Reviews

It was a pleasure meeting Mr Lastra. During my consultation, it was obvious that his knowledge was extensive and he helped me determine the best course of action in my upcoming separation and custody case. Not only did he provide ample time to describe what my ideal outcome could be, he allowed me time to ask any questions I had and provided a strategic course of action. He was very honest with me and helped me to put my wants and possible outcome into perspective. I’m glad I chose to work with him and look forward to working with Mr. Lastra in the future.

I consulted with Mr Lastra to understand the legal landscape of my situation. He made me feel very comfortable talking with him. I was totally at ease. Equally important as his attorney/client manner, he showed a lot of experience as a lawyer. He clearly has a thorough understanding of the laws and realities affecting his area of practice. At the same time, he was able to frame things to me in clear, easy to understand guidance. I’m very happy to have consulted with him.

I had a two hour consultation with Mr. Lastra concerning my pending divorce and custody matter. I have multiple children with my spouse, including a stepchild from their previous marriage whose life I've been a part of since they were very little. Shortly into our meeting, Mr. Lastra asked me about my children and whether our relationship was biological, and then explained very compassionately that - unfortunately - if it were contested by either or both of their biological parents, he would not be able to guarantee me custody of or access to my stepchild as a de facto parent. He assured me that if he were representing me and I truly did want to pursue it against all odds that he would do everything in his power to help, but cautioned that it would likely be a long and costly uphill battle with an uncertain outcome. As heartbreaking as that was to hear, Mr. Lastra was the first lawyer to really prioritize and ask about my concerns for the children rather than choose to focus on my spouse and our finances and marital property. His honesty about that - the one outcome I care most about - gave me peace of mind that he wasn't just telling me what I want to hear to get me to sign his retainer. Additionally, while his consultation was not free, without my even having to ask, Mr. Lastra was extremely considerate of my budget. At the very beginning of the meeting, he verified the hourly rate that I had been quoted previously and told me how long his consultations with other people typically lasted. Then, every twenty minutes or so, he was kind enough to let me know how much billable time had elapsed and allowed me to set the pace of our discussion accordingly. Throughout the rest of our meeting, Mr. Lastra was both extremely inquisitive and educational. Rather than simply listen to my account of events, he engaged frequently, asking regular questions and taking notes. He also shared a wealth of his own knowledge, pulling from both general law and process as well as experiences gained from similar cases he'd handled in the past. During our consultation, I felt both well listened to and that I was speaking with an obvious expert. Prior to our meeting, I had discussed this matter with a few other lawyers, and while they were all quite professional and empathetic, none of them felt like they were being as realistic with me about the possible timelines, outcomes, costs, and the availability of themselves and their associates to adequately represent me and my family's interests as Mr. Lastra did. Though his rates are above average, my first impression from my consultation is that there is very good justification for it. He has absolutely earned my endorsement.

Mr. Lastra is an extremely knowledgeable lawyer with a lot of experience in family law. The consultation with him gave me a strong assurance of his capabilities and gave me ease of mind. Everything he said was clear, concise, and to the point.

Mr Lastra was called specifically to represent me in a contentious divorce with parenting plan, support, and domestic violence complexities. During our consultation appointment, he listened intently with compassion. Asked thoughtful, pertinent questions and laid out a progression plan. He was clam, concise and practical. I definitely will hire him.

Mr. Lastra was extremely professional and informative as I knew very little about the legal process for divorce. He specifically explained what is allowed when it comes to divorce for Maryland, Virginia, and DC. He also clearly laid out the need to assess value of property and assets before and after marriage, providing advice on what homework needs to be done in advance.

Carlos Lastra and his team are true professionals. At the start of my divorce process I anticipated a nerve racking experience and possible rising anxiety. While my wife and I spoke of a collaborative effort in finalizing our divorce, I did not want thing to get contentious. With Mr. Lastra as my council I was in extremely good hands. He walked me through the process in a thoughtful, deliberate and patient manner while keeping stressors in check. The outcome was exactly what I had envisioned. I am very pleased and would highly recommend his team and services.

Great experience overall having Mr.Carlos Lastra as my attorney.Truly a professional and efficient. Divorce was a difficult time and Mr. Lastra was excellent in helping me understand and get through the process.Being Bilingual was specially helpful to me.With his help ,I was able to understand Divorce Process in Spanish and that was very important to me.

I hired Mr. Lastra to assist me in divorcing my abusive husband and gaining custody of my two daughters. My very first impression of Mr. Lastra was through my initial phone conversation with his legal assistant. The first questions asked of me were about my wellbeing and safety, which stood out from my phone calls with other law firms who started the conversation around money. Mr. Lastra has been carefully considerate of the nuances of my case since day one, and he has also proven to be intelligent, resourceful, and capable. He was particularly sensitive about unique aspects of my cultural background and took care to better understand them as well. Mr. Lastra's performance in court also stood out to me because he was well prepared and adapted quickly to unexpected circumstances. Ultimately, Mr. Lastra was successful in winning full legal and physical custody of my children for me. I would absolutely recommend Mr. Lastra to anyone looking for a reputable, reliable divorce attorney.

After shopping around for a lawyer, we came across Carlos and we are glad we found him. He was easy to talk with, and he made our options clear. He was the only one who provided the level of detail we needed and customized the legal advice to our situation. We also feel that he is aggressive and ready to handle any situation. We recommend Carlos Lastra without reservation.

Tough, extremely smart and dependable. When looking for a family law lawyer to represent me against my lawyer husband and his notoriously harsh family law lawyer I was told by an attorney that if my husband hired ——- “he wants a blood bath, not a divorce”. This was 100% true. Carlos turned very bad satiations around and gave me hope and positive movement out of what was my very worst of times. He is very smart, honest and very tough. He stands up to bullies with intelligence and without allowing them to paint you into a horrible person that you aren not.

Carlos handled my difficult custody case. He began strategizing right from the start of our consultation and proved throughout the case to be a master of family law. Mediation could have been a game of manipulation by my ex, but Carlos had prepared me for everything and protected my child’s best interest throughout. Carlos thought of everything drew up a strong all encompassing agreement. I honestly believe Carlos is the reason we are able to co-parent so well. I can’t thank Carlos enough.