A total disaster of an Attorney. He never once went to court to represent me rather he sent an inexperienced assistant who had next to no experience in family court. Andy Cook will ruin your divorce and you'll loose everything like what happened to me. Lost my kids (wife refused visitation), lost the house, lost every dime I had in the bank...Andy NEVER showed up....NOTHING. What a disaster. I'll regret ever having met the man till the day I die. My x wife kept my kids out of school for months, none of the 3 graduated HS, two have now decided they're going to "transition". My X has boarderline personality disorder/ and an extreme narcisitic .... Andy did nothing to protect me or my children. NEVER even went to court but had no problem billing me as though he was providing some service. I would have been better off representing myself. In his reply Andy says he doesn't send assistants only lic attorneys. Thing is...Andy advertises himself has having 30 years experience but he'll never tell you when you retain him that he'll never show up in court and all that "experience" means nothing when a Jr. no experience Attorney shows up to represent you. Total misrepresentation. read more

DO NOT HIRE HIM! Mr. Cook represented me after learning my ex forged my signatures in divorce documents and filed in CA when neither of us lived there so CA had no jurisdiction. It was an open and shut case. I hired a handwriting expert who found that the signature was not mine and Mr. Cook mailed my ex a hearing notice. I was not confident that the address I had for him was current so I asked Mr. Cook to email him as well (he said he would and never did). his communication is terrible and he isn't organized. Hearing date comes and I'm embarrassed by the way Mr. Cook stammers over his words and poorly articulates hisself. The judge sets a new court date because my ex didn't appear and she wants proof that he was notified (Mr. Cook insists that he was and says he has proof but a few weeks later tells me that he actually received the letter back in the mail). a week before the new hearing Mr. Cook tells me he is going to mail out the hearing notice, I tell him it should've been mailed out there isn't enough time, he insists it will be delivered next day knowing the address is in Afghanistan... I tell him he needs to email my ex who responded and Mr. Cook had a lengthy (the bill for it was pretty high and I would not have wanted him to even do more than just notify him) conversation with my ex on the phone then proceeded to tell me that my ex doesn't know we are notifying him late and as long as the judge doesn't mention it that I will be fine. My ex shows up to the next court date and the matter is settled. The judge ruled in my favor on the forgery but no thanks to Mr. Cook. My ex admitted it was not my signature. The judge did not rule for my ex to have to pay my legal fees. Mr. Cook tried to argue with the judge who shut him down because he didn't properly file his paperwork so the court couldn't rule on any other matter. I ended up paying so much for the hand writing expert which the judge requested to be there for the second case but only because my ex didn't show up... the expert didn't even have to testify at the second date and all of his fees. DO NOT HIRE HIM! read more

What can I say about Andy, other than that he is fantastic. In my case, my attorney dropped my case less than two weeks before our MSC. Left in a bind and in a messy situation, I contacted Andy. Andy was able to meet the next day to review my case. During our meeting he was knowledgable and asked all the right questions. After a couple of days, Andy came up with a plan to protect me and my kids, and the gloves came off. Andy was no-nonsense and quickly cleaned up the mess that I had been left with by my previous attorney. He eliminated the outrageous demands made by my ex and and set things straight. The day of the MSC came, and that is where Andy really came through. We were so far apart from what my ex was demanding that I didn't see any possible way that we could reach a settlement. Lo and behold, after four hours of negotiations, Andy came back and gave me a settlement offer that had all of my requests and only one of the demands that my ex and her attorney were making. Andy used an incredibly deep understanding of the applicable laws and legal precedents to protect both me and my kids, and for that I can not thank him enough. Whether you are in a sticky situation or think things are sailing along smoothly in your divorce/separation, Andy should absolutely be your first call. He will use every tool at his disposal to ensure that your rights are protected and he will do it efficiently. I can't thank you enough, Andy! read more

I wish I could rate a NEGATIVE 5 STARS. Do NOT hire Andy Cook. Andy Cook racked up over $12,000.00 from April 17, 2014 to our hearing May 2014. Yes, by the time we went to court FIVE weeks later he had already eaten through the $5,400.00 retainer and an ADDITIONAL 6,000.00 he said I already owed him! Yes, that is $12,000.00 dollars and we had our 2nd day in court. Do NOT HIRE ANDY COOK. He is lazy, shows up desheveled with wrinkled clothes, sweating and all paperwork out of place. SCUFFED SHOES, long hair either all poof and showered or in a pony tail. Do NOT BELIEVE WHAT his WEBSITE says, he will not perform to what the website states. We did not win! Zero. He sat in lobby next to me after hearing and states (approximately what he stated is as follows ): Well we will have to wait until your ex husband messes up and we come back. My ex had "messed" up PRIOR to the hearing and ATTORNEY COOK did NOTHING. We were in the hearing that day and he rolled over and did not refute or question the other side claims. Again, he may have written and taught loads of classes but he DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO ORATE, ARGUE NOR WIN IN OPEN COURT. He cannot perform in real life. Do NOT hire Andy Cook. It was absolute waste of $12,000.00 not mention my thought that someone who lauds himself of such prestige, awards, course and writing would be such a dismal and unreliable in court. Do NOT hire Andy Cook. He will not call you back. He will have his assistant Jackie call you back. He will have his assistant attorney August call you back but he will not. Do NOT hire Andy Cook. He is not trust worthy and he is not worth you signing a contract with him. Do not do it!! He will trap you with his contract and take you to small claims for doing 20% of work and demanding 100% pay. BTW, $12,000.00 with ANDY Cook gets you an additional eight (8) hours with your teenagers. I could have done a better job than cook. My office administration could have done a better job than Cook. Do NOT hire Andy Cook. You have been warned. Do NOT BELIEVE ANYONE THAT recommends him. read more

If I could give negative stars ... I am stunned about how unethical this attorney is. He billed me over $50,000.00 for a six page judgement. That did not include my child. He is horrible and dishonest. He was not qualified to take my case but he did for the money. Scam artist. read more

I came to Andy for a contentious Move Away case. I must say it was very stressful for me but Andy was able meet the needs of my case and reduce my stress and come out with a Win! While i read some of the other reviewers of Andy, I found some accurate and some exaggerated. I would say Andy is a scholar when it comes to Law but may be a bit different with his personality but he is all about business. I do wish some of the communication was better and not so last minute when i needed to give responses. In the court room he is very aware and a strategist. I would recommend Andy. read more

Mr.Andy Cook called me on Sunday evening, the very evening I requested my consultation, very much to my delightful surprise. My case involves a rather unique spousal support..a post judgement. I am the receiver, I also now live out of state. Mr.Cook with his free consultation spent a good 20 minutes with me, gathering information, assuring me not to worry, which I had been...he put me at ease. Should I need to proceed to court...Mr.Cook will be my first phone call....he established trust....that speaks VOLUMES to me. I highly recommend him. read more

I made a costly decision to hire Andy Cook in my divorce case. All seemed well in our initial "free" consultation but things went downhill after I paid my retainer. He was unable/unwilling to even communicate with opposing counsel. He underestimated my expected spousal support by more than 30% and only informed me of this a few days prior to my court date. He estimated my contribution from my annual bonus to be 12-13%.Under legal precedent fully explained by the judge it turned out to be 35%. He was unsure of the outcome of tax law changes regarding tax deductibility of spousal support, waffling for months even after the laws were changed. He made several billing errors that I had to catch (and provide proof of) but he was dogged in badgering me for the last several hundred dollars after I terminated my relationship with him. If you have ANY other recommendations for a family law attorney I'd go with them. read more

We retained Andy Cook about 2 years ago. He helped us with our family law matter. We had numerous conflicts and court dates. We were always well prepared and he got the job done. He has always been there for us 100% of the time. His fees are reasonable compared to the market. His office staff is excellent. read more

I needed urgent legal advice regarding family law parameters in California and came to Andy Cook's contact. Once on the phone, Andy went above and beyond to thoroughly examine my particular circumstance. After spending a lengthy amount of time on that, he then listed all of my available options with a great degree of knowledge and followed up to ensure my needs were met. I would highly recommend his services to anyone in need of family law assistance. read more

STAY AWAY!!! Andy Cook promised to complete his work well below the $5000 retainer that he made me pay. This was a slam dunk case that did not require a lot of work. In about 2 weeks Andy Cook racked up close to $15,000 in fees. Andy "Crook" is a sleazy and dishonest person. DO NOT HIRE HIM! If you do hire him for some reason (maybe every other family law attorney in SD spontaneously combusted) then make sure he agrees to a flat fee because he will take every opportunity to pad the hell out of his hours. If you do not agree to pay then you will have another lawsuit on your hands dealing with his crookedness. read more

Andy Cook and his associates provided professional legal representation, during my divorce process. HE KNOWS THE LAW. He is no-nonsense and very knowledgeable. In a court of law, THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT ON YOUR SIDE! He kept me grounded during an emotional time. He has enough experience to know what judges will and will not accept. His office was quick to address the court and opposing counsel, when The-Ex attempted to delay and stall proceedings. Our retirement situation was very complex, he obtained an expert to figure the appropriate resolution. As a result, I received very equitable compensation. Not only do I highly recommend Andy, I'll return to him, should I ever need counsel again. Missie G read more

Not being from the area Andy was referred to me by a local attorney and I couldn't have been more pleased. Him and his staff were very professional and readily available when I needed them. Andy knew his stuff and got me the results I was looking for. read more

Andy took me through the struggle of a nasty divorce. I so appreciate his sound advice and counsel. He presented alternatives and solutions that allowed me to also participate in the final resolve, not just follow blindly what I was told which made me feel more party to the proceedings and final outcome. I appreciated he made me not just feel like a client but someone he cared about to get to the end results. None of this legal stuff is cheap, but then you get what you pay for I figure and it could have been a lot worse then it was. read more

I've been using Andy's law office on/off for about 8 years now. Early on, I had hired some lousy local lawyers before I met Andy; I wish I had hired him from the start, because he has been helping me clean up their mess! Andy and Staff are responsible, very experienced, and honest. I know that he will, and has, given me good advice. I've never felt "judged" by him or his associates; they just focus on helping you as best they can. His hourly rate reflects his experience, and his billing is fair. I like the fact that he is responsive and timely communicates. Family court is unpredictable, so it's nice having an attorney you can rely on. read more

I was recently referred to MR. Cook by another attorney who was in charge of my fathers trust account and thought I could trust Mr. Cook to give me a honest opinion I went in there with just a short amount of time until my court hearing my mediation was already done at the time and I provided it in my initial consultation and Mr. Cook made it sound very easy for me to get what I wanted and I payed his higher then normal retainer fee I only had about 8 business days until hearing . On the day of the hearing he arrives 20 min late to court and in the most wrinkled suite and beat up shoes, and the first thing he said was that both parties had come to agreement I had to stop him and tell him he was wrong we go outside to discuss the issue and he tells me right away that the judge will likely use the mediation report!!! So I just realized I payed a lawyer to fill out paper work and milk my initial consultation just to rack up the bill. In end result I felt that Mr cook just took my money knowing it was a short time and I already had a mediation report I got the exact same thing without or with out him and he brags about being the best in the business he might be for other family law matters but I would never recommended him to any one else . read more

I strongly recommend Law Officers of Andy Cook. Mr. Cook is a Certified Family Law Specialist who knows all intricacies of the Family Law and knows exactly how to resolve any Family Law matter in the most direct and efficient way. Mr. Cook was able to resolve the issues in my legal case that the other lawyers were not able too. Mr. Cook was always very prepared and foresaw any possible outcomes before anyone else did and had a solution for everything. He is absolutely FANTASTIC lawyer and simply a wonderful person. I am very fortunate that he took my case and I am very grateful to him. read more

I was referred to Andy Cook by a friend's attorney. I found Andy to be quite knowledgeable about family law, and honest about where I stood with my case in relation to California State law. From the start, he advised me what his retainer would be and what the total cost would most likely be -- and he was within his estimation. I had been served with an intimidating number of legal forms, with a number of unreasonable requests, and he helped guide me through what I needed to do, and what I did not need to worry about. He was able to help me respond to the orders with confidence because he knows family law so well. As the case came to a close, he took the time to make sure I understood exactly what I was agreeing to, and what the possible ramifications might be. If I am ever in need of a family law attorney in the future (and hopefully that day never arrives again), I would not hesitate to call Andy Cook and ask for his help. read more