Reviews

Marc Schmelkin and his partner are knowledgeable, experienced family law attorneys who provide the highest quality of legal services available for their family law clients. I am an attorney myself, and do not hesitate to refer my clients who need family law representation or consultation to Marc and his partner. I highly recommend them.

Lisa Ruggieri is an outstanding divorce attorney. She handled my complex and extremely challenging case with endless energy and vigor. She is the type of no nonsense attorney that makes things happen while also being very empathetic and caring. As an highly seasoned attorney, I found her to be very responsive, honest and extremely straightforward. She laid out the facts, the possible scenarios and kept me informed of all of the developments of my case. Her experience and knowledge of the law, specifically with contested cases of asset division and child custody, was invaluable. My outcome was exactly what I wanted and it was because of her enthusiasm and passion of the law.

I feel truly blessed to have found Lisa and her team. Highly qualified, professional, aggressive, and compassionate team. I can’t thank Lisa enough for all her hard work and time spent on my case. Paralegal Anthony was my angel through this whole process. He calmly explained every step of the way to me.I don’t believe that there is ever a side who “wins” during a divorce. If you want someone who is fair, and honest, then this is your team. Thank you both for making this case easier to accept and understand.

Lisa is a tough, say-it-like-it-is, knowledgeable person to have on your side. Lisa cuts to the chase and helps expedite the process. Lisa is assisted by a wonderful, sensitive, knowledgeable and hardworking paralegal, Anthony, who will always be there for you and get you what you need when you need it. Cut to chase and call Lisa to help you like she helped me.

I am an attorney and hiring Lisa for my divorce was catastrophic for my case. If you are man, stay away from her! She often believed what my wife said over me and the facts at hand. In a system already bias against men, you should hire someone that will zealously assert your positions, don’t take the chance with Lisa Ruggieri. This is in response to Lisa Ruggieri response to my original post. After I learned my Wife was liquidating my accounts and was in the process of moving my children to a new school district I hired Lisa in desperation for someone to look after my interests. I was happily married and the divorce took me completely off guard. My wife accused me of being abusive justifying the move. (Later under deposition she later admitted we had less then 20 arguments during 18 years of marriage and she was actually moving closer to her boss who she was having an affair with.) In the initial stipulation it was calculated that she only making $32,000. (This was a lady with two masters degrees who managed portfolios between a several hundred million to one billion dollars during her career. Again, I later learned later her boss who controlled her salary and status as a full-time employee was her boyfriend unbeknownst to me.) Lisa negotiated and later strongly pushed on me into a Stipulation which was later entered into as a temporary court order, a stipulation I did not want to sign and strongly objected to but she said could be a lot worse. The Stipulation required I give my Wife 30% of my income and 100% of my bonus went into an escrow that my Wife could use for legal fees. The end result was more than 37% of my income before taxes being given to my Wife and I was not able to get more than 2 weekends a month with my kids for over a year. After the Stipulation was entered, I did not represent myself but fired Lisa and hired one of the premier downtown firms but the damage was done. The initial stipulation sets a lot of precedent which is hard to undo and in the end Lisa cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars and I will be suffering from the results of her actions for the next 14 years. When my Wife accused me of abuse to justify her move Lisa took her side. I never engaged in abuse and in fact worked for the domestic violence unit of the DA's office at one point in my career. I reiterate do not hire Lisa she did not zealously represent me. The initial Stipulation is highly set the stage for massive losses for me which the firm I subsequently hired was unable to completely undue the damage Lisa established. As a reference, for the approximately one month of wonderful work she charged me over $21,000.

Marc was extremely helpful to me during a difficult time. He was diligent and helped bring to light things I needed to consider that I had yet to think through in order to make sure everything was completed as of my divorce hearing date.

Marc knows what he is doing. Well done

Called about a family matter and was turned away within 1 minute of explaining my situation (didn't even explain the history of the problem either), wasn't even given a chance to understand why the attorney couldn't help. Family law is many times messy & emotional. Quick dismissal is inappropriate. At least give a reason why you can't help or direct me to someone who can.

I initially consulted with Attorney Lisa Ruggieri for a divorce after reading the online reviews of her firm. Admittedly, I was initially skeptical and concerned about the cost of a lengthy, drawn out contested divorce. But now that my case is resolved, I can candidly confirm that all the online reviews are true! Never mistake her "no BS" approach as her being gruff with you - she's upfront, wants what's best for you, knows what will and will not fly in settlements, and ultimately you want that "no BS" approach representing you in your conferences and court. Lisa and her associate, Caitlin, stood by me through the good, the bad and the ugly as my ex-Wife hired and fired several different lawyers throughout the process. As a self-employed partner of a business and the father of two young boys, my divorce was very complicated; it involved a business valuation, premarital assets, and complicated parenting plan issues. Lisa and Caitlin did a spectacular job bringing this case to closure even when my Wife dragged her feet. Heck, I even threw my own monkey wrench or two into the mix, and Lisa worked hard to make my changes and choices a successful reality. I am very grateful, and I would highly recommend this law firm to anyone going through a divorce.

All of the online reviews of Attorney Lisa Ruggieri are true! If you need top-notch legal advice to land you on your feet post-divorce, I would highly recommend the Law Offices of Lisa Ruggieri. Lisa is very knowledgeable and draws a strong line around defending and protecting her clients. Lisa is upfront, wants what is best for you, and knows what will and will not be accepted in Court. Lisa and her team stood by me through a difficult and emotional divorce, including a custody and parenting battle and a relocation. Lisa advised me and guided me through each step of the way. She helped me weigh my options in order to secure the best possible outcome. We ultimately reached a global agreement without the necessity or expense of a trial. If I am ever in need of legal advice in the future, Lisa Ruggieri will be my first call.