I recently hired Chris and his firm to handle a straightforward legal matter for my wife and me. We…read morehad reached a full agreement on all terms and provided every detail needed, expecting his team to use a standard template and complete the filing promptly. Unfortunately, progress was extremely slow over several weeks despite my repeated follow ups. Just as we appeared to be at the finish line, Chris abruptly halted work after discovering an unrelated existing litigation. Without any supporting evidence or realistic timeline, he launched into an elaborate theory that I was attempting to fraudulently gift property to my wife to evade a massive lawsuit. This was despite my clear financial position as the owner of a $40 million contracting business with strong credit and substantial assets--far more than enough to cover the pending ambulance-chaser case, which is expected to settle for well under $50k. His firm then had the audacity to bill me for the time spent pursuing this baseless rabbit hole. Chris struck me as a classic old-school attorney: resistant to modern tools, slow to act, and prone to paranoid leaps about his own clients. The entire experience felt like dealing with someone operating in a fog of confusion and fear. It was deeply disappointing and unprofessional especially after he essentially accused me of fraud while continuing to invoice me. I sincerely hope Chris considers using AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT to help streamline his work, or simply takes on fewer clients so he can give them the focused attention they deserve. This was a once in lifetime experience I hope never to repeat.

One of the best lawyers I have ever worked with both professionally and personally. Ethical and…read morefair and will always tell you what's best for his client not what's best for his bottom line. I would recommend no one else in SLO County for family law issues.

My wife and I retained Greg in August of '25 for a custody case with her ex. Our case was…read moreimmediately given to one of the other attorneys, Courtney. In a matter of 5 months, Courtney managed to spend $2,400 of our retainer and accomplish absolutely nothing. By nothing, I mean nada, zilch, zero. It's actually quite an astonishing thing, being able to blow money all whilst not doing your job. Needless to say, she got fired and we moved on to another attorney with MUCH better results. If you value your time and money, I would think twice about hiring this firm!

The resources and staff available to communicate often and effectively was beyond was other law…read morefirms offered. Greg's insight and experience was beneficial in court appearances and the fact that he has positive relationships within the community.i would not have been able to get through my divorce and custody battle without their guidance! Highly recomended !.

I'm so thankful for this law office. I needed to obtain emergency guardianship of 2 children. They…read morewere so accommodating and helped me get it so much faster than anticipated. They guided me through each step with clear communication and professionalism. They were well organized, responsive, and made a anxious time feel less stressful. I appreciate that they were so calm and understanding through my chaos. I went to them so confused on where to start. They made the process straightforward and manageable. I especially appreciated how efficiently they handled the paperwork and court requirements. I would definitely recommend them to anyone needing reliable and effective legal assistance.

I received mostly unhelpful service from Mr Les Paredes and the Law Offices of Stephen D Hamilton…read morein my divorce and child custody case. My case was very complex. Your experience may vary. Attorney Les Paredes is a very nice guy and eloquent speaker. I think this law firm may be better at servicing simple, straightforward legal cases that require less attention to detail or effort in order to achieve justice. My children and I needed robust, focused legal service from an attorney who genuinely deeply cared about achieving justice for my children and myself. It was very clear Attorney Paredes decided I wasn't a priority for him, potentially because - "the System" - has loopholes and flaws that were unjustly utilized against my children and their needs by my ex-spouse in dishonest, dirty tactics from the start. I believe achieving justice for my children was more work than it would have been worth for this firm. So, it seemed that my children and I were deemed a waste of time and were neglected. Attorney Paredes went completely dark without a word or response for weeks at a time while my ex-spouse's attorney was asking him for responses or to provide paperwork that he had committed to deliver. The flaws in the paperwork were persistent, even redundant, and frankly at times outright shocking, if they were prepared by Mr Paredes and not by my ex-spouse's attorney. It was embarrassing how badly my ex-spouse's attorney was running circles around Mr Paredes, purely from a fiduciary responsibility and client service perspective. However, I continued to be invoiced monthly as if I were a priority. I don't blame Mr Paredes for systemic flaws in civil law. However, I think Mr Paredes and the staff at The Law Offices at Stephen D. Hamilton do not not put in fair effort for their clients, or at least not for those who are in a contentious divorce or child custody battle like mine. Mr Paredes shouldn't have taken a challenging case if he didn't have the determination to give it commensurate effort. I have extensive, copious notes detailing what I believe any neutral third-party would agree was an ongoing highly unprofessional legal service well below what one should expect to receive when hiring a state licensed family law attorney. There is a very persistent pattern of negligence in services rendered in my detailed notes of phone calls and other correspondence with this law firm while their client. Further, the monthly invoices are difficult to cross-reference with the services rendered. If you need a reliable effort from your attorney and your divorce or child custody battle are very important to you, you will likely be better served by another law firm.

True Advocacy: Fixed a Previous Attorney's Mistakes and Secured Our Future…read more Words cannot express my gratitude for Jonathan Hosford and his incredible staff, especially Victoria. My late husband worked for PG&E for 45 years, but while battling late-stage pancreatic cancer, his $1.33M pension was wrongfully blocked due to a fraudulent domestic order. We had previously paid a different local law group over $60,000, only for our case to sit stagnant for months while they pushed us toward devastating financial decisions.When we found Jonathan, he originally had a three-month waitlist. However, once he heard the absolute urgency of my husband's health and the injustice of our situation, his compassion took over. He stepped in immediately. Throughout this entire painful process, Victoria was a lifeline--always supportive, responsive, and deeply kind. Jonathan quickly identified three distinct Family Code violations (2550, 2556, and 2610) that prior counsel had completely missed, and filed the necessary motions.Tragically, my husband passed away before the hearing, and the opposing party evaded service for six months. Despite these heartbreaking hurdles, Jonathan and his team never gave up on us. He stayed dedicated to me as a widow, navigating complex service issues and bringing the truth to light in front of the judge. Thanks to Jonathan's relentless work, the judge agreed to sign the order, and the case is finally in judgment. While the wheels of justice can move slowly, Jonathan achieved what the previous firm couldn't. Because of him, my husband's final wishes were honored, and I am able to stay in our dream home we purchased together. If we had hired Jonathan first, my husband could have collected his rightful pension during his lifetime. Jonathan and his wonderful staff provide a rare combination of legal brilliance and genuine heart

Typically we (Veteran's network) avoid using Yelp or submitting Yelp feedback, however, Stephen,…read moreValerie and son John are the exceptions. Exceptionally and refreshingly professional, proficient and effective. From business experience, most of the negative comments on Yelp, if not all, typically are a result of unrealistic expectations. We all suffer from inefficient communication skills while under stress, especially when confronted with legal matters. Others may be influenced by anxiety and/or apprehension caused by unknown, unpredictable results from already distressing issues (divorces, business dissolution, etc). As a member of a group, a network, who are extremely skeptical and CRITICAL of attorneys, I can't speak strongly or highly enough about the effectiveness and efficiency of Hosford & Hosford/Hosford Family Law (San Luis Obispo). Best wishes for resolving your stressful issues and remember, the key to successful results is communication (ask questions, clarify, verify, double and triple verify even at the risk of sounding annoying!)

I owe my future to Dan Helbert. He protected me from my ex-husband and fought to get me the support…read moreI needed to raise my two you my children. Dan Helbert is incredibly smart, knows family law backward and forward, and is organized and professional. Always. During the times the case got emotional, as divorces often do, Dan kept an even keel and helped me through. He does not pad his bills and he comes prepared for trial every time. He is an excellent family law attorney. Go talk to him yourself and get your own impression. My family and I will always be indebted to Mr. Helbert for his representation and care.

So very appreciative of David Bodney. When your child goes through divorce especially with children…read moreyou want the best. David is that attorney. My daughter has been well represented. He's always available to address situations that arise. And they do. Thank you David for representing my daughter and grandchildren.

Don't waist your money or time. He is terrible, and can't keep a para legal that will stay working…read morewith him. After paying up front he was so hard to get ahold of and didn't file the correct paperwork to the courts. After trying to get things done it took 3 years and we now have to start over. I would not recommend. He does not have a good reputation I am learning as we are now using someone else. The worst expeiance

Horrible, and unprofessional. case still going on for years when should have been finalized within…read moremonths. documents never turned into court. case files lost. unbelievable how they are still in busines.

This is NOT a LAW group. There is only one Woo and his paralegal who seems to know the law better…read moreWoo. Gene Woo represented me for the first year of my divorce before I hired another attorney. Woo charged me twice as much as my ex-spouse attorney charged her. He was negligent in returning phone calls. Did return calls when I used a friend's phone which he didn't recognize. At a hearing while he consulted with the opposing attorney, he left me sitting out in the hall! Woo is wooful. He was most concerned about cozying up to the opposing attorney rather than getting the best for me. Mr. Woo owes me $$$. You will be sorry if you hire him.

Gene represented me in a very complicated divorce proceeding. He was simply outstanding, very…read moreresponsive, very knowledgeable, and I heavily depended on him for his guidance and support. He was able to achieve the results I was hoping to achieve. I highly recommend Gene if you are seeking a competent attorney!

Peter, I owe you an apology. My review should of been written MANY months ago. I got caught up in…read morethe exhilaration of my BF's case being dropped, the pandemic and just life itself. Peter Depew is THE BEST ATTORNEY in SLO and Universal. I say this from the bottom of my heart. His retainer was 1/10th less, was one 0 less than the cost of what 3 other attorneys required. Peter was patient and listened to what I felt was the route we should pursue for his legal defense. Other attorneys and even my BF didn't think this was possible, the one charged, did not believe that he would be granted a suppression hearing, nevertheless win the suppression hearing. I DID, PETER DID When this "situation" occurred, which was that a hotel employee called the police on me (female) for trying to check in at the hotel with an expired drivers license during the pandemic. We were driving up and down the coast for my birthday, from Southern California. My birthday is August 8th and we went to check into this particular hotel August 14th. Now mind you, we have a runny stayed in several hotels since my drivers license technically expired but because of the pandemic all expiration dates on expired drivers licenses were extended until December 31, 2021. The front desk person said, and a very silly town, that he can check me in because my drivers license was expired and long story short I thought he was joking and I was very tired and I said come on please check me in and he said if I don't leave he'll call the police. So I said OK call the police, I figured they would help me out. I figured the policeman will ask the clerk what's wrong and the police officer within tell the clerk OK all drivers licenses are extended through the end of the year on her drivers license and it's OK to check her in it's considered valid. The officer that came into the lobby approached me very aggressively, asking me, you have a fake ID? My reply to him was, fake ID? I have no idea what you're talking about. So I gave him my drivers license he runs it he sees that everything's OK with my drivers license and he just says let's see what's going on outside with your boyfriend. I'm thinking why is anyone outside with my boyfriend, he's just sitting in the car waiting for my stubborn ass to come outside. The police decided that they had probable cause to have him step outside of his car and search his car. I forgot what the exact charges were, all I can tell you is they weren't good. Besides me being shocked that searched his car, while I stood there dummified, I was doubly shocked with what they charged him with. He's back on track now, thank g_d, all good. Back to how amazingly, awesome Peter Depew is. So like the other three attorneys that I emailed, Peter called us, we explained the situation, I presented the facts that I felt established that my BF was illegally searched. I asked Peter if he would file for the evidence to be suppressed. Unlike the other attorneys, who were the seasoned attorneys, who thought I was NUTS, Peter said, "Helene, If everything you're telling me is accurate and truthful then he has a good case and yes I will file for a suppression hearing. The other attorneys basically said, listen what are you telling us doesn't make any sense and you probably don't have all the information. Even if what you're saying is true, the likelihood of being granted the evidence hearing is not likely and even if he is granted evidence hearing, the request to suppress evidence to be granted is so slim ......... the retainer is $$$$$$$$$ add a 0 to what Peter's retainer fee. Besides Peter being an EXCELLENT attorney, he thinks outside of the box, he is open minded, he is kind, he is willing to work with you AND he LOVES HIS MOM A LOT!!!!! Peter's love and respect for his mom surpass' the excellence of his stellar work. THANK YOU PETER. THANK YOU PETER'S MOM FOR RAISING SUCH A WONDERFUL MAN AND ATTORNEY.

One of the very best Attorneys in San Luis Obispo. Top notch and knows his craft. Helped my…read moredaughter Terri with her multiple cases.