I retained Brent's law firm for a difficult and emotionally stressful family law matter, and I am…read moreextremely grateful that I did. My attorney, Shelby, was exceptional. She combined excellent legal judgment and professionalism with patience, steadiness, and genuine compassion. Throughout a complicated and highly stressful process, she helped me understand what was legally important, kept me focused when emotions could easily have taken over, and made me feel that I had a strong and thoughtful advocate beside me. What impressed me most was that Shelby never treated me as simply another case. She understood that family law involves real people going through some of the most difficult periods of their lives. She was reassuring when I needed reassurance, candid when I needed legal guidance, and consistently professional and well prepared. The firm's fees represent a significant financial commitment, but I am deeply appreciative of Shelby and the firm and would recommend them to anyone seeking highly competent and compassionate family law representation.

Thank you for responding. I understand that legal services are billed for work performed and that…read moredivorce cases can become expensive. My concern is not simply that I was charged legal fees. My concern is that after paying nearly $22,000, I did not feel the progress, communication, or results I received were reasonable for the amount I spent. I reviewed my bills and continued making payments because I trusted that my case was moving forward. However, I repeatedly felt pressured to provide additional funds and was concerned that representation could stop if I could not continue making payments. Ultimately, I ended up handling much of my case myself and was able to reach a resolution without continuing to spend thousands more in attorney fees. That is why I shared my review. It reflects my personal experience, and I believe potential clients should understand how quickly legal fees can accumulate and ask detailed questions about expected costs before hiring the firm.

Should consider being polite and listen to your potential customers. You might get better ratings…read more But at least I was given a chance to speak. I'm glad you answered but refused to listen about the violations of HIPPA from my recent dental service.

Should have done this review years ago but was caught up in undoing all the trouble and misguidance…read morehe provided while he was my lawyer. He has absolutely no concerns for his clients. Agree with the feedback other *female* reviewers have shared. He is an arrogant liar who can careless as long he's making money off of you.

Ian is a very effective attorney. He is very easy to work with and is extremely ethical. He also…read moreLISTENS to his client. Highly recommended for family court and TROs even if they include complex or high conflict issues.

I didn't end up using lawyer services but the fact he was willing to have a brief consultation with…read moreme about my case without charging me an arm and a leg or even mentioning money was a breath of fresh air and turned out to be extremely helpful. Seems like an overall nice guy and I wouldn't hesitate to use him or recommend him. Keep being one of the good guys Ivan. Thank you

Going through a divorce is never easy, and finding the right person to guide you through the…read moreprocess can make such a difference. From my very first consultation with Indy Colbath Schmitt at Bay Area Family Law Center, I felt more at ease and confident about moving forward. Indy was incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and compassionate. She took the time to listen to my concerns, explain my options in a way that was easy to understand, and answer my questions without making me feel rushed. What had felt overwhelming suddenly felt much more manageable. Her paralegal, Jerennina Piguing, was also wonderful--responsive, helpful, and supportive. Divorce is an emotional and stressful experience, but having professionals who genuinely listen and help you navigate the process can bring tremendous peace of mind. I am very grateful to Indy and her team for their guidance and support and would confidently recommend Bay Area Family Law Center to anyone needing knowledgeable and compassionate family law representation.

I cannot recommend Nicole Palang and the staff at Bay Area Family Law Center highly enough. Going…read morethrough a divorce is incredibly difficult, but Nicole and her team were attentive and helpful every step of the way. Nicole is incredibly sharp and professional, yet remained very approachable whenever I had questions. What really stood out was how dynamic she was in the final stages. I expected the process to drag on much longer, but she worked efficiently with the judge and the opposing attorney to get everything finalized. I am so grateful to have had them as my guides.

I have used Mr.Levitz for two legal matters to date. I know many lawyers have bad reputations and…read moreare the butt of many jokes. But Mr.Levitz is a treasure and a true lawyer whose objectives are in the clients best interests. He is honest, has a high quality team that is both courteous and prompt. His knowledge of the legal system is second to none. Before retaining any attorney, do yourself a favor and speak with Mr.Levitz. He will speak directly with you, local and saved/won me thousands of dollars. I'd gladly refer him to all my family members and friends. I keep him on speed dial should I ever need his help or advice. You won't find a more knowledgeable & honest attorney with a total command of the law...especially but not limited to California law. I give him 6 stars even though they only allow 5 stars. Alan P.

Run the other way, this disgraceful ambulance chaser is only in it for himself, as long as he gets…read morehis money, he will not go out of his way to maximize & negotiate your financial award. Zero compassion, all show, fake as a fake plant. I lost hundreds of thousands because of this selfish leach. He sold out to the opposition in my Serious and Willful Misconduct lawsuit case, I was left in the dark & was put on the spot. They came to an agreement & plan that benefited him & ex bosses, while they played golf & had lunch. We were supposed take it to court & sue for 400k-1mil. While attending Workman Comp court, where they gave me my disabled percentage of 86% disabled, the owners of the company made a surprise visit, I was put on the spot & cornerd into settling my Serious & Willful Misconduct lawsuit. Levitz strongly adviced me to accept their 200k settlement offer. We had no chance at winning in court, they would claim freak accident. He got 75k from that 200k. They payed me in payment installments. After I fired him, he told me that he didn't want to bankrupt the company. With my Workmen's Comp case, he made false promises, that I would get 100% disabled, I got 86% disabled, he got 17k for that. He put a lien on my award after i fired him. He wants another piece of the pie, if I decide to settle my Workmans Comp on my own. Please stay away, no one escapes YHWH YESHUAS judgement, even if they don't believe in GOD. I was 25 years old in 2002, was overworked, company didn't provide safety harness. I fell off a roof. Broke my back, burst fracture fusion spinal cord injury. Paralyzed from below knees down both legs & paralyzed glutes, deal with back spasm pain, depression & so on. A shell of a man I used to be, life turned upside down. The company was fined by OSHA & now have safety harness & lifts that lift tarps onto the roof.

Aaron Bortel tremendously helped my relatives DUI case with BAC of 0.16. He was very knowledgeable,…read moreeasy to talk to, friendly, caring, and professional during a very stressful time in our families lives. He worked with my relative for 1.5 years since the arrest to a drop of the DUI to a wet and reckless. We highly recommend this experienced lawyer to anyone in need. Thanks Mr. Aaron Bortel!

Aaron is the top lawyer to work with for DUI cases. After several consultations with other…read moreattorneys, he was the only one who made me feel that there was a chance for a great outcome on my end. And a great outcome it was! My DUI was reduced to a wet reckless. Also important to me though was keeping my license and Aaron was able to win my hearing case so that I did not have to get an SRT 22 (high risk insurance document) nor did I have to get an install to start my vehicle (both of which are costly!) Aaron is great to work with and I highly recommend!

I feel bad that I have to say I am having one of the worst experience a person could ever have…read morewith a attorney or any courtroom experience. This attorney could care less about any harm caused by him or my previous divorce attorney and the wrath of those two attorneys continue to destroy me, my reputation and anything that comes up with my name attached to it, by having all my assets thrown into a probate pool, daily. I'm super saddened to find out that this attorney, my biological family, and others sit around flipping that pen to help people that really aren't involved with anything legal I have going on and are funding their quest to over throw me and the local government through my hardwork, insurance money, fraud, and other real unauthorized transactions, while leaving me, my parents, and my 2 children homeless, and taking the blame for all the donation fraud and abu se and coming up empty handed on everything. Whatever game of backward day between the attorneys and the police, has left us out of control of our lifestyle, however, we've been assured that the homeless person who is taking control of our finances is still not authorized, but there better than Leslie Snabb. In time I hope Sgt. Black can realize that I do exist as a person and stop selling me, my identifying documents and competing with someone half his age, just as I would have hoped Ms Hoffman, and Mrs Stanley would stop competing with me too. This is a modern day Cindrella Story that I have been dealing with sense I was ten years old, when my grandmother had passed away. I am sorry you all are having issues that are hard for you to look at, at this time, but I dont think destroying me any further will bring you a positive balanced life, and end mine, like you all have recently prayed for,however I hope you can find it within yourself to stop using me my funds, or treating me like Im deceased. I also haven't signed anything at any police department giving up any monetary gain, gifts, rewards, or donations and I haven't added any type of legal representative other than the Attorney Carlos Carbajal Esq., recently... Thank You... Leslie S

Hired him 9/01/2017 got no updates, no court hearings, no settlement conference as promised as of…read more02/20/2019. Will not be able to continue paying for legal services rendered.

Shane Nielson was the volunteer attorney assigned to my family law settlement conference. Despite…read morehis "many years of experience," he showed up unprepared, misrepresented the rules governing confidentiality, and repeatedly talked over me, a self-represented party attempting to participate in good faith. He refused to review my confidential settlement letter in direct violation of Alameda County Local Rule 5.45(b)(15), which states that written settlement offers may be submitted in confidence to the court. This rule exists to protect parties from coercion and encourage honest negotiations, yet he insisted the offer had to be shared with the opposing party first, which is simply false. Despite claiming he had reviewed "many hours" of case materials, it was clear he had only skimmed my filings. He misunderstood core terms of my proposal and appeared more interested in pushing for a quick resolution than in engaging with the legal and factual complexities of the case. His conduct was not neutral, nor professional, and his repeated attempts to steer me toward additional financial concessions felt dismissive and biased. I expected a neutral facilitator. Instead, I got someone who ignored the rules, undermined the process, and disrespected my role and voice as a participant. I've submitted a complaint to the court to formally document this experience and strongly advise against working with Shane Nielson in any legal context involving settlement or dispute resolution

I am not one to write poor reviews, to me it is a waste of time and I rely on others to relay…read morecritical information. However, I want others to carefully research who they are going to invest their money and time on. My wife and I were clueless and in a rush, and because of this we had such a traumatizing experience due to the negligence and lack of measures Mr. Nielson failed to take. I have been waiting 8 months to write this. Let me explain. My wife was looking to relocate out of CA with her 4yo son due to the increasing costs of living as I am sure you are all aware of. My wife has sole legal and physical custody, and the dad has a criminal background and does not support financially. She and I had significantly better opportunities for work in Las Vegas, and overall could provide a more comfortable and stable life for her son. We brought up our situation with Mr. Nielson in January/February of 2023, around the time of her lease renewal. He explained to us that my wife has every right (the presumptive right) to relocate with her son to NV, and gave her the green light. We packed her things, she quit her job, and we simply moved everything to my home in Las Vegas. He warned us of other party filing a motion and the unlikelihood of it getting approved. Few weeks later, it was approved. Police were calling my wife because the other party was attempting to call an Amber Alert, though she has full custody. Prior to this we got a brief email from Mr. Nielson stating she needed to move back, not a call, no reassurance or explanation of the current situation. Her son had to move back to CA with her sister, my wife kept her new job here in Vegas because we assumed that the move needed a formal court hearing prior to being granted. The hearing was 6 weeks away, the longest 6 weeks for my wife having to be away from her son. The court date arrives. Mr. Nielson assures us that he will have us three (her son, her, and i) on our flight back home to Vegas on that day. After the hearing the other party ends up with more rights (from supervised to unsupervised visitations) and we are left with another court date 2 months out and loads of uncertainty. We immediately felt like we lost, including Mr. Nielson. He had poor rapport with this judge (which I learned is significantly important). We were left devastated, and all he could say was "There is nothing we can do. The judge is not following the law". My wife had to quit her new job and move back to CA with her sister. Almost 2 months total of lost income because proper steps were not taken. And approximately 2 months of me paying for Nielson's services totaling up to approximately $7000-$8000. Here is where we eventually terminated our services with Mr. Nielson. Now I am no attorney, but after months of research on move-away cases I had to do on my own I did learn these things. For move-away cases there are many things to consider and steps to take. To start you have Lamusga Factors, but MOST IMPORTANTLY you have to file a move-away order. This is the crucial and most detrimental step Mr. Nielson failed to address. No matter the situation, if the other party is in prison for example, a Move-Away Order must always be filed prior to relocating. Mr. Nielson failed to mention this in the beginning, failed to file one, and again failed to mention it after our first court hearing. "There is nothing we can do, she is not following the law." Again I am no legal expert, however this is why I and a lot of you will come to a professional. After terminating our services, we ultimately won the case (9/27/23) with another attorney and were able to relocate. It did not have to go this way had he initially taken the proper steps, had he not given the other party (without a lawyer) the legal advantage. Our new attorney essentially had to clean up after Nielson which took approx 5 months and more legal expenses. My wife did not have to move prematurely and be in/out of work for 2 months. I'm sorry to write this, but my wife suffered far too much financially and emotionally due to his negligence and $7000-$8000 for 2-3 months of services was far from what I expected.