costs can vary greatly. I told her that I understood this, so I then asked her for the costs for her last five collaboratives, since she had done so many. She was even more uncomfortable with the question. I told her that perhaps a collaborative process wasn’t for me, at which time she said, “About $10,000 total.” I asked, “Worse case scenario?” She said, “$12,500.” I retained her at that time. The billing was slow at the beginning, but once my financial information was provided to the team, the billing picked up. When those subsequent bills hit, the total cost was at $24,835, and we were only half way through the process. While Jennifer has the right to bill whatever she deems is appropriate, misrepresenting those costs made me quite upset. Jennifer and the other ‘professionals’ told me that in exchange for paying current invoices, all future billing would be suspended. I expressed my disgust with Jennifer in very clear terms. Her response was, “Had you litigated the divorce in court, the costs would have been much higher.” I replied, “That may very well be true, but it is irrelevant, as I did not ask for the cost of a litigative divorce.” I challenged Jennifer and told her that if she produced the total costs for her last five collaboratives, and the average cost was $10,000 or less, I’d donate a $1,000 to the charity of her choice. She declined my offer. In closing, I can’t tell you who to retain as your divorce lawyer. What I can tell you however, is that Jennifer and her colleagues were not truthful about the collaborative divorce process. Jennifer is also being reported to the Bar for this. It is frustrating when you’re paying someone to professionally represent your interests and that person looks you straight in the eye and and is not truthful on Day 1. As others here have noted, her assistant, Keith, is very good. I had no issues with him.
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Eric
17 Apr, 2015
Jennifer provided expert council tempered with a real caring that made the divorce process as painless as possible. I am confident that my interests were well cared for. She and her assistent, Keith, proved to be reliable and very responsive. Whenever a time sensitive issue arose, they took care of it quickly. I have no reservation about recommending Jennifer. I feel fortunate to have had her represent me.
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Anonymous
16 Apr, 2015
Jennifer did an outstanding job with the handling of my felony case and resolved my case with a PTI within 2 months of charges being filed. She held my hand every step of the way and made a difficult time in my life very manageable. Ms. Curcio is experienced, knowledgeable, and kept me informed of the process. Jennifer's paralegal was outstanding and went out of his way to assist me getting home from jail. Great lawyer, great paralegal!
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Anonymous
16 Apr, 2015
Jennifer assisted me with filing a paternity action and establishing a parenting plan. My mind was put at ease from the first phone call to her office. Upon calling her office, I spoke with her Paralegal, Keith, who spent 15 minutes of the phone gathering basic information and setting my initial consultation. Keith was extremely nice and helpful. Although I was nervous meeting with Jennifer, after the meeting, I felt really good about my case and extremely comfortable with Jennifer. I was looking for an attorney that was competent, easy to get along with, knowledgeable, and experienced. Jennifer has the best interest of my son from the moment I stepped into her office. I was well informed about the process and was involved throughout the whole process. Jennifer consulted with me prior to drafting documents and I was able to review them and give approval before she filed. I was provided with documents in a timely fashion and Keith kept me informed about upcoming hearings and helped me prepare for mediation. My case was contested, which made me nervous, Jennifer and Keith did an outstanding job preparing me for mediation. My case ultimately settled at mediation and the parenting plan was great fit for me, my son and my son's father. I trusted Jennifer 100% and I would recommend her to a friend or family member!
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Anonymous
13 Dec, 2014
I retained Ms. Curcio for a paternity action. She responded to the action without consulting me first. I did not agree with her decisions and had to retain a new lawyer to sort this out. I do not feel like she had my best interest in mind through this process.
Her paralegal is fantastic. He truly earned the 2 stars.
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Anonymous
16 Sep, 2014
Ms. Curcio handled my uncontested divorce. She is extremely diligent, knowledgeable, and explained the process every step of the way. I was impressed with her efficiency and she always kept me well informed about my case, and provided copies of documents on a timely basis. Her office location was convenient and her paralegal was outstanding.
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