This review is a bit overdue. Originally we got into touch with Maria to do our living trusts just…read morebefore the Covid pandemic hit. She was one of a few attorneys we were considering. She seemed attentive, pleasant, thorough, and on top of it. She answered all our questions very thoroughly. Once the pandemic hit, we put our search for a trust attorney on hold because it was just a weird time for everyone and we basically put our lives on hold in general and since we were still in the early stages of our search for an attorney, it seemed a reasonable thing to do as effects of the pandemic played it out. We got back in touch with Maria in 2022 as we picked up our search for a trust attorney again. Maria originally had been our top pick before we paused the first time, but Maria's style had completely changed. I guess her business had picked up a lot because of the pandemic with many people concerned about protecting their property and legacies. It's possible this is what caused the noticeable shift in her attitude. Her emails were brusque and she often ignored questions. When she did answer questions, her answers seemed very generic or just completely off base, like it was copypasta or she perhaps didn't even read the questions thoroughly before answering. She even addressed me by the wrong name in an email once (called me Sarah). I was a bit taken aback but good-naturedly brought it to her attention and even included a smile emoji to let her know there were no hard feelings. This was right before we were about to sign a contract and I wanted to make sure she had the right file and the right clients in mind. She didn't even apologize or address it, just blew it off entirely. I was willing to overlook it, but my business partner put his foot down and decided Maria was not the right choice for us. Like me, he noticed the change in her and her increasing lack of professionalism the more we interacted, so we cut ties before any contract was signed. Good thing because we ended up with a different attorney who was not only more affordable but more agreeable and helpful. Edited in reply to Maria Jonsson's response: ZERO free work was provided by her firm. Back in the beginning of 2020, we filled out her generic questionnaire, there was one Zoom introductory call, and a few follow-up emails with general questions about the process. How else are we supposed to decide how to pick an attorney for something as important as our trusts if we don't engage with her and ask questions first? You don't pick an attorney by pulling a name out of a hat! Ask yourself if an attorney in business ever goes around doing "free work" for random people who haven't signed any type of contract and you will arrive to the logical conclusion that not only is Maria rude, she is also a LIAR. When we actually did hire an attorney, we started from scratch. The attorney we chose also had us fill out a questionnaire, did a Zoom introductory call, and answered all our questions as well before we signed a contract. Just standard professional engagement when you look to bring on a new client, not "free work." Maria is clearly either high on her own supply, or she still has me confused with Sarah!

We recently engaged Maria to update a Family Trust. Our matter was rather time sensitive and Maria…read moreturned everything around within 24 hours. Maria was very professional, communicated clearly, handled the process with the utmost efficiency and made sure everything was structured correctly. We highly recommend Maria to anyone looking for a top tier, reliable estate planning attorney.

I wouldn't hire Mr Barnes . He says he's going to do things and he doesn't do them . He's not a…read morefighter he likes to roll over . Don't waste your money or your time . I'm still waiting for him to get back to me and it's been years . Because he said he was going to do something . I lost my case cuz he just rolls over I would give him a negative star if i could . There will be more to come if I ever hear back from that guy . Now I have to hire a new attorney to finish the job . This is not cool . It's tough enough out there we don't need lawyers to take advantage of us . This is not my first rodeo so I do kind of know what I'm talking about . In my case . Save your money go somewhere else .

Very slow. Doesn't return phone calls. Unprofessional. I had to constantly call court house for…read moreanswers. The one time I received a reply from him is when I got angry with his staff. It should never had got to that level. I found another attorney. Shes wonderful. Did everything. Mr. Barnes is extremely cheap so. "You get what you pay for"

Left a message with a brief description of my situation - she couldn't assist but texted me same…read moreday with a referral. That's helpful

Why would you have some contracts saying you represented me with no payment that's funny why don't…read moreyou ask Jason Stillman he is the one saying you represented me lol I can collect my own funds I needed a lawyer to have my back to defend me u did none of that if you were such a good lawyer you would of looked into the case and said your the spouse and your entitled to it or figured out that the chain of title is contaminated and fraud is in it !!

This is a belated review, but one nonetheless, offering praise to Millenial Scans. Our family had…read morean offbeat request. We had three copies of a book put together by a former family member and distributed to just three family members with the hope that they would share it with others. While the book was not "ancient", still, it was put together in the 1990s when the internet was barely in existence and was comprised of cut out newspaper articles from various countries in various languages, old and new pictures, and photocopied pictures of poor quality. It also held written memories of people then alive whose families had come to the US surreptitiously to avoid being killed in their home countries. They came with very little money, just hope in their hearts. The author's own family had a member who hid in a hay wagon with her tiny son knowing that as she crossed the border, border guards would thrust pitch forks into the hay to ensure that no humans were hiding there. But the people came, stowing away on ships, having bought the cheapest tickets available so they rode in steerage, arriving in the US with no English skills and no promise of work. They simply had the small savings they could carry with them, their clothing, and the hope that the US would offer a better life than the life they would have in their home countries. That was the information that these three books held. I took one of those books, which was professionally bound in the 1990s to the very same book binder who had bound the book and asked him to unbind it knowing that he would then need to bind it again so that it looked untouched. Once he unbound the book, it was up to me to get it to a person who would scan it. I chose Millenial Scans. I cannot tell you why. There are numerous scanning companies recommended by Yelp. I simply picked Millenial Scans and contacted them. This led to a meeting in Santa Monica to show Nika, who started Millenial Scans, the book in issue. This was followed by another meeting in Marina Del Rey set up as a telephone meeting with Nika, her father, who is an IT specialist, and a family member of mine who is also an IT-savvy individual. We discussed what needed to be done. We wanted a bit of the impossible. We had old, delicate news clippings in various languages. These would all need to be scanned and OCRed so that people could search words and find them in the various documents in the various languages. All documents would have to be carefully handled. I had to fully trust Millenial Scans. At the end of the meetings, I gave them the disassembled book, feeling great anxiety about my choice. But, it was needless anxiety. Millenial Scans understood what a delicate and challenging project they had. In several weeks, they had completed the task and sent to me the electronic copy of the book. I was relieved to have the project over, or so I thought, and took the book parts back to the book binder for reassembly. He did an exceptional job. Millenial Scans had not damaged any of the material. When Millenial Scans sent me the electronic copy of the book, I was warned that the copy would only be available for a set time. I would have to download a copy by that time, and if there were questions, contact them. I left for Europe with the electronic copy ready to review. I was going to be there for quite a while. Unfortunately, given events that happened in Europe, I lost track of time, and when I finally arrived back in the US, I realized that I had not downloaded the file. I was clearly beyond the time limit. I tried to download the file but had no success. I could not believe that I had missed this deadline date. Desperate, but somewhat accepting of the fact that I would have to go through the scanning project again, I contacted Milenial Scans. This was right before Thanksgiving, and I told them what had happened. They immediately got back to me and said they would try to get me a copy of the order but would not contact me until after Thanksgiving. We did connect then, and I was overwhelmed with what they told me. They were able to get another copy of the book!!! I downloaded it immediately and sent it off to relatives. The book could be copied again for another set term. What can I say? There are not enough stars to recommend Millenial Scans. This family-owned business treats you like family. For what more can you ask? Thank you Millenial Scans.

If I could give a thousands stars I would. Finding this company was a blessing and Nika is a…read moreliteral angel. I had the daunting task of digitizing my Nana's entire photo album collection. I looked all over for a place that could help me with this process. Where other companies fell short, Nika exceeded my expectations. She accepted all 26 albums with hundreds of photos in each and returned them in perfect condition. She even worked around photos that were stuck with old glue. She offered flexible pick-up and drop-off times, texted progress updates, and allowed me to use my own USB to store my digital copies. Her company also scans the front and back of every photo, while providing an auto enhanced copy of each photo without additional charge. Other companies over charged or required extensive requirements to accept photos. Millennial Scans was friendly, professional, and efficient. I would trust Nika with my life and look forward to working with them again.

Kristen was incredibly helpful and very knowledgeable, we were very impressed. It can be a…read moredifficult and emotional process, but Kristen is also very supportive and that adds to the wonderful experience. Thank you.

I've started down the estate planning road before, and this time I chose to work with Kristen Wong…read morebecause I knew she could help me complete the process. I found her to be very knowledgeable, kind, and good at helping me meet deadlines. Highly recommend!

I would highly recommend this law firm for your Last Will and Testament needs. This experienced…read moreand professional team covered each and every detail completely. The pricing was very reasonable. Every staff member I was in contact with was professional and kind. The whole process from initial contact to the final notary was easy. I also received my will package in a lovely hard copy embossed box for safe keeping. The whole process was very positive.

We were introduced to Mr.Edmund and his team due to their professionalism and dedication. We are…read morevery impressed with their prompt replies and details in the documents of living trust. I really appreciate Mr.Edmund who looks after his clients and concerns. We highly recommend them because they are trust worthy and have best interests of their clients. Thank you to Mr.Edmund and his team for the wonderful services. May God bless what you do!

I have been working with Michelangelo for many years, and I highly recommend his services. He is…read morevery professional, responsive,has a lot of knowledge, and very pleasant to work with. He has successfully helped me with every case I hired him for. If you are looking for a great lawyer who will have your interests in mind, look no further!

Michelangelo is on it, attentive! Very smart, makes decisions via a solid knowledge of law and…read moreapplicable precedents. He was exceptionally valuable in helping me navigate through completely unfamiliar and unfair issues. Was firm but fair in dealing with opposing counsel. His price/value equation is outstanding!

My 87-year-old father-in-law's life was turned upside down when his live-in girlfriend of 15 years…read moresuffered a stroke. After a brief hospitalization, she was sent home to recover. Two of her daughters moved into the house to care for their mother, a home that was jointly owned by both her and my father-in-law. Almost immediately, they turned against him. They forced him out of the bedroom he had shared with their mother for 15 years and prevented him from speaking with her. Less than a week later, she passed away in the home. After her death, the situation became even worse. The daughters greedily began going through my father-in-law's belongings, taking anything they believed belonged to their mother. Throughout this ordeal, they verbally abused him and exiled him to sleeping in the living room of his own home. My wife and I live over 100 miles away and were unfamiliar with our legal rights or how to have the daughters removed from the property. I began calling attorneys I had worked with in the past and was referred to Joe Girard. When I called his office, I was greeted by a very kind woman named Karen. Joe was unavailable at the time, but Karen took the time to listen carefully as I explained our situation. She immediately provided practical guidance on our options and the steps we should take. She also assured me that she would relay the information to Joe. The very next day, both Karen and Joe called me back together. They followed up on my initial call, provided even more detailed advice, and told me exactly who to contact and what to say. I followed their recommendations, and, remarkably, we were able to get those deranged daughters out of the house. When I first contacted Joe Girard, I fully expected to hire him. Instead, I received invaluable legal guidance, multiple follow-up calls, and genuine concern for my father-in-law's well-being. At no point did Joe or Karen ask for anything in return. In today's world, it's rare to find people who truly put purpose before profit. Joe and Karen demonstrated a level of professionalism, compassion, and integrity that is difficult to find. I wholeheartedly recommend Joe Girard to anyone in need of legal assistance. If my experience is any indication, you'll be working with people who genuinely care about helping others.

Update: It has been a year since my last post. My parent died isolated, neglected, and abused--left…read morealone in his own filth--largely as a result of Joe's impulsive actions and following inaction. Joseph Girard recklessly handed full control of my parent to his abuser. Worse, he sent my private concerns directly to that abuser, which immediately escalated the abuse. From that point forward, my parent declined rapidly as his isolation and mistreatment intensified. I was forced to step away because any attempt to help resulted in my parent being punished: his medication, food, and social interaction were withheld. I could do nothing but watch him deteriorate, overwhelmed by sadness and depression. Last time I spoke to Joe, I still had access to my parent's Apple Health updates. I called Joe because it was clear, once again, my parent's medication was being withheld, and his caretaker wasnt responding. Joe was on vacation and he told me "Is it an emergency? Is your dad dead or in the hospital? Im on vacation" Joe did nothing and my parent ended up in the hospital a week later because he wasnt getting his heart medicine. After that Joe disappeared once he could no longer extract more money--after my parent lost access to his own finances when Joe drafted a POA that granted control to the abuser. That POA was weaponized against my parent, who was confused about what it meant and what rights he still had. HIs caretaker would tell him he has no choice in anything now that he has POA. For the final year of his life, my parent was effectively held hostage, denied proper healthcare, visitors, and even adequate food. Joe never completed the trust my parent paid for. Instead, his actions destroyed my father's final years-- and caused a permanent rift in our family. This man's reckless behavior, dishonesty, and exploitation of a vulnerable elderly person and their family are unconscionable. Joe Girard of LA Elder Law should be disbarred as an attorney and not allowed to practice law. No human being with a conscience does what Joe does. I will never recover from the trauma of the abuse I witnessed my parent endure--abuse Joe essentially enabled through his reckless and incompetent legal practice. Makes me wonder how many people he is collecting $3000 from and stringing along since he's never in the office and cant remember anything he says --- after he gets your money