Reviews

Mariana has represented me for almost a decade starting with my separation in 2013. Unfortunately, I’ve needed her assistance navigating a difficult physical and legal joint custody of 4 children ever since. We’ve been through 2 parental coordinators (do not recommend), mediation, custody modifications and addendums, depositions of my ex and his multiple live in girlfriends (my personal favorite strategy), police and CPS involvement and attempted restraining orders. Much more but after awhile it’s just embarrassing. Mariana has a good memory for my case which is super thick at this point. She once read 8 years of our family wizard emails before a deposition. Mariana has a good working relationship with her industry colleagues (when my ex hires and fires new attorneys Mariana gets them up to speed). Mariana is logical and non reactive. She thinks in terms of moves and counter moves. If you are looking for revenge and want a man hating bulldog that will bury your opposition in motions and BS I would keep looking. Marina isn’t going to be your big sister, BFF or your therapist and charge you for it. If you want a thoughtful, smart, and responsive attorney that will represent your interests she’s a good person to have in your corner.

Mariana could NOT have been a better lawyer. She not only helped me through a difficult divorce but also an extremely contentious child custody battle. She was bold yet genuinely cared about me as an individual. In the courtroom she is calm yet fiercely capable. I cannot say enough good things about Mariana and she couldn't have a higher recommendation if you are looking for a family law attorney.

There is not enough room on this review to point out all the ways Mariana Godwin exceeded my expectations! I am the father of a 6 year old girl, whose mother decided to cut me out of her life. For months, she did not allow me to have any communication, or visits with my daughter. Mariana proceeded through the custody process extremely efficiently. All the email, calls, and discussions were extremely productive and led to a very strong case in court. Mariana is caring, extremely responsive (a rare trait in attorneys, i find), smart, well connected, and delivers results. More importantly, she is also very good at setting realistic expectations and wading through her client's emotions to tease out the facts and usable information. She prepared me well for my court date, always explained each step of the process very clearly, and made sure I was aware of all possible outcomes at all times (which greatly reduces surprises in an already emotionally difficult time). In a scary and emotional time for me, Mariana provided guidance and results at lighting speed. The court awarded me more than I had hoped for, and I could not be any happier. Some people are just excellent at their jobs-Mariana is one of them. You cannot go wrong with hiring her as to represent you in your family matter. It literally changed my life, and my daughter's.

My family and I recently just finished with a motion to modify child custody order in August 2017, which was a 7 and half month process. At the beginning of the year we did extensive research on attorneys in Wake County and decided to go with Mariana Russell. From the start she was extremely professional, knowledgeable, honest and easy to work with. We started the second week of January 2017 and she advised us through everything. I did not understand her methods at the time, but all of them paid off in the end. The opposing party was extremely difficult to work with, but she had an answer every time. We were the defendant in this order, but yet she took charge of the situation the whole time. Her attention to detail was a key factor as well. She always gave us an honest answer even if we did not want to hear it. She brought nothing but success to our case. I am happy with the outcome she got for us. I would recommend her expertise to anyone needing a family attorney and would be worried if going against her. After everything was done the opposing attorney said he would not like to go up against her anytime soon.

Marianna did an amazing job for me on more than one occasion. She's friendly and professional and gets the job done.