Reviews

The worst experience! I filed for divorce in August of 2022 before the divorce laws changed even though the law changes went into effect on October 1,2023 and did not apply to cases filed prior to that she enforced the changes which only benefited my ex. As my counsel Amanda Schmidt never made me aware of the changes or how they would affect my case and just took it upon herself to make the changes without notifying me until it was to late. Sadly my ex husband could have won this case without an attorney representing him with the new law changes.

This lawyer literally is the worst at communicating with people. She threatens and demeans opposing parties. She doesnt know the law shes practicing and continues to threaten filing contempt and other things all while opposing parties are in the legal parameters of agreement. She uses scare tactics and fluff language in her emails to get what she wants. She is awful

From start to finish my experience with Amanda was flawless. She was always quick to return my calls and emails. If she was not available she would have someone in her office call me. She was knowledgeable and compassionate. I have nothing but positive things to say about her. I don't live close to her office, but she was worth the drive. Thank you for being you, YOU ROCK!

Waste of time and money. She communicates very poorly and would keep you going in circles in order to make an hourly rate. Had to fire her after spending thousands and now getting it done smoothly with 1/10 of the cost.

Amanda was a ray of sunshine in a very dark period in my life. i had been struggling with "obstacles" other attorneys would not and/or could not handle. my case was definitely an uphill battle and although ms. Schmidt was quite honest about the difficulties we had to deal with,, she was unafraid to take on such a daunting task. throughout the entire (custody) case she handled everything with an exceptional balance of professionalism, compassion and tenacity. in the end, a settlement was put on record which was beneficial to all parties... most importantly my daughter. She was the best attorney out of three previous that I had it is my opinion this woman is a shining example as to what is RIGHT with our judicial system. rest assured, with ms. Schmidt representing, you will have one of the best and brightest lawyers in Anne arundel county on your side! thank you from the bottom of my heart you made a very difficult situation much easier for me.

I retained Amanda Schmidt for a domestic violence case. I had successfully obtained a protective order against an ex-boyfriend and he contested it, and then appealed the order to Circuit Court. In both cases, her professionalism and knowledge led to the order being kept in place. She understood my fear and provided emotional support as well as expert legal advice. I highly recommend Ms. Schmidt and the team at Ward Pratz & Associates.

Absolutely horrible experience...they asked the judge to get out of my case. I assume it was because the opposing lawyer was too much for them. I kept getting charged for conversations I had multiple times with other attorneys in the practice....I WILL NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THESE SCOUNDRELS!

I found Ms Schmidt to be very knowledgeable regarding the specifics of my case, timely with document preparation and honest when presenting the available options. While my case may not have been complicated, it felt complicated to me. Ms Schmidt calmly walked me through each option, defined the possible results of any chosen option and made several valid suggestions.

Amanda Schmidt is an outstanding lawyer. My case involved domestic violence. When I needed immediate assistance on a Sunday night, she was informed of the circumstances, and had all the necessary paperwork needed for court on Monday morning. She thoroughly explained what I was to expect, and gave outstanding advice along the way. I ended up going back to court numerous times, as there was a child involved, as well as criminal charges. Amanda was there for every court appearance, made sure that all outcomes were fair, and pulled me back in line when emotions ran high. I not only gained a great lawyer, but a good friend as well. During one especially stressful court date, I told Amanda that every time she met me at the courthouse, she would look for me and shoot me a smile. Once I saw her smile at me, I always felt like I was being hugged and knew that everything was going to be alright. Amanda spent a year handling my case and never failed to keep me informed, up to date, and aware of all procedures that would be expected of me. She was fair, always upbeat, and extremely knowledgeable of the whole legal process. My outcome was more than I ever could have hoped for. I highly recommend Amanda Schmidt's services for legal counsel.

I met with 2 other lawyers before meeting with Amanda and I am grateful to the friend who recommended her to me. Amanda was willing to invest in my need and desire to get what was rightfully mine by law. She understood the anger and hurt I experienced at the surrealistic ending of a 40 year marriage. I always felt she had my best interest at heart and I felt comfortable asking questions. She worked hard to get to the truth by getting court orders for financial information not disclosed during discovery. She always kept me informed of options. I will be forever in her debt for helping me trudge forward at a time when it would have been easier for me to sit down and cry.

I generally don't trust lawyers. I know all too well how they like to fill your head full of hope, then give you a ton of excuses on the day of the trial. I know the trick where they smile in your face, tell you they believe you, then throw you under the bus in front of the judge. I wasn't sure what to expect w/ Amanda. I knew I had an uphill battle as a man accused of every type of violent crime imaginable in AA County, against a vindictive ex. I was trying to get more time with my young son, who I "share" with the ex. When I finally saw Amanda in action, in the courtroom, I was grateful and impressed. Amanda was the polar opposite of some of the crap lawyers I've hired in the past. She was well prepared. Her examinations were thorough and aggressive. Her arguments were logical and convincing. In regards to evidence, Amanda manged to enter significant items that other pricy, high profile local attorneys didn't seemed concerned with. For example, I had accumulated several years' of emails in which the ex admitted to physical abuse, a drinking problem, and a history of false claims. These emails were criticized by 3 more expensive, more experienced attorneys during consultations. Also, the emails were rejected as evidence at a hearing with Child Protective Services. However, as I said, Amanda had them admitted as evidence at our trial at the Circuit Court. As much as I pondered and scrutinized the details of my case over the past 4 years, Amanda pointed out important details that I had overlooked. Overall, Amanda and the team of paralegals and assistants at Ward, Pratz, & Associates obviously did the best they could with my case, under the circumstances. I can't say the same about other law firms in the area. Amanda is young, ambitious, aggressive, thorough, and competitive. From a cost standpoint, she is also easier on the pockets than most. I get a feeling in my gut that she is also more conscientious and morally sound than your typical lawyer. If I felt cheated in any way, believe me, I would bring the wrath of God to this review. I would want to warn the world. I would shout it from the rooftops. For all of the positive things that came about in my case, I credit Amanda and the team at W, P, & A. I hope she remains hungry in her representation of others, and moral among the many wolves she is likely surrounded by on a typical work day. In a nutshell, I have and will continue to recommend Amanda Schmidt, and will surely be calling on her again.

As if going through a divorce isn’t Bad Enough, hiring an attorney like Amanda Schmidt with the law firm Ward Pratz & Associates located in Glen Burnie, Maryland just makes the whole situation that much more abusive, painful and expensive. My brother’s wife had plotted/planned and was able with the help of the State of Maryland to get him restrained from his home, with nothing but the clothes on his back. My brother’s wife had soaked him in mace and called the police. When the police got there they asked him if he wanted to go to the hospital and when he said no they gave his wife possession of everything (all his keys) and took him to jail. When he got out of jail he had “NOTHING” thanks to the police and our useless judicial system, so my mother helped him financially. She was 85 years old and working in a school cafeteria for less than the attorney fees a month, but would put some of her savings with her pay check and pay the bill every month. Now for why you should stay clear of Ward Pratz & Associates. When we met with Amanda Schmidt she came on strong. She stated that men aren’t treated right in the state of Maryland (if you’re a woman you can probably replace the word men with women because I’m sure a woman would hear the same sell pitch), got into what all she was going to do and wanted a retainer of $1200. She missed her calling she should have been a salesperson. Anyway, she convinced us that she was going to help my brother. I spent hours searching the internet for case info, printing pictures to present as evidence, coping laws to reference, writing to Judges, etc. I printed out and gave Amanda so much stuff to work with, if she would have used it I think my brother would have gotten something out of his 37 year marriage. I could fill the internet up with things she didn’t do for my brother, but it would take but a second to tell you what she did “Nothing”. After the court gave his wife everything and the case was over my brother, mother and I met with Cathleen Ward about how Amanda had handled the case. During this meeting Cathleen Ward said that “it was a difficult case”, at which time mother replied “if it was too difficult for you why didn’t you said so instead of just keep taking my money”. What this tells me is that if you could settle out of court and really don’t need an attorney (in other words, uncomplicated, straightforward and requires no labor/work), and you just want to pay thousands of dollars to have someone sit beside you in court than this is the law firm for you. Going though a horrible divorce and losing everything is abusive enough without being totally used up financially and mentally by attorneys. The result would have been the same without this law firm, BUT mother would still have her $12,000. Amanda was totally useless.