Daniel Ratajczak is absolutely fabulous. Very smart, responsive, and personable throughout my situation. He took a chaotic situation and used the law properly to swiftly resolve a paternity case. Highly recommend! read more

Misuse of funds/ gross negligence and excessive useless calls and emails. Wastes time and energy for their benefit.

If you want agressive, ask for Laurie to be your lawyer,she had my ex husband lawyer running away from her in the court hallway as she kicked their A$$ inside the courtroom! She literally had to stop by me as she was chasing the 2 lawyers my ex had to laugh about it and took off after them! She did all that with a sweet smile on her face! Never have I ever felt so protected as when I had her as my attorney, anything that my ex and his lawyer tried was immediately dismissed as she was quick to counter it! She is so not about the money but is worth every dime and penny! read more

Laurie Coker is an amazing lawyer. I have recommended her to several people. She's fair, honest and is someone I wouldn't want on opposing counsel. As a woman and mother, I needed someone who understood my unique situation, and I found that in her. read more

If you looking for an amazing family law team that knows how and when to be aggressive with a gentle touch for divorce Or custody you need this firm! Unfortunately I'm a 4 time repeat costumer and have yet loss a case This Team has helped me with my divorce, then 2 custody cases and a support case !! Hands down the best in the business Especially if in Hemet Court House read more

Divorce can be a stressful and troubling time. This Law firm is fully aware of that unfortunate crisis and exploits that already difficult crisis. The priority of this firm is to squeeze you out of every dollar first and then want more money to do the job that they should hav done. They fulfill every stereotype regarding lawyers they can to line their pockets with your money during your divorce nightmare. Do yourself a favor and look for another firm. You can do much better cost wise and performance wise. The lawyers needs and financial needs are #1 priority with the customer only used as a cash cow. read more

If you have a choice between this firm and another, choose the later. The value of what we paid for the services rendered was not fair. I would not return my family law matters here. Do your due diligence, review the aforementioned reviews. I wished I would have. Update- Mrs. Penna's response below sharing my custody agreement, highlights her unprofessionalism. I won't go into more details as she has done enough sharing client information publicly. read more

Michelle Penna is competent, knowledgeable, professional and effective. Did I say AMAZING! You would be hard-pressed to find someone better.

I cannot praise Penna Coker law firm enough. My name is Jose Quintana and I needed a lawyer to represent me in family court for child custody. I have raised my boy alone since he was 2 and one day his momma showed up on my doorstep with the sheriff and took my boy. It didn't matter to the sheriff that my son had barely seen his mother in the past 6 months, all that mattered to him was that there was an old court order that granted Mom basically a 50/50 time share. I was heartbroken as I watched my boy get in the back of that car and drive away with tears in his eyes. The next day, I reached out to Michelle Penna, who was referred to me by a coworker who said that Michelle had won her case before. Michelle never sugarcoated my odds. She was very honest about my case and even advised that I should not hire a lawyer right there and then. What lawyer do you know won't jump at the opportunity to take your money? Most attorneys sell you on fake promises but Michelle is very familiar with the folks down at the courthouse and explained to me that as a man, I was fighting an uphill battle. The court always leans towards moms, even if they're not the best mothers. I was desperate though and hired Michelle's law firm anyways. Michelle and her team were beyond amazing. My assigned paralegal, Hannah, was very patient, she listened to my many grievances, and offered great advice. The whole team is compassionate and you feel right at home from the moment you walk through the doors of their office. As we drew closer to the court date, I had my appointment with my ex-wife and the court mediator. I explained the circumstances and the hardship my little boy was experiencing due to the current timeshare. I thought the mediator heard me out and I thought he would be fair but the man gave me NOTHING. He said he had 37 years of experience and claimed to be fair and impartial but it certainly did not seem that way when he sided wholly and completely with my ex in his recommendation to the judge. Lou Gretzky, I think you need to retire, bud! That order would have caused my son greater heartache and would have worsened his anxiety! Anyways, I'm writing this review to say how wonderful Michelle and her team is, not how irresponsible and careless Mr. Gretzky is. Upon receiving the mediator's recommendation, Michelle once again did not sugarcoat the outlook. Judges tend to just stamp the mediator's recommendation, it's rare when they go out of their way to make changes. The day of court, Michelle said she was going to do her best to argue my case but things were not looking great. I cannot put to words the hopelessness that I was feeling that morning. We had to do court over the phone, due to the pandemic. There was really bad feedback on the line. A really bad echo made it hard to hear and harder to speak. But when it came time to speak my case, Michelle did not seem phased by the interference. She spoke calmly, clearly, and professionally, one sentence at a time. She laid out all of our complaints, eloquently and confidently. She kept her composure despite a terrible echo and even managed to make the judge laugh. When it was my ex-wife's attorney's turn to speak, he did not do as good a job. The man stuttered and struggled to make their case. This doesn't mean he's a bad lawyer, it just means that mine is an amazing one! The judge made quite a few changes to the mediator's recommendation. He gave me Monday thru Fridays, Holidays, child support and even one weekend a month. My boy is now living a much more stable schedule. I feel a great sense of relief and am grateful beyond words to Michelle, Hannah and the team. Their tireless work and commitment was a blessing to our lives. My boy was spared anymore unnecessary pain. I feel very fortunate, the odds were against us but Michelle made a way. read more

Penna Ratajczak - My son and I - Divorce & Family Law Near Me - Murrieta, California

Michelle handled my divorce which was amicable and agreeable from the beginning. All that was really needed was to file paperwork. We were told the $1,500 deposit would be refunded if we didn't use all of it. In the end we did use all of it plus a little extra. But the part that was really irritating was that we were put on the back burner. I would call every couple of months and asked how things were going. I was told that they were going to file whatever they needed to "tomorrow", or that they were just getting around to it. After 3 rounds of this(no exaggeration over 6 months), I accused them of forgetting about me which they admitted. When I was said and done it took over a year just to get it all done. Furthermore, I asked if they could help with an additional issue and after I was routed around to three different people in the office I was told they didn't know what they could do for me. I was then charged for each of those emails. I had to fight to get the charge removed. I would definitely not waste my time with this lawyer, very disappointing experience. read more

If you want s lawyer that keeps you in the dark and answers your questions with, 'you just have to trust me' the Penna is for you. Mrs Penna left the financial portion of my divorce to the opposing counsel, I was bullied into signing a settlement that I find out afterwards to have lost thousands. A friend of my mine hired mrs Penna to represent them and they had the same experience. Save yourself money and heartache Hire someone else. read more

Penna Coker did an amazing job handling my very convoluted divorce. Laurie was the primary attorney on my case and was absolutely extraordinary! My ex-husband's attorney was the poster-boy for slimy, corrupt and unethical attorneys and Laurie handled him with the utmost professionalism and candor. Laurie is extremely knowledgable and will not inflate your expectations for an unreasonable outcome. However, my outcome far exceeded my expectations due to Laurie's expertise and perseverance on my behalf. I highly recommend this firm to guide you through one of the most difficult times of your life. They did a phenomenal job on my behalf! read more

We are so thankful for the professionalism of Michelle Penna's law firm. Laurie Coker did an amazing job representing us, and now our family is whole again. We are forever grateful and ecstatic with our custody order. Thank you so much. Hire them if you want justice. Sincerely, The McAdams read more

These ladies are awesome. Make you feel comfortable and like a priority. They give so much of their time in a consultation and I truly appreciate that. Rare that someone gives you such genuine service in a complimentary consultation. I have met with both Michelle Penna and Laurie Coker in the past and feel confident with both attorneys. I would absolutely recommend this firm. read more

This attorney is known for not completing cases and this office has a serious lack of performance. Had to fired this attorney as they do very little in solving issues and poor planning. I would recommend finding a law office that can complete the job with the ability to perform the professional services as a lawyer that one pays. Save your self a lot of time and money and find an attorney that acts and delivers the services you are paying for in your case. They have a serious lack of communication with their clients. All in all the 4-stars we see given to this attorney from viewers more than likely didn't even need an attorney to be successful in their case, meaning those clients really must of had no understanding at all about courts or filing case information. Just do yourself a favor and find an attorney that is worth the money and that can communicate and deliver results. read more

Back in 2014 we needed help settling an alimony issue. My husband had previously been bullied into signing an incredibly unfair divorce agreement that literally left us unable to even care for ourselves. Mrs. Penna generously took us on and honestly changed our lives. She was able to get the alimony amount to zero, eliminate a couple of other terms and did it quickly. She communicated efficiently through email and phone. She appeared at all court dates on time and answered all of our questions. I pray we never need her help again however I'm confident we would be successful if we did. I have referred three other friends and family members to her and they have all had amazing results as well. Thank you again Mrs. Penna!! read more

I started with a good feeling about Ms Penna. She seemed aggressive & like she knew her stuff, just what I was looking for with my divorce. I left her office with a good feeling after our initial meeting. Then everything seemed to fall apart. I never heard from her unless I called or emailed her, which cost me money each time. It seemed she kicked me to the curb. The divorce dragged on for over 2 years with no end in sight. I finally got together with my ex husband, we came to an agreement, I told Ms Penna the details & my divorce was finally finalized. I was due a refund & had problems getting the whole amount. If I didn't have it in black & white I would've only gotten half. Basically I wasted over 2 years & thousands of dollars on an uncomplicated divorce. read more

Not a good experience. Money out the window. Everything was left up to me to handle even with a $3k retainer. I was charged for calls and emails to the paralegal that accomplished nothing. I was billed monthly with not contact or explanation that anything had been accomplished. I will handle it own my own as I did while under Attorney Penna's "counsel". read more

Michelle knows everything about family law and helps make informed decisions. She can be trusted and really cares about her clients. Everyone who works at her firm is top notch and very professional. Michelle will help put you at ease while you go through whatever situation you are dealing with. read more

An amazing attorney one of the best in the business. Michelle was my divorce attorney 24 years ago. I didn't have much money and she was able to help me out by swapping services for electrical work. I believe I had a pretty tough case , being that I needed to get full custody of my daughter. As you know sometimes that's hard when you're a single dad. But she was there for me both professionally and emotionally. She has also helped out a number of my friends with their divorces and all of them are truly satisfied. I recommend her to anybody I meet who is having family law issues. read more

Such a professional, consistent, overall great attorney! If you are having second thoughts of hiring her, don't, anyone would be very satisfied having her as your attorney! Handled my case so well and I would definitely say I am one happy client! read more

Michelle and her staff did a great job for me in successfully creating a custody agreement for my young daughter. Because of Michelle's advance preparation, my ex and I avoided having to work out the details in the courtroom. Michelle as also repsonsive to my budget concerns, which really impressed me. She is a top-notch professional and easy to work with. I am grateful to lay to rest what had been a very contentious situation. read more

Hands down best attorney in So Cal! She truly is in the game for the best interest of the family. I not only appreciated her fighting for my rights but also holding me accountable to the woman I need to be for my children. I am so grateful as to how she helped me divorce an abusive man as quickly as possible (4 months). Thank you so much! read more

Michelle and her team went above and beyond helping me with my custody case. I've used Michelle before in the past and would only go back to her again if I ever needed to. read more

She out did herself! She decided to stop returning calls or emails,then said I needed to pay more money-the agreements she made on my behalf were not for my benefit-my divorce will cost me twice as much because of what she agreed to for me-be careful hiring her! Look at her reviews! All negative ones are hidden! read more

I decided to hire Michelle Penna after hearing two of my friends were satisfied with her services. I was representing myself for nearly 2 years and on my first court date after retaining Mrs Penna I finally received a 50% timeshare of my son! Her firm also guided me thru a 31-11 evaluation with ease. The only bummer was this was as much help as I could afford, but over-all I'm very satisfied. Thanks again for all your help! read more

Michelle is a great combination of expert family law advice, representation and cost effectiveness. My opposition is very litigious and because of Michelle's legal acumen I did not lose my life savings to excess legal fees. I highly recommend her. read more

Michelle Penna is an amazing attorney. She manages to make it look easy... She was very informative and helpful during this difficult time. Her and her staff are always kind and willing to help. Emotions are very tense during this time period and Michelle managed to keep me calm and settle my case in a timely manner with a positive outcome. I always recommend Michelle when someone needs a family law attorney !! SHE IS THE BEST! read more

Michelle is smart, extremely knowledgeable, fair and a real go getter. I was truly impressed with her and her entire staff. My divorce was handled perfectly and I never had to set foot in a courtroom. I highly recommend Michelle to anyone going through a divorce. She is the best of the best! Hire her today, you won't be sorry. read more

Horrible experience. Michelle was my saving grace while I was able to shove 10k to her firm in less than 3 months. Then Michelle went on vacation and her partner Laurie tried to drop me because I couldn't pay an additional 10k for a custody trial that we never even had! I ended up paying over 19k from November 2018 to April 2019! The only outcome was Michelle begging for me to sign a custody agreement so I could hurry and "move to NC so that my case could be their problem and not hers anymore", her words exactly! My ex is a manipulative liar and as soon as she saw that as a challenge, as well as me going into nearly 20k of debt, she lost all of her spark and glam that she put off to me in the beginning. All of it was for nothing and this attorney taught me that representing yourself will save you a ton of debt and a ton of broken promises from lawyers who could seriously give a crap less about you. read more