I contacted Melissa and received an appointment for the next day. Melissa answered all of my…read morequestions and i felt assured everything was handled. She was very professional and I feel very content with my situation after speaking with Melissa and I highly recommend her service.

This review is long overdue!…read more After working with an attorney that would not help with my high conflict custody case, I found Melissa back in 2020 and after a brief exchange and hearing her input I hired her immediately. Her and her team did an amazing job on keeping me updated throughout the process. High Conflict custody cases are very difficult to deal with as is, with Melissa's guidance throughout the past 4 years has helped with the transition. The process was long due to the other party making it difficult to get shared custody. I trusted the steps needed and in the long run I was able to achieve what was in the best interest for my children. Her and her office responded in a timely manner and answered all of my question. Custody cases are difficult as it, I thank Melissa and her office for making my experience a positive one that in the long run benefitted my children. I would highly recommend them to friends and family!

Where do I even start? Tracy Jonson is quite literally heaven sent! Her response time is…read moreincredible, she is not your typical "money-hungry attorney" and she actually, GENUINELY, cares about you and your situation. Her 30 minute consultations are exceptional and she does give you the reality of your situation and provides you with some guidance on what she thinks is best and if the attorney-client relationship is a good fit. Tracy is incredibly knowledgeable and her staff members are so sweet and easy to reach for scheduling and assistance. Absolute shout out to her assistant Rob for quick responses and follow ups! I 100000% recommend consulting and hiring Tracy as she will definitely have your best interest in mind.

I consulted with attorney Tracy Jonson on a legal matter and was incredibly impressed. She is…read moreexceptionally sharp, concise, and no nonsense, while still being compassionate and understanding. Her competence and command of the law were immediately apparent. If you know, you know...she's amazing at what she does and honest. Highly recommend!

The Law Office of Christiana E Samuels is PHENOMENAL. Christiana and every one of her support…read moremembers is uber competent. This makes working with the team seamlessly efficient.  She has trial experience. This is hard to come by for a family law attorney because only about five percent of divorce cases go to trial. She is cost conscious about the divorce process for her clients. This is also difficult to find. An attorney either becomes thoroughly familiar with trial because she's had enough case loads or she's always looking for a fight to increase her revenue. Christiana is definitely NOT the latter but she will put up a good fight when you need it. My story is a long one but it needs to be told to show the experience I've gained to discover and identify an excellent attorney. It is always best to try and settle matters peacefully without involving the Court. It can become insanely expensive and the overall family loses when you want to fight about every little thing. I was the unfortunate five percent that was trapped in the family court for 13 years. My ex-husband's favorite books were Sun Tzu's, "The Art of War" and Hitler's "Mein Kampf". I was not paying enough attention and stupidly entered that marital contract with him. Almost 10 years and a child later, I finally found the courage to exit from the toxic. Upon service of divorce papers, he went to the bank and seized all of our accounts. He was combative and loved the litigation. He had figured out the defects in the family law court- the penalty for perjury is not enforced. He spun his lies so well, a burnt out judge at the end of 8 years into our case ruled that I was not credible. He got to keep most of our assets and only needed to return the money he had taken from me 8 years earlier- with ZERO interest. True to his abusive nature, he wanted more and continued to legally harass me. He wouldn't move on even after remarrying. He wanted me back in Court while he was defaulting on child support and hadn't returned my money. I had 3 attorneys and a dozen more that I was consulting throughout the 13 years. One let the case drag on for seven years. One was not prepared for trial. The third one pretty much took a retainer and disappeared. I hesitated to hire any attorney for a while. Christiana was the fourth attorney. She was one of the dozen that I was consulting while I gathered evidence. She did not pursue my "business". She was fine being there to help with advice and ready to take the case if he wanted trial. After I discovered that he had tucked away $31,000 of our retirement and hidden it from the division, he insisted we go to trial so he can once again flaunt his flagrant dishonesty. Christiana exposed his lies during trial beginning with his whited out bank documents to not "remembering" he had stolen the $31,000. This should have been fraud but we had a new judge and she was too nice. For the first time in 13 years, the family court had finally delivered some relief for me. He was ordered to return my money WITH interest immediately, pay heavy sanctions, part of it being 90% of my legal costs. I am so grateful to this attorney. She was not there to run up the hours and take my money. She worked collaboratively well through all of my concerns. She stayed through the collection of this 13-year debt. Everyone has to get paid for their work and her office was worth every penny! Not for the win in court or the amount of money I was awarded but for the lesson that this bully needed to learn - his criminal behavior was no longer going to be rewarded. Instead, it is now recorded forever in public records in a judgment. Thanks to the Law Office of Christiana E Samuels.

How interesting: I'm one of the only real reviews on here, and I'm one of the only negative ones…read more Huh, I wonder how you get so many fake (good) reviews..... My honest review: I hired the Law Offices of Christiana Samuels to aid in my divorce. I am not an attorney, nor am I a divorce attorney. However, I believe that I have been mistreated as a client, and I am pursuing recourse through the California State Bar. I spent thousands of dollars, and months of my divorce, trying to work with this firm, and, during that time, I actually moved backwards in my divorce. In fact, my attorney never provided one solution or answer to what my ex was doing/arguing. I've now lost privileges to my child, and I'm facing a much more dire financial situation due to the mistreatment I received here. I never imagined I would hire an attorney who would make things worse--and then ask for more money. So, after over 6 months, thousands of dollars, and feeling like I am now in a WORSE place, I cannot recommend that anyone employ this firm. Our legal troubles are too important to be dismissed like this, which is the treatment I got the most from this firm. They won't want anything to with you... until you need to pay more money, of course. In fact, right in the middle of a very intense battle with my ex, my attorney abruptly STOPPED answering my calls and emails because "the retainer was too low." Can you believe that? You will be abandoned by this firm if you are a little low on the retainer. It doesn't matter if you need your attorney in that moment--money comes first for the Law Offices or Christiana Samuels. Please, learn from my mistake and take your challenging, confusing, and painful legal matters somewhere else. Because, at that made-up firm, you might actually find a lawyer who cares about you. You won't find that here.

Barbara Kuehn isn't just an attorney ; she's someone you can truly trust when it feels like…read moreeveryone else is against you. She has gone above and beyond for me, offering not only legal expertise but genuine compassion and support. Barbara helped me through some of the most difficult times in my life, with my daughter and her school, and later when my partner was dying. She made sure he was protected and that all his legal matters were handled while he was unresponsive. She was there not just as a lawyer, but as a caring human being, offering a hug and a listening ear when I needed it most. If it weren't for her, I don't know where I'd be. This is now my third time turning to Barbara for help, and I can't recommend her enough. Don't try to face things alone in the Bay Area, there's no one better to have on your side than Barbara Kuehn.

Dr. Kuehn is an experienced and knowledgeable attorney who's expertise has successfully guided me…read morethrough some difficult legal issues.  Do not hesitate to hire her and her team to do the same for you, I highly recommend her.

We had no experience with the legal system, but from our very first conversation, Marsha Silver…read moremade us feel comforted, understood, and reassured. She personally guided us through every step, explaining the process and exploring every possibility with incredible dedication and thoroughness. Throughout this difficult time, Marsha felt like a family member fighting alongside us. Her compassion, knowledge, and tireless commitment to our loved one meant more to our family than words can express. We are forever grateful for everything Marsha did for us and wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone seeking a dedicated and compassionate defense attorney.

Marcia is simply the best at what she does... From day one she has been in my corner fighting to…read moreget the best possible outcome. And today, I can officially say we have achieved that best possible outcome, all thanks to Marcia. Her meticulous approach to every detail (big or small), her resilient attitude, especially if things don't necessarily go in the way you'd hope for- she reroutes and keeps pressing in a positive manner. I could go on and on, but if you want/need the best representation you can get, hands down go with Marcia and you won't be disappointed. THANK YOU MARCIA!!!

It's rather embarrassing to be back writing another review for Arusyak & Bay Area Law Group 4 years…read morelater. But after my first divorce, Arusyak advised me to get a prenuptial agreement if I ever got married again. 4yrs later the prenuptial agreement was enforced and my divorce was handled with zero dollars exchanged and a simple dissolution. Even though I had the agreement in place it was still a scary process but Arusyak assured me & let me know upfront the worst and best case scenario so I knew what to expect. And in my case, it turned out to be the best-case scenario due to the prenuptial agreement. More of the story is to hire Arusyak and her team at Bay Area Law Group for all your family law issues. I highly recommend her & team. Thanks again Arusyak for your knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Let's all hope I am not back here again in a few years with another update. So stop reading and call or send them a message. Your future self will be much happier you did! Cheers

Great and professional work with clear communication and options …read more Quick turnaround and solid presentation at the family court house . Very grateful for their work and ethics.

Absolutely amazing. I had stan who is sadly no longer there but this firmed helped me out so much…read moreduring the worst period of my life. It's expensive but worth every penny. I'm in the coast guard and I would recommend to any one of my fellow coasties.

I thought very hard about writing this review, but I do feel other people ought to be warned. I am…read morea trans woman, and I wanted to hire a lawyer to do my name / gender change forms. I googled and found that Levine Family Law advertises this service. They charged, as I recollect, $3500. The forms went in fine, but then I waited for months for the court order to be entered. At first they said six weeks, but the timeline kept slipping. I started having calls with Levine asking what was happening--they said the SF court was backed up and that it would take time. But it became clear that they did not have a direct line to the courthouse and had a very difficult time getting hold of human beings over there: they were essentially blind. I asked for a call with my lawyer, Stan, but was informed he had left the practice (nobody had told me). I had a call with the office manager Katie, and she basically told me I'd just have to wait. It was very nice and all, but she said I just needed to wait. I live about 20 min drive from the courthouse, so after that call I got so frustrated I got in my car, and I went to the courthouse. There was no line at the records office. They pulled my application, and the clerk said he'd put it on the top of the stack on Monday. By Tuesday, my name/change order was granted, and I had my certified copies. What makes me angry is that I was repeatedly told that the courthouse was busy and, essentially, incompetent, but actually every interaction I've had with them, whether for this or for other records requests, has been prompt and efficient. There is almost never a line; they are very helpful in answering questions. It has become clear to me that Levine Family Law merely scapegoats the courthouse, and that the true issue is their inability to get anyone there on the phone. In the USA, we don't hire lawyers merely to fill out forms--we hire them to shepherd us through the legal process. Levine family law certainly would never be as cavalier about the fate of a child custody or divorce decree--it is only their trans clients that they leave to fend for themselves, twisting in the wind for months. It is unconscionable to charge people $3500 and then be unwilling to take twenty minutes to, say, show up at the courthouse and make sure the decree actually gets entered. If you're not willing to do what it takes to get the decree granted, please don't offer it as a service. As it is, I have no doubt that if I'd filled out the forms myself and gone to the courthouse on my own, I'd have gotten everything done much quicker and more cheaply. I want to reiterate that the forms they filed were apparently fine, but they had absolutely no orientation to actually following up with the court. No doubt they will respond to say that they did their job when they filed the forms. But I was advised by Stan specifically that he was going to be in my corner, following up on these forms. When a firm charges for this service, they are charging for peace of mind--the idea that they will handle everything. If all you want is someone to file forms, maybe this law office is fine, but if you want someone who will make sure the decree actually gets granted, you shouldn't go with them.

I didn't feel listened to, sometimes didn't feel respected (such as when she said I sounded like a…read moredomestic violence victim) and often felt pressured. I hired her because I thought I might need an aggressive lawyer. But when my divorce went amicably and I decided that I was financially secure enough not to need spousal support, this very quality worked against our ability to collaborate. The firm "fired" me as a client after 13 months and $42,000 in lawyer fees. I think she is competent, very good about replying quickly, and a good person. However, I found her too rigid in her thinking and overly reliant on protocol. If you are a "Intuitive" personality on the Meyer-Briggs personality test, look for a different lawyer.

Short and Sweet: Initially Kim was great navigating me through the process, until she kicked me out…read moreof her office in review of the judgement. Post judgement I had to return to the court and hire a new attorney, due to the unfinished parenting plan submitted with the judgement, which took additional time and money to complete.