Reviews

I do not recommend this law firm, and hold partners Livesay and Myers responsible for the behavior of their firm's employees. As another former client mentioned on Yelp, an attorney left abruptly without much notice, leaving clients in the lurch. I was told Ariel Baniowski would represent me. Firm Manager Becky Seablom assured me the transition would go smoothly. It took over two weeks for the firm to assign the new attorney. Although the firm did provide a consultation, Baniowski was ill-prepared. She was late to the office. She had not familiarized herself with the case and had not read documents. She did not even have a copy. I provided it. She dismissed previous efforts, in effect, saying that the year's efforts were a waste of time. I had to press her for details, as she would make blanket statements without explanation. Her criticisms were off the mark as she hadn't even read the document correctly and had no understanding of the reasoning. As I spoke up, she became even more condescending and passive-aggressive. Her antics would be laughable if there weren't so much at stake. Livesay & Myers refused my request for another attorney. No one returned my first call to Becky Seablom. Operations Manager Taryn ArpIt offered assistance but did not call me back. Despite having 24 attorneys across five locations (per their website), Baniowski said no other attorney is available. That decision likely came from partners James Livesay and Kevin Myers. Save yourself the trouble and avoid this firm at all costs.

Honest, organized, caring, advocate, dedicated, and trustworthy. These are just a few of the words I would use to describe Ariel Baniowski. I hired her and the firm of Livsey and Myers to defend me against a ”rule to show cause” and what turned out to be a move for full custody of my children . My divorce was finalized in 2014 and I had been living with a 50/50 custody arrangement. The ex remarried and decided to try and overturn the original mediation agreement. They alleged breaches of the agreement and used that to justify a change in custody. This initiated a year long battle of litigation and utter chaos. Ariel was a rock for me and my family. When I was emotional and wanted to lash out, she would be the first to question if my decision and steady my hand. She was really great at taking me from the emotional roller coaster to a rational zone. Dhe would be direct with my possibilities when the path (or upcoming rulings) was uncertain -that was my favorite part about her style. The biggest thing I have learned from all of this, is that there is no certainty in this process. Even with and iron glad meditation agreement, everything can be litigated. Having a lawyer that reminds you of that, and shows you what we are doing to prove our point was more helpful to me than one that told me we were gonna win. There will be many wins and losses until the final verdict is in, and its important to stay focused and that is what Ariel did. She is an amazing lawyer and in the end I won on all accounts thanks to her hard work and dedication! The firm of Livsey and Myers was also really amazing. The larger firm kept the costs down and always kept me well informed of how my money was being spent.

I scouted Ariel several months before choosing her. I liked the idea of a young and motivated young lady who looked the part and could handle my chaotic divorce. She paired up with Isabella Baldanza who is a paralegal and a great team mate to Ariel. For over a year, they worked tirelessly for me and ALWAYS told me the truth, even if I didn't want o hear it. Ariel doesn't give you false hope and she doesn't let you make mistakes as a client. I was very emotional at times, rightly so, but she always managed to keep me focused and she always had a solid response to what I needed. She is a bright and motivated attorney and I am so glad I chose her. She fought for me and stays professional at all times. I would NEVER want to be her opponent.

Ms. Baniowski is a phenomenal Family Law attorney who helped me resolve many complicated issues concerning my divorce. My ex-wife hired a high-priced, name-recognizable, attorney. Even though I considered doing the same, I ultimately chose Ms. Baniowski because she was more affordable. Her hourly rate is insanely low for her knowledge, dedication and work ethic, and her care/empathy for her clients. I have to admit, I kept a close eye on my case in the early stages because of the contrasting experience between Ms. Baniowski and my ex-wife's attorney. But, she was absolutely up for the task and didn't back down -- she was a bulldog when I needed her to be a bulldog, she was a diplomat when I needed an accord, she was an ear when I needed to vent, and she was blunt when giving me the realities of my case. Ms. Baniowski won't sugar-coat things for you and I appreciated that quality in her. Her job is to educate and advise you -- I knew at the end of the day, she's working for me and is on my side, even if she was giving me not-so-great news. Keep in mind, as with any attorney, (and I can't emphasize this enough) you need to advocate for yourself, educate yourself, and be a part of the process. Yes, you will incur more costs for that frequent two-way communication with an attorney, but you'll have a better outcome (and save money) in the long run. That means dig around, keep meticulous records, research Virginia's divorce laws yourself, and know your case better than anyone else. Get involved. Arm yourself with knowledge. Ms. Baniowski will tell you the things that apply to your case. There were times that she told me certain aspects were not relevant, but there were also a few things I discovered and passed on to her that benefitted my case greatly. You need to anticipate your ex's next move and prepare for it in advance; Ms. Baniowski's role in that regard is limited. Again, be an active participant in your Family Law team. I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge her amazing paralegals. Ms. Baniowski switched paralegals three times during the span of my case. Neither Ms. Baniowski nor any of her paralegals (Isabella Baldanza, Anastasia Richter, and Bethny Scheuerman) missed a beat. The transitions were seamless, and it was as if her paralegals had been working my case the whole time. In fact, the whole Livesay & Myers team is incredibly responsive. Ms. Baniowski is awesome and I'd definitely recommend her to anyone who has a Family Law situation that needs resolution. I can attest: the hourly rate has ZERO correlation to results; i.e. a higher-priced attorney isn't necessarily a better attorney. In fact, I believe whole-heartedly that the divorce agreement I struck with my ex-wife heavily favors me. Moreover, my ex-wife's attorney's aggressiveness and propensity for risk-taking ultimately cost her (easily) $10,000 as a result of his missteps. More expensive doesn't buy you better. Now, stop reading this review and contact her! * Disclaimer: I have no personal connection to disclose regarding my relationship with Ms. Baniowski or any of her paralegals other than I retained her for (and she represented me in) my divorce.

Ariel is very inexperienced, gets easily intimidated and will not have your best interests at heart. Her inexperienced was proven as she badly advised me and spent mort of my time and money arguing with her instead of working on my actual case. It was so bad that I had to fire her and her firm gave me some credit back for her poor performance. She is also very rude and disrespectful towards me and refuse to perform my cases most difficult tasks. All she cared about was to have it easy and take your money. Please take my advise, stay away from her and her firm, Livesay and Myers.

Shes quick, smart, and knows what she is doing. She aggressive and that is exactly what I needed for my child support case. I did months of research and consultations, I am so glad I picked her. I just knew!

Understand that you are going through the most emotional time in your life. Hire her, trust her, and then allow her to do her job. She will not over-promise, will keep you grounded, and will deliver. She has experience with the system and knowledge of the law, but, above all, she has the knowledge of human behavior to give you the edge you probably desperately seek. I regret a lot of things connected to my divorce. Hiring her is the only thing I don't regret.

Ariel Baniowski has done an outstanding job in representing me with professional legal guidance, support and strategy during my custody and child support hearings, concerning my infant daughter. While I originally sought an attorney that was a similar to Jack McCoy – style “Bull in the china shop”, Ariel proved to be different, but much preferred, to what I thought I wanted. She possessed the ability to not only listen to what I wanted, but integrate my desires into a coherent and sound legal strategy that provided me a with better result than first anticipated. She was both candid and forthright throughout the process, which allowed me to anticipate and understand the legal process and what was in store for me. I highly recommend Ariel (as I call her), because not only does she care about your desires and what’s best for your child(ren), she can stand her ground against opposing counsel. Livesay and Myers is a warm and inviting firm where you can feel that the entire staff from the receptionist to the paralegal is committed to helping you through your ordeal.

Atty. Baniowski defended my constitutional and parental rights against a biased judge and vicious false accusations of an ex-husband who was attempting to take custody of the children. It took guts to do what she did. She was well prepared, had professional dress and pleasant demeanor to all, gave good sound logical arguments, and had good knowledge of how the local Prince William legal process works. I am thankful each day that she represents me. She is honest and her rates are very reasonable.

Ariel and her staff were very quick in responding in a timely matter to my calls and questions. I had research many attorneys prior to contacting Livesay & Myers, P.C. and very happy that I chose Ariel. She was trustworthy and took a personal interest in my case. She is very straight forward and I would recommend this attorney to anyone who desires a honest ,professional and competent attorney. .

Ariel is very professional who is blessed with character and integrity that could fill a whole room. She handle my situation with class and a smile. My divorce flowed smoothly without any hassles and stress. She and Ms Tatyana Spurgeon kept me in the loop every step of the way. I would recommend them any day of the week. Thanks.

Very friendly and professional. The complications that arose throughout this case were handled expertly and I was kept informed every step of the way. I will recommend Ariel and the whole Livesay & Myers firm. Also a big thank you to Tatyana Spurgeon for all your help.