The run-around:…read more Dealing with Johnson Lazaro was a waste of time and $100 bucks. As a prospective client, he was very inefficient and rude. In my opinion, his resume and website play him up to be more capable of legal help than he actually is able to handle. My case wasn't that complicated. Strike One: I feel that if he knew from the get-go that he was unable to take my case, he should have let me know right away, and not give me the run-around. My correspondence with him and his office was a time span of 4 months before he finally let me know he couldn't be of any assistance to me. Strike Two: I find it extremely unprofessional and rude for him to lag on response, whether it be returning phone calls to me, or responding to emails promptly. After all, his business is a service organization. I shouldn't have to call the office several times just to get one returned phone call, and I definitely didn't appreciate the attitude he always had in his voice. Strike Three: Lastly, I was inconvenienced to take off work to arrange to pick up my document at his SF office, after he had already AGREED to mail it back to me via USPS. All it would of cost his office was .44 cents to send my document back to me. You're out: I don't like to leave bad reviews on businesses, but it must be acknowledged how frustrated I was with him in our dealings. If I could request a refund for my consultation fee, I would. But, I'm sure if I tried, he would never get back to me (lack of response) If you're thinking of hiring him for legal help, good luck.

Lazaro took my parents case. He was more focused on the payment plan then their case. I made a…read moreappointment and visited him and he straight out talked down to me even though I knew what their case required. At that moment we fired him and transferred my parents case to a way better attorney where communication was awesome and they were happy with the results. Stay away as he will take the money and won't do anything to help you on your case.

On behalf of my uncle, Francisco Javier Jimenez, I want to express our deepest gratitude to…read moreAttorney Sergio H. Benavides for changing our lives forever. After many years living in the United States, we were facing the real possibility of having to leave everything behind. My partner and I have, a 14-year-old daughter, and an 8-year-old son--and if it hadn't been for Mr. Benavides, our entire family would have had to relocate to Mexico. On July 2nd, 2025, I had my immigration appointment in San Jose, CA, and I was proud to walk in with the best immigration attorney by my side. Mr. Benavides guided us through every step of the process. What felt overwhelming and complicated, he made clear and manageable. His knowledge, experience, and compassion made all the difference. In a time when so many in our brown community are living in fear due to daily deportations and unjust immigration policies, Mr. Benavides gave us hope--and results. Thanks to his hard work and dedication, I am now officially a U.S. resident. If you are looking for an immigration attorney who truly cares and fights for your future, I 100% recommend Sergio H. Benavides. He didn't just handle a case--he protected a family and gave us the chance to continue building our dreams here. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Being a 27 year old man who has been to many countries, filling out documents has never been a…read moreissue for me. But, when it came time to file for my green card the amount of pressure i felt increased. I asked around with co workers and over 2 of my coworkers referred me to Mr. Benavides and his tight knit efficient team. After meeting with Mr. Benavides I knew this was the time I could put my trust in. No stress is how I would sum up my experience here.

This Law Office very responsible and reliable,working on the case courteously,I have working with…read morethe lawyers seamlessly,paralegal team are very professional too

This was such a disappointing experience for us.. I literally called to book an appt approximately…read morea month ago and had our screening over the phone with Saul who was informative and nice. I followed up with him and he said he'd have a response by Friday to see if they could or could not help us (which is valid). I never heard back so I sent him a text and he asked for all the files and I sent them by email and text message from Dropbox. I called back a few weeks later as once again I didn't hear back.. Gigi nice as always booked an appointment that same day for 5pm. We waited for the call and nothing... I call back today to let them know we didn't hear back and Gigi apologized and I told her that the lack of communication is the issue for me. She said she'd call me back and it's the end of the day and I have not heard back. Saul never answered or let me know he was too busy for us.. this was a waste of time and it makes me sad that I wasted time in hopes that they'd at least keep me posted in a timely manner. Law firms are busy but communication is not a hard ask. I refuse to work with them now as this is a clear idea of what to expect going forward. Immigration cases are stressful and delicate and chasing a law firm for answers should never be the client's job.

Brief initial conversation was free. Attorney is professional, knowledgeable, helpful, caring…read more Answered all my questions.

Jaime helped me with a complicated child custody issue . I appreciate his candor, quick turnaround…read moretime for responding and how quickly he was able to put me at ease during an already stressful situation. He worked diligently to get the outcome I wanted. He was honest about what to expect during court and I cannot have asked for a better outcome.

This is a shady practice. Please don't waste your time by doing business with them. They said that…read morethey will honor the appointment cancelation with a full refund if it was cancelled more than two weeks prior. We did cancel the appointment more than two weeks prior to the appointment. I was advised to wait between 5 to 15 business days to see $375 USD reflected on my account. After 15 business days wi từ many followups, they texted back and said they made a mistake and that my refund doesn't meet the requirement with no logical explanation. These are not honest people and are not upholding themselves with integrity and is attempting to keep other people money by fraudulent. Update: The Law office of Daniel Shandfield refunded $375. Thank you for doing the right thing.

We wanted to thank the Law offices of Daniel Shanfield. Although it was a lengthy process for my…read moreMom's situation, our case manager Azucena Munoz was always professional and got back to us when we had any questions. Thanks to her dedication, my mother is now a U.S. citizen and secure about her future.

I contacted the office of M. Marcellino - I didn't know what to expect. He has a small simple…read moreoffice and doesn't team up with many paralegals and other law partners. In my experience attorney's aren't typically great professionals to deal with. Mr. Marcellino was refreshingly kind, helpful, professional and Courteous. My question [issue] wasn't an easy one. Most attorney's response [and I have consulted many] is something to the effect of "Hire me, pay me a huge retainer and then I'll help you" - and even after you pay the big retainer they then say - "This is complex - pay me more and I'll research the issue but I don't think there's a good answer other than 'it depends'". Mr. Marcellino doesn't appear as self-serving as the other attorneys - rather than seeing my problem as a way to enrich himself - he was honest, straightforward and even did some follow-up research and gave me good insight - all this without extracting a huge payment upfront. He may not be the richest attorney in the area due to his lack of greed. From my experience he is good, knowledgeable and helpful and I would highly recommend consulting with him if you need a Family Law Attorney. NOTE: I didn't experience his work in court so can't vouch for his preparedness or presentation before a Judge.

Not a good experience. You get what you pay for!…read more If you want more explanation, I will be happy to share my bad experience hiring this attorney based on my OWN EXPERIENCE. The day of the hearing, I met him at the courthouse and I said, "Good morning Mr. Marvellino," right at the door of the courthouse, and he completely turned his head and ignored me and kept walking in. I was right behind him after putting my stuff through security. Then when I picked up my things, he was also there trying to avoid eye contact with me and started talking with another attorney and continued ignoring me. We went to the elevator, and he took a different elevator. While we were waiting at the courtroom door, he was walking around looking at or reading things on the wall and right about 3 minutes before they opened the courtroom, he approached me and we went in. Then I realized he was not prepared and/or had not even re-read or reviewed my case before we were called by the judge. While we were waiting to be called, I was sitting next to him and I noticed that he was using his iPad and navigating Facebook and other social media and watching videos. Of course, judges and others may not notice that because some good attorneys tend to use their devices to review their cases while waiting to be called, but I personally witnessed that he was interacting on social media and responding to comments. Then we were called by the judge, and he said things incorrectly (arguments). If you are in a family law case battle, he is not the right one to represent your case. He might be good for another kind of cases, but in my opinion, based on my own experience, he is not. I am leaving this review based on my own experience. If someone else had a good experience hiring him, good for them, but that was not my case. Now, he is trying to contact me regarding my review and sent me an email saying that I cannot share it because it is protected under the law. Mrs. Marcellino, I am sorry if you feel offended or you might think that I am trying to ruin your business reputation, which is not my intention as you think, but I can tell you that I am being fair leaving reviews based on my own experience. I have the right to refuse to talk with you and please do not send me emails or contact me regarding my review. You have to accept that other people have opinions and express themselves based on their own experiences. With all my respect, Thank youNot a good experience. You get what you pay for! If you want more explanation, I will be happy to share my bad experience hiring this attorney based on my OWN EXPERIENCE. The day of the hearing, I met him at the courthouse and I said, "Good morning Mr. Marvellino," right at the door of the courthouse, and he completely turned his head and ignored me and kept walking in. I was right behind him after putting my stuff through security. Then when I picked up my things, he was also there trying to avoid eye contact with me and started talking with another attorney and continued ignoring me. We went to the elevator, and he took a different elevator. While we were waiting at the courtroom door, he was walking around looking at or reading things on the wall and right about 3 minutes before they opened the courtroom, he approached me and we went in. Then I realized he was not prepared and/or had not even re-read or reviewed my case before we were called by the judge. While we were waiting to be called, I was sitting next to him and I noticed that he was using his iPad and navigating Facebook and other social media and watching videos. Of course, judges and others may not notice that because some good attorneys tend to use their devices to review their cases while waiting to be called, but I personally witnessed that he was interacting on social media and responding to comments. Then we were called by the judge, and he said things incorrectly (arguments). If you are in a family law case battle, he is not the right one to represent your case. He might be good for another kind of cases, but in my opinion, based on my own experience, he is not. I am leaving this review based on my own experience. If someone else had a good experience hiring him, good for them, but that was not my case. Now, he is trying to contact me regarding my review and sent me an email saying that I cannot share it because it is protected under the law. Mrs. Marcellino, I am sorry if you feel offended or you might think that I am trying to ruin your business reputation, which is not my intention as you think, but I can tell you that I am being fair leaving reviews based on my own experience. I have the right to refuse to talk with you and please do not send me emails or contact me regarding my review. You have to accept that other people have opinions and express themselves based on their own experiences. Honestly, at this point, all of the reviews here are not very credible to me anymore! Thank you

I don't know how to thank this man (Riccardo Ippolito) enough…read more My case was dismissed. I still have moments where that sentence doesn't feel real. I came to Riccardo through one of my closest friends, who had been through something very similar and had his own case dismissed with VIB Law representing him. So I'll be honest -- I walked in already believing I was in good hands. A referral from someone you trust, who has lived the same nightmare and come out the other side, is worth more than a hundred five-star reviews. But I want to be clear: Riccardo earned that trust all over again with me, from the first meeting to the last. If you're reading this in the middle of your own situation, you already know the feeling. The not sleeping. The replaying everything. The way the fear sits in your chest at 3 a.m. and doesn't move. That's where I was. What Riccardo gave me, besides an outcome I honestly wasn't sure I'd get, was the sense that someone competent was carrying part of this with me. He understood my case immediately -- not just the charges, but everything around them, what mattered and what didn't, what we needed to get ahead of. Watching him lay it out, I realized how much I'd been guessing at on my own and how badly I needed someone who actually knew this terrain. And he was there. Weekends. Late evenings. Times I felt guilty reaching out and did it anyway because I was spiraling. He always answered, always with patience, and never once made me feel like I was bothering him or like I was just another file on a desk. If you've never been through this, that may sound like a small thing. It isn't. It was everything. Riccardo, thank you. Truly. You gave me my life back and I won't forget it. To anyone deciding: call him. You'll understand within one conversation why my friend sent me his way, and why I'm now doing the same for you.

Update July 7, 2026 at 7:42 am: Mental health diversion was actually available June 2018. I…read morecouldn't care less for their "empathy." Empathy changes nothing. Update June 25, 2026 at 11:33 am: It has been alleged that mental health diversion was not an available option at the time of my plea. I entered my plea in September 2018 and was sentenced January 2019. Mental health diversion was signed into law in July 2018. Here is my source: https://capcentral.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Judge-Couzens-Mental-Health-Diversion-MAY-2024.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com Make no mistake about it: Patrick Valencia deserves to be disbarred. He would be performing a kindness for the local community by retiring. I retained Patrick Valencia in April 2018 to represent me in a criminal case. I had been accused of a crime by someone who raped me. I let Patrick Valencia know there was a strong mental health component to my case. I was unaware at the time that Santa Clara County had a mental health court, so when he claimed the best outcome was for me to plead to a felony, being inexperienced with the system I believed him and served three years' probation. The felony plea contributed in large part to my expulsion from University. Years later I was arrested for the same conduct concerning the same rapist and this time was represented by the Public Defender's Office at no charge to me. I received a much better outcome without having to spend $7500 on a retainer. I was granted mental health diversion and my charge was dismissed. I complained to the State Bar and Patrick Valencia, even after being notified I am aware of his misconduct, refuses to so much extend the courtesy of a refund even though he did NOTHING for me besides ruining my life. Not to mention, from serving three years' probation and being expelled from University I suffered massive financial losses. Thankfully a new law was passed, vacatur, where survivors of sexual violence can petition to have their rap sheet erased. But even so, nothing will repair the lost time and opportunities I suffered because of this shameful, incompetent rape apologist. Did I mention he screamed at me outside of the courtroom asking if I was a nasty woman? That's how he treats his clients. Steer clear from this firm. I notice I am not the only former client he has mistreated. I encourage all of this scoundrel's victims to report him to the State Bar.

I was very disappointed with my experience. The receptionist was unable to answer basic questions…read moreabout the firm's business law services and seemed more focused on the size of my business and revenue than actually understanding my needs. It felt like the decision to help me was based solely on potential profit rather than professionalism or client service. When I asked what areas of business law the firm handles, I could not get a clear answer. The interaction came across as dismissive and unhelpful. I am open to resolving this issue and updating my review if someone from the firm would like to contact me directly. Thank you.

Julie has been an integral part of our company's success over the past 4.5 years. Her unwavering…read morededication and exceptional skills have made her a standout collaborator in every sense of the word. One of Julie's most remarkable qualities is her prowess in litigation. Her approach is both strategic and daring, embodying a sense of fierceness that sets her apart. Julie consistently demonstrates sharp analytical skills, extraordinary attention to detail, and an ability to craft compelling arguments that resonate profoundly in the courtroom. Her litigation techniques inspire confidence and deliver results, underscoring her ability to tackle even the most complex cases with poise and precision. Beyond her technical expertise, Julie has fostered a collaborative environment marked by trust and mutual respect. Her professionalism and ability to connect with colleagues foster a positive atmosphere that enhances teamwork and drives progress forward. Julie's reliability and adaptability have ensured seamless communication and effective outcomes in every project she undertakes. If you're looking for an attorney, run don't walk stright to SAC Attorneys!