A total disaster of an Attorney. He never once went to court to represent me rather he sent an…read moreinexperienced 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.

DO NOT HIRE HIM! Mr. Cook represented me after learning my…read moreex 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!

Ms. Rand steered me through the difficult process of having to declare bankruptcy some time back…read more She was able to offer sound advice and suggestions to get through the many steps that are required by the Court. As embarrassing as having to declare, Rochelle never was judgmental and critical of my past habits. Our family will be using Ms. Rand later this year for a surrogacy issue that is coming up.

This review is more than overdue! I hired Rochelle back in…read more2009. She will put on a good show for you until you sign the contract and pay her the($5000) retainer. I had to go to her office and drop a few things by and still nothing was done on my case. Until 48 hours before the first court day. At court she presented me with the first bill. My retainer was gone and I owed her$ 800 more.She was able to rack up a bill for $5800 in 48 hours. It was technically not possible. But sure enough, here was the Bill. Before we went into the court room, she noticed that some information in the papers were filled out by her office staff incorrectly. She called her office to let them know that that was not the correct way of doing it. And believe it or not, I was charged for that phonecall in my next Bill. (That is her hourly rate plus her hourly rate for the phone call.) She was less than professional inside the court room.She did not address the court in a proper manner. The judge had to put her back into her place. I was more than embarrassed for HER. After 4 weeks we were at $18000 and she and her team had not accomplished anything. I could not proof it but I felt that she overcharged and double charged me on a lot of things. She always said that it got more expensive because the other party got a lawyer.... After that, I fired her and got myself a different lawyer that got everything done in a year and within a budget. Do not go there! Do not waste your money! She is a great talker on your first meeting but will not deliver anything. She doesn't even know how to behave in a courtroom. Don't even waste your time!

After reading the reviews. I can say I had similar experience with her. She was very disorganized…read more I frequently had to give her a recap of my entire case to refresh her memory. She burned through my retainers with no resolutions made to my case. I wasted my money on her and ended up dropping her amd representing myself.

Karen arrived 30 minutes late for our in-person consult, leaving me waiting in the lobby area. In…read moreour meeting she did not recall (nor have any notes) of the general overview of the case, or any specifics we had discussed over the phone while scheduling the meeting. No subsequent follow-up from her on the consult, and no responses to my attempts to reach out via an email and phone call. After a few weeks, I tried to call her again and she acted as if she had never heard of me or my case. Bizarre interaction at best.

Ugh a divorce! But, Scott made it way less ugly and…read moreactually listened to me. He made this God awful situation less stressful without triggering anything! His calm demeanor and presence made me feel safe. I listened to what he had to say to me and I believed and trusted him. He held my future finances in his hands. I'm very grateful for Scott and what I settled on. He returned every text/email! I sincerely Thank you Scott for being The PeaceKeeper that you are! May you and your family prosper and thrive all the days of your lives!

Divorce is one of the most difficult and emotional experiences a family can go through, and we are…read moreincredibly grateful to have had Scott Levin guiding us through the process. From our very first meeting, Scott created an environment that felt respectful, balanced, and solution-focused. He was patient, compassionate to our specific and unique situations and genuinely invested in helping us navigate difficult conversations with clarity and dignity. Our situation was particularly unique because we had a number of complex financial assets that needed to be carefully evaluated and divided. Throughout the process, Scott's financial expertise proved invaluable for me. He was able to clearly explain complicated financial concepts, helping both of us understand the implications of different options and ensure that decisions were made thoughtfully and fairly. His ability to navigate both the emotional and financial aspects of divorce with equal skill gave us tremendous confidence during a process that could have otherwise felt overwhelming. Thanks to his guidance, expertise and calm presence, what could have been an even more highly contentious process became far more manageable that I ever expected. I left mediation feeling respected, informed and confident in the agreements that we reached. I would wholeheartedly recommend Scott Levin to anyone seeking a knowledgeable, fair and compassionate divorce mediator. His unique combination of interpersonal skill and financial expertise was invaluable and made a lasting difference during one of the most challenging chapters of our lives, and we are deeply thankful for his support.

I highly recommend this law office. Anton is very knowledgeable, confident and punctual…read more Communication was on point. Anton and his team with Janet and Emilia, were amazing in helping me deal with my toxic ex in court and helped me to get an order to be able to have my daughter back in my life. All the paperwork was filed in a timely manner and he arrived at court prepared. After a bad experience with my previous attorney in my case, I hired Anton and I wish I had hired his law office sooner. The billing was clear and fair. The 5 stars are well earned and I can't thank Anton, Janet and Emilia enough for helping me get my daughter back.

Great guy and very informative. I wanted to hire him but sadly my case is outside of San Diego. He…read moretook his time and explained a lot just in the consultation. I would 100% recommend Anton.

Gisela Acevedo is, without exaggeration, one of the best family law attorneys you could have in…read moreyour corner. After working with other attorneys in the past, I can confidently say the difference was night and day. From the very beginning, Gisela and her team operated with a level of professionalism, urgency, and precision that immediately put me at ease. My case required a quick turnaround, and they moved quickly but never carelessly. Every detail was handled thoughtfully and with intention. What truly sets Gisela apart is how deeply she listens and how strategically she approaches each case. She didn't just hear me she understood me. She consistently kept my child's best interests and my own at the center of every decision, while also helping establish strong, healthy boundaries that will serve us long-term. She provided clear options, honest guidance, and practical strategies that made me feel informed, prepared, and confident every step of the way. I never felt dismissed, rushed, or confused, I felt supported and genuinely represented. Family law matters are incredibly personal and stressful, but having Gisela in my corner gave me real peace of mind during an important chapter of my life. She is worth every single penny and absolutely delivers when it matters most. If you want an attorney who is sharp, responsive, strategic, and truly invested in her clients, I cannot recommend Gisela and her team enough.

My husband and I hired Attorney Gisela Acevedo which we found on Tik tok when we needed a family…read morelawyer for our step parent adoption case . From The moment I reached out to her she answered all my questions and concerns in which we decided to move forward . She and her team are professional and MAs you feel like you're part of them in my experience her team member Melissa would reach out to me to let me know if like we an upcoming hearing or paperwork I needed to complete and she would always make me feel like she cared. What I loved about Attorney Acevedo what that she would always reach out to me before a hearing in which it would make us feel prepared and know what to expect . She would also follow up the hearing . In the day of the step parent adoption hearing she send in my daughter some amazing balloons in which is was a huge surprise and made me daughter feel even more special! Thanks Attorney Acevedo and her team ! HIGHLY RECOMMEND for any family law concerns !

Nory Pascua is one of the best attorneys in San Diego. She…read moreis an intelligent and very experienced professional that makes you feel so comfortable and confident to move forward with your case... Highly recommended!!

Nory Pascua is someone you want on your side and not someone going against you. She is sooooo…read moreprepared and professional. She was an attorney that fought for me when I needed strong representation. Nory always responded in a timely fashion and was always one step ahead of opposing counsel. I was so happy with my result. Money well spent.

I am a former client of this law firm, and unfortunately my experience was disappointing…read more Expectations were not clearly explained, and I often felt that my concerns were not given the attention they deserved. Given the amount I was charged, I had serious concerns about billing, as it appeared I may have been billed more than once for the same work. Most concerning, the firm withdrew from representing me only weeks before my scheduled court date, leaving me to find new legal representation on extremely short notice. After consulting with another attorney, I was informed that withdrawing so close to a court hearing raised serious concerns. To this day, I am still receiving charges from JWB Family Law. While I understand that legal matters can be complex, I expected clearer guidance, transparency, and responsiveness from a firm handling such an important matter. Based on my experience, I strongly recommend that potential clients ask very detailed questions upfront about billing practices, communication, timelines, and case management before retaining this firm.

I had a really difficult family law case.  My ex was trying to take away my kids. I did what any…read moredad would do in this situation. I started looking for the best family law attorney near me. I found Jane Wesley Brooks (JWB) because she was listed as one of the top family lawyers in San Diego Magazine. I figured, Jane should be able to help me with my child custody case. Boy, I couldn't have been more mistaken. Jane pushed me off onto one of the other attorneys at her practice, Jessica Pederson. Jessica said all the right things at first. Hit all the right buzz words. Told me she would be aggressive. She was Pro Dads. She believed in Dad Rights. She believed in equal coparenting. She was fighting for my kids. So I signed the retainer. When it came down to our actual custody case, Jessica played softball. She actually told me to just agree with unfair and inappropriate things my ex was doing. Which meant that my ex acted with impunity, and did even more things to make my life miserable.  And our children's lives miserable.  Any average attorney would have filed a Temporary Restraining Order, or TRO, against my ex, considering how she was acting towards our children.  Not Jessica.  Jessica likes to just plug along, allow terrible things to happen, and drag things out as long as she can.  She doesn't believe that there can be Domestic Violence by a mom against her children.  Jessica pretends she is a Domestic Violence Lawyer, but she doesn't act like it.  Then there is the billing. JWB does something that (A LOT) of family law attorneys do: she over bills and triple bills. I would send one email, and be charged by 3 different people. My attorney would read the email (.2 hours), then hand it off to the paralegal to read my email (.2 hours), then hand it off to the secretary to read and categorize the email (.2 hours). Then my attorney would respond to my email, and ask me another question. The whole email chain would take 5 or 6 replies to get anywhere, meanwhile, I was billed for each email, when the reality is the total amount of time it should have taken for this one simple task should have been 0.2 hours TOTAL. Not 0.2 x 3 x 5 = 1.5 hours. It adds up. Sadly, in my research, I found a few other San Diego attorneys do this, so my advice to any Dad looking for a divorce attorney, is to do your research and make sure they aren't over billing you, or triple billing you the way Jane does. Then came the alimony and child support part of our custody case. An average alimony lawyer, or child support attorney, would fight for their client.  Not JWB.  Here, Jane sent me very aggressive emails, saying that I had to "disclose all of my finances", and if I didn't, I would be hit with a "motion to compel", which Jane said was very bad. So I disclosed everything. My ex didn't. My kids' mom gave us no verifiable income, and documents that had been clearly altered. When I asked Jane to get more information, and find out my ex's true income, I was brushed off, and told to just accept what my ex-wife had forged. The real reason that Jane wants you to "disclose everything", is that Jane and Jessica want to know your total worth, so that they can wet their lips and milk you for everything your worth. Which she did.  JWB is not an honest child support lawyer.  She is in it for herself.   The worst part of the entire case, was how because Jessica played softball with my ex, my case dragged on for years, with small incremental changes mostly going against me. I was too scared to fire my family attorney, out of fear that I would LOSE MY KIDS! No dad wants to do that. JWB knows this, so they milk you for everything your worth, and could honestly care less about your personal case. I'm sure that the people on here that give JWB a 5 star review had a fine time with her. She's probably fine for easy family court cases where both parents get along and are getting a simple non-contested divorce. That was not my case though. So if you have an extremely contentious Family Law Custody Hearing, or are facing a divorce and need an aggressive family law attorney, go look elsewhere. JWB was not the family law firm I had been promised.