Tonya Rulli is not a good attorney. Over the course of the year that she represented me, I experienced rude and dismissive behavior, which made the entire process much more stressful than it needed to be. I spent over $20,000, only to end up with some of the worst temporary orders imaginable.
Ultimately, I decided to part ways with her, but not before she threatened to stop representing me.
When I asked her questions, particularly those that were unclear to me, instead of taking the time to answer, she would belittle me by saying I was wasting both my money and her time. Rather than charging me to actually address my concerns, she would charge me to tell me that my questions weren't worth answering--something she liked to call "moot points."
At times, I felt as though Tonya held a personal bias against men. She seemed more interested in arguing with me than advocating for me. Her approach was lethargic, as if she was simply going through the motions without caring about the outcome. On top of that, she blamed me for negative rulings, including one where I said the motion went as well as it could, and she exploded, accusing me of being the reason it didn't go better.
Throughout the case, she made multiple critical mistakes, including errors in calculating my finances, which made it appear as though I earned more than I actually did. This led to my ex receiving more money than they should have. She would take notes but repeatedly forget them, even when they were key to the case. The lack of preparation was painfully obvious. During hearings, I often saw her fumbling for words, looking through notes that didn't seem to be from my case, and avoiding eye contact with the commissioner.
Her billing was vague, and I'm certain I was charged extra for unnecessary things. There were instances where both she and her paralegal sent me the same emails, essentially doubling up on the work--and burning through my retainer in the process.
In short, if you're a man looking for solid legal representation, do yourself a favor and avoid Tonya Rulli. My experience with her was nothing short of terrible. She was emotional, rude, and demeaning--dare I say unprofessional. She and her firm treated me like I didn't matter. read more
