I foolishly retained a lawyer 20 years ago who was thoroughly inept at representing me in my…read moredivorce. I have essentially lived the past 20 years "in hell" trying to finagle out of this "child support and lifetime alimony" (based on my short term 10 yr marriage). I had a short term marriage and I also have custody of my 3 kids and yet I was locked into a ridiculous life-sentence with my ex. I retained Jeff (skeptically, since I was told that i was f**ked due to the divorce papers which i signed 2 decades ago) and Jeff worked reasonably, rationally and tirelessly with me. We went through the court system, appellate court, endless negotiations and conferences but in the end, gave me the satisfaction and relief which I deserved after being taken so absurdly advantaged of by my ex for soooooo many years, and my own shortsightedness in signing, what amounted to, was a death-sentence divorce decree. Had I retained Jeff (or someone of his expertise years ago) he NEVER would have allowed me to enter such a lopsided divorce decree to begin with! Martin Luther King said it best: "free at last - - free at last - - thank god almighty, i'm free at last"

The lawyers accomplished everything they said they would and more. Very happy. They were…read moreresponsive and addressed all of my concerns.

Unfortunately, I've been waiting for an uncontested divorce to be finalized for about 2 years. I…read morekeep getting new timelines and the divorce consistently supersedes said deadlines. Of course, I wished I had gone with a better lawyer and wouldn't wish this on anyone.

These two handled, and won, a very fraught and stressful Hague case in which I was the defendant…read more If you aren't familiar with Hague cases, basically its an international child custody law that was intended to protect women and children but due to it being written so badly, abusers are able to manipulate it, and the parents who end up being the defendants (usually DV victims fleeing with their children) have so few recourses to protect their kids that they usually lose purely on technicalities. In our case, my daughter and I were desperately trying to find a way to keep her with me as she was terrified to go back to her father after an extended visitation went horribly wrong with disastrous consequences. Her father had multiple pro bono lawyers provided by his employment in his country's armed forces. I had no one, until I found Ari and Elliot. They were dynamic and informative in both pre trial and the trial and kept the courtroom on their toes, vigorously put forth the facts of my case and their reasons for defense and against all odds, I won. She is safe and happy, I am relieved and the nightmare is over. I'd recommend again and again.

The senior partner represented me in court for my divorce. He was more interested in having a power…read morestruggle with the judge, rather than helping me, which actually hurt me. He would rush out of the room when we were done in court, whereas the lawyer for my husband stayed and talked to the judge. My husband got a lot of my money, because my lawyer didn't pay attention when in court. His fees were also very high. I would definitely not recommend him. He thinks more of himself than he should.

Divorce is never an easy proposition. After going through a nerve wracking experience with another…read morelawyer , a good friend recommended Don and boy was I lucky. ..Don is the consummate legal professional. He makes it all look easy (or at least manageable...lol). He was able to calm me down, walk me through the hellish experience , and represent my interests fairly and realistically. He knows the law and he knows people. A few years later I am able to get on with my life thanks to Don..He is a gem

In a city full of lawyers, I can't imagine going through this process with anyone but Donald Wall…read more When going through something like divorce, you want to know you are in the right hands. The process is a bit of an emotional burden! So, I went through a rigorous search for the perfect lawyer. Initially, I spoke to Donald over the phone, and he immediately empathized with my situation and provided me with a professional response. I really appreciated this especially since the 12 other lawyers I spoke to shut me off immediately and acted fairly aggressive after they quoted ridiculous prices. I found Donald to not only be respectful but trustworthy and competent enough to deal with difficult situations that were thrown at our case. He was very diplomatic, calm and knowledgeable of the NYC court system and was able to respond immediately - every person going through a divorce needs this on their side, no matter what type of case they're going through. The most striking thing that happened throughout this process was my frustration with my ex's lawyer, who was young, aggressive and aloof. Sometimes you can't do much when this is the case, but Mr. Wall knew exactly how to deal with him and made sure to stay on top of it all. Most importantly, after my ex's lawyer had the nerve to try to take what they were not supposed to from me, Mr. Wall fought back and won the fight. What I appreciated the most was his patience to also educate me on the process and communicate throughout it all. Highly recommend!

Stephen McNamara was my divorce attorney and guide through this incredibly difficult process. He…read morekept me focused on the most important thing which was my life with my child and more importantly, her life with her parents. In the times when I was allowing emotion to take over he stepped in to bring logic and my life (long term) back into focus. He knew the law better than anyone and ultimately that is what prevailed in my divorce case. Knowing the law and what to reasonably expect was critical for me in making important decisions. Stephen brought that to the table and got the best possible outcome for me and my daughter. We will be forever grateful for his extremely valuable expertise.

I recommend Robert G. Smith without reservation as a skilled and dedicated trial and divorce…read morelawyer. I am a successful dentist and observant in my religion. When my wife began accusing me of infidelity at work, she involved our children, then ages 3 and 4. Two years later, my wife escalated her attack by filing a false police report that I threatened to kill her and our children. I spent a night in jail that I will never forget. The next day I retained Robert G. Smith. Mr. Smith secured the dismissal of the criminal case. Then he went about to obtain custody of our children. He litigated with diligence and poise. While cross examining the Court's psychiatrist, Mr. Smith got him to admit that my wife suffered from delusional disorder, and to change his recommendation from shared custody to sole custody right there on the witness stand. Mr. Smith spent three days cross examining my wife, and when he was done with her, nobody in the court room thought that my wife was sane. Then Mr, Smith proceeded to give an oral summation that made me so proud that I insisted that he have it transcribed and put it on his website. Mr. Smith stayed with me through thick and thin. Although Mr. Smith disagrees, my wife claims that the reason she lost custody of our children was because she did not have a dedicated and capable lawyer like Mr. Smith. To anyone facing the prospect of child litigation custody I can offer a few words of advice: The stakes are simply too high for you to be able to avoid the temptation of an emotional mistake. At the outset of my case, Mr. Smith outlined our goals: maximum time with my children and minimum financial exposure. I am grateful that I have had the benefit of representation by a lawyer that I respect and trust. It enabled me to follow what appeared to be counter initiative advice, such as his recommendation that I voluntarily pay a $ 5,000.00 retainer to my wife's third divorce lawyer, and to avoid other emotional temptations that could have prejudiced my case. I believe in my heart that my children will have a better life because I fought for and won custody. For that I am forever grateful to Robert Smith.

Worked on my behalf 1,000 miles away…read more.. When my ex-wife moved to New York to begin divorce/custody proceedings I believed we were reconciling. When served with the papers I didn't know where to begin (I live in Kentucky and had no contacts in New York). Mr. Smith was the individual I depended on to represent me. He treated myself and my family with kindness and integrity throughout the entire process. I believe that he did everything he could to limit the amount of travel and expense necessary for a lengthy custody battle in another state. By the end of the ordeal he seemed more like a relative than a lawyer, but make no mistake, he knows his way around a courtroom. Mr. Smith was spectacular in the examination portion of the family court proceedings. He is very good at making sure your narrative is told as well as dispelling lies and falsehoods from the other side through cross-examination and expert witnesses. Mr. Smith explained the process to myself and my family in a way that limited the amount of surprises we encountered along the way. He has a vast amount of experience and knowledge about the system and how it works. He uses these tools to navigate you through an inefficient court system all the while being honest with you about your chances for success. I would not hesitate to recommend him to others and would use him again tomorrow if I needed to.

I am another attorney in the community who has known Ms. Dow for some time. Her diligence in…read moreworking on behalf of her clients to achieve the best results is impressive - she knows her stuff and I always know that if I need a consult on a matrimonial or custody issue I could reach out to get a smart answer. The combination of experience, depth of knowledge and ability to advocate for her clients makes her a powerhouse. In addition, I must give my compliments to her staff, who are always professional and helpful. To sum up, I would unreservedly recommend this firm to a friend looking for representation in a family law case.

The best that you can ask for , takes care of everything . Knows the ins and outs of your case , I…read morehad to retain her after I fired my previous attorney and have someone pickup where he lefts off . She took it and fixed alot of the issues without any fuss. Thank you

This attorney is the most dedicated attorney I have ever met…read more Professionally aggressive, knowledgeable trial attorney and effective with a high code of ethics. I would recommend her for child custody cases and divorce cases in New York. J. Ohrn

An outstanding attorney that has helped many people in New York. Highly knowledgeable and…read moreprofessional. You can't go wrong with the Law Office of Ms. Older.