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.

This review is long overdue. I hired Garwood Reeves for a family court custody trial, and I cannot…read moresay enough about how exceptional Lia Lorrick is. She stepped in on short notice and understood my case in a way that three prior attorneys from other firms could not. Lia is professional, extremely thorough, and highly strategic. She went head-to-head with a very experienced opposing attorney and executed with confidence and precision. Years later, I would still return to Lia for any legal matter without hesitation. Thank you as well to Mindy, Rebecca, and Casey for always taking my calls and offering support during an incredibly stressful time. I highly recommend the Garwood Reeves team.

I initially spoke with Emma (who was great during call). I asked to contact me once the retainer…read morewas exhausted since I am a single mom and not sure if I would have money to continue being represented. She agreed and said, they would contact me and would add a note on the file. That was the only reason why I went with the firm. I felt there was a mutual understanding so i decided to hire Garwood Reeves to represent me. When the retainer was exhausted, no one contacted me, they just sent a bill saying I owed them $$ XX since the retainer was exhausted. Invoices included inaccuracies. - they billed me for "calls" that did not occur. I keep screenshots of all of the calls to record the date and time. - 3 minute calls turned into .5 or more of billable work - 5 minute calls turned into 1 hour billable work. and that rate is at least $450 per hour After months of not talking, they sent me 2 additional invoices for services which I was not aware they were performing. I explained we hadn't talked for months and they had told me months ago we were done. And to top it off, a year later, I self-represented. They got wind I re-opened the case. they sent me a bill for over $2,000 for services I never approved. I was not even aware they were providing services for me. They never called me to discuss the matter. I am baffled. Luckily, I had an email from one year ago asking them to stop billing me (after the 2 invoice) and stop providing services. I am hoping they remove the bill from 2025 because I had specifically stated to stop providing services in 2024. This feels unethical. In hindsight, I feel misled by Emma Slattery so that I can be represented by Garwood. I feel taken advantage of. Also by looking at the several reviews, I am starting to see a pattern i believe that this is typical practice to rack up the billing. Either she is doing this because she's gaining commissions or she is practicing based on the company leadership. But regardless, it is not good. Several phone conversations that I had with her are null and void. She does not recall that I verbally told her several times to stop providing services in 2024. And then in 2025 I told her at least two times that I was self representing. Never did she mention that her company was working on my case . To it resulting in me getting invoiced for over $2000 for services that I was never aware of. My understanding is that we were done with them representing me in 2024.

A truly remarkable person. Both as an Attorney and an individual!!!…read more I would not hesitate to Highly Recommend her to anyone asking about "Tenant/Landlord" issues!

Michele was my dear departed mother dear's attorney and she is simply fantastic. A very serious…read moreadvocate for her client, even gauging my sister and I in initial meetings, before showing her real personality, once she knew we were both dedicated to our mother's wishes. Her pricing is more than fair and she really does go the extra mile to care for her clients. I can't recommend her highly enough.

Michaela Curran provided outstanding representation in my family and criminal law matters. I needed…read moresomeone highly effective who couldn't be tricked or fooled by the other party -- and Michaela was exactly that. She's an absolute warrior and a brilliant strategist who blew me away in court and thought of everything I didn't. Her work directly resulted in me regaining custody of my son and achieving justice in my case. In my opinion, there is no one better in the state of California for this. Michaela is not only a brilliant attorney, but also a compassionate advocate. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Unfortunately, my opinion of this law firm has changed, and I can no longer recommend their…read moreservices. Michaela and her team were attentive and proactive at the beginning of my case, but after I paid the second retainer, I noticed a clear decline in communication and effort. Michaela frequently solicits business from vulnerable women in a social media group that I am in, and I regret that I fell victim to this practice. Over time, it became evident that my case was being neglected, which ultimately led me to hire a new attorney to correct and complete the work that should have been handled by her team. After receiving my second retainer, they provided little to no attention to my case, were delayed in filing key paperwork, and my new lawyer even noted concern, stating she could see why I chose to terminate Michaela's services. Despite their lack of follow-through, the firm only refunded about 10% of my payment.

Every saturday morning they have someone trim their grass and it's extremely loud. No one needs…read morethat at 7 am on a saturday. And it is most certainly not needed every Saturday. For those of us that work late hours, it is torture. Have not been able to sleep in on a saturday since I moved here.

If you are looking for a family law attorney, look no further than Lesa Christenson and the team at…read moreABC Family Law. I worked with her for about a year and a half in a very contentious custody battle. She is not only compassionate and deeply invested, but she also has the experience and sharp legal mind to get you good results. I would be happy to have her in my corner against any San Diego attorney in trial. She is well spoken, knowledgeable and a force to be reckoned with in court. I found her at all times to put the needs of my child, and myself above her own interests - she tried to save me money wherever possible, and delegated lighter tasks to her associates to keep the fees lower. She does not blow smoke - she is a realist and will tell you her honest assessment- good, bad or ugly. I always felt well informed of my options and in control of the process. I quickly found out that there are a couple different ways that attorneys operate in family law. Some use "shady" tricks or try to skirt the law. This is not the way Lesa and her team operate. You can be assured that they will represent you with integrity and do things the right way. I do believe that the sharp difference in approach by my attorney and that of opposing counsel was a helpful factor throughout the proceedings. It's so hard to really know what you are getting with an attorney before you are really in the thick of it, so I am so grateful to have been referred to Lesa. Multiple times during the process other third parties involved in the court system went out of their way to let me know that I had excellent representation when I told them who my lawyer was. It seems as though they have deservedly developed quite a strong reputation. Hiring a family law attorney is a massive investment - in the future of your family, and in many cases, financially as well. You owe it to yourself and your family to hire the best, and I believe that when it comes to family law in the San Diego area, there is none better than Lesa Christenson and ABC Family Law.

I have had the absolute best experience with attorney Iris C Gomez! She is kind, warm, welcoming…read moreand incredibly knowledgeable! she truly cares about her clients! She made me feel completely at ease in the midst of a very difficult divorce. Her work is incredibly thorough and precise! I highly recommend attorney Iris C Gomez!!! Thank you for everything!!!!

I highly recommend Kelli Satterly, whose knowledge of the law is exceptional and who demonstrated…read morekindness, compassion, and understanding throughout my complicated case. * She deftly argued my case; the respondent's lawyer quipped she had run rings around his defense. * She unpacked and clarified the divorce decree my ex and I authored, which turned out to be a huge mistake on our part. * Kelli assisted, encouraged, and supported my teen's identity. The judge awarded me sole custody of all gender-related care for my teen when my ex rejected allowing our child to change their name and gender marker and receive gender-affirming care. * Kelli went above and beyond to ensure a fair and equitable division of assets, reasonable child support (for me), and spousal support (for my ex). In addition to the above, Kelli was emotionally supportive, cheering our successes and consoling our losses. She celebrated with us when my teen's revised birth certificate, social security card, and driver's license arrived.

I am so sad and disappointed I spent thousands of dollars this. All that money and almost a year…read morelater I'm not divorced. They kept charging my credit card and nothing happened.

After being told by the Office Manager "STAN THE MAN" - (yes that was the name he gave me) that…read morethey had an office in La Mesa, which worked for me since I live in East County, find out there is no La Mesa Office and I had to drive downtown to North Park which is very inconvenient for me - horrible parking on a one way street with parking meters. That wasn't the worst part. The worst part was paying $1400 just to "look" at my file and finding out none of the documents I needed filed were done. I met with her and gave her my file in early March. As of the beginning of May I had only heard back from her once saying she wouldn't represent me but just charged me to look at my file and gave me the documents to file myself for my trial. After speaking with several other attorneys and finding out this charge was excessive and to ask for a partial refund, I called the office since "STAN THE MAN" who was really rude when I tried to explain that I had been unable to reach Sandy. If you have $1400 to have an attorney just "look" at your file and tell you what you need to file on your own, then this is the place for you. Don't expect to hear back once your pay the money. Huge disappointment.

Sandy Meade was a complete godsend! She seamlessly handled very complicated legal matters for my…read morefamily and I, helping to explain the ins and outs of the process and making it as fast and easy as possible for me. Her sense of humor made it a pleasure to work with her, as did her experience in the field of family law. It's clear she's seen just about everything, and her clients benefit from her vast knowledge of the legal process (and human behavior, in general). In addition, her office was conveniently located not far from the airport and Little Italy. I highly recommend Sandy for any family law matters.