Absolute trash…read more Meredith Alcock was the biggest waste of time. She consistently lied, was unethical and did not win the case at all. She was constantly late, wrong and incredibly rude. Please, SAVE your time and your money and do not waste your money with this incredibly poor, terrible and disrespectful individual. Not only did she lie me to multiple times, I paid over $10,000 for the case. She is incredibly unethical. DO NOT USE MEREDITH ALCOCK! She is your typical trash lawyer. Unethical. Rude. Disrespectful. Fake. Overcharges. Liar.

Meredith Alcock is one of the finest -- if not THE finest --attorneys I've ever had the privilege…read moreof doing business with. She is incredibly bright, detail oriented, extremely ethical, and fearless. Over the years, she has stood up to bullies, weasels, unethical attorneys -- all on my behalf. Meredith is a dynamic, moral attorney, and she is highly effective, and gets things done in a timely manner. Unlike most attorneys, she actually *cares* about her clients! She is great read of people, and has predicted situations would go down a certain way (even when I had naive hope it would end another way). She is a tremendous advocate, consiligiari, and wow -- does she know the law! She is also a great writer; I would shudder to be on the receiving end of one of her letters, calling "you" (aka said weasel) out on their ish!!! If you retain her, you won't regret it. She is a true find in San Diego!

I had a fantastic experience with this firm. Hilary Vrem was the epitome of professionalism and…read morecompetence. My issue was resolved in a timely manner, with a favorable outcome. The cost was reasonable and I would not hesitate to use her services again or refer a family member to BJJ.

If you're looking for an estate planning attorney, I highly recommend this firm. They're…read moreknowledgeable, thorough, and genuinely take the time to make sure everything is done right. Estate planning isn't something you want to put off, and they make the process straightforward and stress-free.

Elena Smolina is professional, responsive, and genuinely committed to her clients. She is also…read moreapproachable, and it is easy to talk to her. She understands the challenges people face during difficult transitions when going through divorce and custody disputes. What stood out to me is her dedication to her clients and her willingness to provide support to them at the time of crisis by phone or email, outside business hours and on the weekend. Elena Smolina and her team are reliable and committed professionals. I would confidently recommend her to anyone seeking a skilled and trustworthy divorce attorney.

1 Star - Extreme Negligence, Ghosted by Attorney, Left Unresolved Liabilities…read more I hired Elena Smolina, APC for a family law case and expected basic professional competence. Instead, this firm lazy-delegated my file to assistants, completely failed to communicate, and left me exposed financially. Ghosted by Counsel & Lazy Delegation: Everything in my case was passed off to their paralegal. The managing attorney would schedule calls and completely fail to contact me. Instead, my case was handled by a paralegal who was left to negotiate terms with opposing counsel while I was charged premium attorney rates. My actual court appearance was deeply embarrassing because the attorney was completely unprepared and failed to brief me beforehand. Ignored Court Order Violations: On May 21, 2026, Bank of America pulled money from my personal savings due to a joint account my ex-husband refused to close. Their paralegal even texted me a screenshot of our own court order explicitly highlighting "Paragraph C," which mandated all joint accounts be closed ASAP. Yet, instead of legally enforcing this order, the firm told me to do the bank investigation myself. Their operational neglect left my name attached to active joint liabilities long after escrow closed. Gross Incompetence with Client Funds: The firm itemized billing to "communicate" about a reimbursement check owed to me. They claimed they never received it and abandoned my file. However, official Chase bank records from opposing counsel later proved the check was successfully delivered directly to Elena Smolina's office suite on June 4, 2026. I was actually owed $160.00, but due to their sloppy administrative record-keeping, the firm mistakenly demanded $165.00 from opposing counsel. I had to collect my own money after firing them. Intimidation Tactics: The moment I terminated them and requested a refund for lack of performance, Elena Smolina became intensely defensive. She hit me with an artificial "outstanding balance" of $1,005.40 and a Fee Arbitration notice to intimidate me, threatening to file a costly court motion if I didn't sign a substitution form within 24 hours. They treat matters as urgent only when they want a client's signature or a check. Save your money and hire a firm that provides actual diligence, baseline competency, and real client communication.

MATTHEW BLADO Matt…read morecost me over $300,000 because he failed to send in a $25 filing fee for a real estate transaction. He also waited for two weeks after he received the necessary information before filing with the court. In addition he charged me $1500 for a procedure which took him .9 hour (LESS than one hour) to complete the charge should have been less than $225. After I paid the $1500 he sent an email asked for $500 more. Matt has a reputation for putting things off. He lied to me for 6 years and never told me that he failed to send in the $25 filing fee until I submitted a complaint with the California State Board. The amount I have lost is now more than $600,000. Matthew is incompetent and rude.

Dismal experience...the worst decision of my life engaging her services!...she (Nancy) ended up…read moredating my soon-to-be ex husband! Conduct unbecoming anyone who calls themselves a lawyer! All documented. I could write a tomb about her fraudulent representation. Cost me EVERYTHING!

My husband has had a very complicated on going custody case since 2020 .CPS wasnt helping or the…read morepolice- while his son- my stepson- was getting severely abused and neglected. Veronica was able to get my husbad full custody of our son and a restraining order against the biological-mother. We were able to give our son stability and live in peace but just recently the biological mother tried to abduct our son- i immediately reached out to veronica. She listened to everything i had to say Without cutting me off- she even remembered us and details of our case 4 years later. The front desk worker, Roxy was very helpful before i even retained them and was able to get me files from my old record. But immediately Veronica was able to get a restraining order for us the same day we hired her. Veronica is very straightforward but will also be very persistent in court and advocate-for you.

Veronica did not do most of the work on my case; her assistant Kieu did most of it. Veronica missed…read morecourt and sent Kieu or a substitute in her place. Veronica showed up twice in court, she only had scribbled notes and never referred to the law. She actually told me to 'trust Ms. X' the opposing attorney, she knows what she's doing. I was ripped off, my child was ripped off. I would never recommend her.

Leigh Galyon is 110% professional, fully knowledgeable in current law & case law. Leigh Galyon…read moreknows justice & seeks to guarantee that justice to her clients in all cases! Leigh Galyon easily sifts through irrational and illogical or legally suspect documents to lay down the proper legal information to combat the wishful thinking & clarify to the opposing legal team and the judge what legal decisions should prevail. Leigh Galyon has saved me 3 times to date. I have asked her to always be my lawyer so long as my case continues & she has said she'll be there! From a lawyer as popular & busy as Leigh Galyon, that is a true blessing. I will always go to Leigh & I would recommend her to anyone facing troubles with family law. Thank you Leigh. Being represented by Leigh Galyon has been fully responsible for my keeping both calm & maintaining a standard of living that can support me. I first hired Leigh during my divorce in 2012. My husband & his friends were doing everything possible to push me over the edge mentally & make getting basic justice impossible. Leigh Galyon dug into the court information & reviewed my history & the history of my marriage. She sat down & layed out a legal, just & sound plan to attain my rights as a spouse in a long term marriage. Despite the bluster & threats from my husband & his lawyer, she secured my right to 1/2 of the family holdings, secured alimony that would support my basic living & medical needs & put a mutual no contact in place. It took 3 1/2 years, because for every legal, just & logical response or request Leigh entered to the court his lawyers would come back with excessive illogical replies. But Leigh stuck with me the whole time, reminding me of her plan for the case & submitting any required documents to the courts. Leigh and her staff also took time to listen to my fears & worries, helping me deal with the unrealistic bluster from the petitioner. The whole time Leigh worked with the laws & reason, ignoring illogical & illegal rambling to clearly inform the judge of the only proper path that could be taken! The final settlement turned out to meet my needs, exactly as Leigh had originally predicted! I was delirious with relief & profound gratefulness and respect to Leigh Galyon & her support staff! Second time I had to call on Leigh was only about a year later when my ex-husband started threatening to come take 1/2 of the assets I was granted in the settlement. He was basing this on paperwork written by his lawyers that WAS NOT ACCEPTED by the court and directly in opposition to the real settlement document. Leigh got right on it, reviewed the official settlement & sent off the legal notifications that he was not allowed to badger me & that he had zero right to anything in my half of the divided assets. That was a clear example of how Leigh Galyon works with the law, justice & reason to settle situations quickly and efficiently. I had to contact Leigh Galyon again in April of 2021 when my ex-husband & his lawyers sent a request to modify spousal support. He argued his hugely increased income no longer allowed him to pay alimony, and that after paying for eight years he should be free of the alimony requirements. Leigh went to bat for me. She compiled my living expenses, the lack of change in my health & my continued disability, as well as his increase in income and future options compared to the small amount I live on. She also applied the current laws, case law, our settlement ruling & basic sense and justice to the court & to his lawyer. My ex-husband & his lawyer were issuing such complete nonsense in their documents & in front of the judge, that Leigh doubled down on the law, case law and justice & explained in no uncertain terms the only decision that would be just in this situation. Leigh secured my current situation & has likely kept me free of farther motions for the foreseeable future! So again, with my surest & strongest voice I repeat.... Leigh Galyon is 110% professional, fully knowledgeable in current law & case law. Leigh Galyon knows justice & seeks to guarantee that justice to her clients in all cases! I will always call Leigh Galyon if a situation arrises & I reccomend her to anyone seeking their rights in a family law situation. Gena L Domangue-Tyznik

Leigh and her team are excellent. I had a very difficult…read morecase and to watch Leigh in court you realize how knowledgeable and intelligent she is. The staff in her office are always warm and friendly and help you feel that you are in great hands.

If I could give 10 stars, I would. DeAnn was recommended…read moreto me by a paralegal I know (so-someone who knows lawyers and their abilities and style). My first lawyer left private practice, and my second lawyer was impossible to work with and I had to fire her for incompetence. So I was nervous. It's true: DeAnn is no-nonsense, fast talking and direct. Some people on Yelp fault her for that. I think those are assets and strengths. If she was too fast for me, or I didn't understand, I asked her to explain it to me. And she did. Everytime. She was my champion. She educated me. She explained my options. She pushed me to stand up for myself and not let my ex boss me around. She was ALWAYS responsive within 1 business day. She made time for my zoom calls. She sent me articles with highlighted/annotated notes to explain case law and precedent. She spent time filling in the gaps that my 2nd lawyer should have explained. DeAnn was my savior in this divorce process! Additionally, she brought up points my first lawyers overlooked, which helped me claim about $100K more of community property that I otherwise wouldn't have known about, and would have left with my ex. She saw me through to the end and has still been helpful afterwards. I highly recommend her! Thanks DeAnn!!

DeAnn took on my case at a very affordable rate. she helped me through my mediation when I was in…read morepanic mode. she hurried to an ex parte for me when I only signed her on the day before. nick her office personnel is awesome. I like how organized the documents and communications are, using my case really helps structure evidence. I am grateful to have found DeAnn by a referring family friend. she's straight forward and won't waste your time or money.

If I could give zero stars, I would…read more Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Shannon or Alex. I felt that my concerns and objectives were not a priority, and instead I came away with the impression that the focus was on billing rather than achieving the best outcome for my case. Communication was a significant issue. Important emails were, in my view, overlooked, many of my questions went unanswered, and I often felt left in the dark throughout the process. I also believe I was misled on multiple occasions, and I have raised my concerns with the California State Bar. Ultimately, I felt pressured into ending the attorney-client relationship after being told they would otherwise withdraw from my case, which I believed would have increased my legal costs. That experience was incredibly stressful. I also agree with other reviewers who have said that Shannon appeared to be the more knowledgeable attorney, while I found Alex to be disorganized and ineffective during my court proceedings. If you're looking for attorneys who will listen to your goals, communicate consistently, and make you feel like a valued client, this was not my experience. I left feeling disappointed, frustrated, and that I had not received the level of professionalism or advocacy I expected. Remember that your attorney works for you. Throughout my case, I did not feel that principle was respected. I hope sharing my experience helps others make an informed decision, and I sincerely wish anyone going through a divorce the very best during what is already a difficult time.

Shannon and Alex are a powerhouse force to be reckoned with. I'm not going to promise you'll "WIN"…read morein court, but it's who they are and their expertise that is so impressive. Alex is an amazing attorney. Someone who deeply cares about her clients and shows compassion. And extensive knowledge in her field. Highly recommend you work with her to support you in any family law matters. She walked my husband and I through one of the most stressful times in our lives with ease. And always showed us support along the way. Dealing with a very high conflict ex who creates ridiculous narratives is something many of us deal with. If you have a narcissistic and hedonistic ex partner, and want to make sure you're represented fairly so they can't twist or manipulate facts - ALEX IS YOUR ATTORNEY.