Referred them to a friend in Del Mar and they did an amazing job with his divorce. My friend is a high net worth business executive and she was very pleased with the end results. Fantastic family law attorneys read more

They represented me in my divorce and had a personal touch. They really cared for my kids and I. I would highly recommend them. Very thoughtful and thorough in explaining everything to me. read more

Jim Ratzer and Morgan Dobis are both amazing attorneys. I found myself in Jim's office after meeting with several other attorneys. Jim listened to me and was very forthcoming of the obstacles I was facing. He calmed my nerves and has been there ever since to answer phone calls or emails. From the beginning, I felt comfortable retaining him and Morgan as my attorneys. They are both very thorough, ethical attorneys. I wouldn't have it any other way. Jim and Morgan are very honest and able to foresee what the outcome is going to be. If you listen to them, you'll get good results. Ratzer Family Law also has a great reputation within the courthouses and among other attorneys. You don't pay for that, you do a good job and earn that respect. This firm is not a proponent of divorce and will not have you rack up a bill on frivolous matters. They are there to help you move in whatever direction you want so you can start your life. Although my case is not done yet, they have been instrumental in bringing it to an end. I cannot thank them enough for their hard work and dedication to my case. I highly recommend Jim and Morgan, I do believe they are among the best out there. read more

He's the greatest, a breath of fresh air. I went in for a consultation, expecting to pay a big retainer. To my surprise he researched the case, made a phone call to my wife, then advised me not to get a divorce. Case resolved. And, he would not take a penny for his time. Its the best advise I ever received. He solved my problem, my life turned around. I am happy again, His wisdom and experience greatly enhanced my life that day.. Thank you more than you will ever know, Mr. Ratzer. The world needs more of your type. read more

Jim is an outstanding family law attorney. He knows the laws and operates straight up, getting the job done legally and with dignity and ethics. He calmed my shaken nerves and got to the point. He continued to promote coming to an successful end of the case in spite of the opposing sides tactics. I would recommend him to anyone going through a divorce. Colleague Attorney Morgan, also operates with great integrity and is an excellent communicator, also coming to a succinct close rather than dragging things on. Both are a great team and they are supported by a fantastic staff. You can always get your phone call returned and questions answered. My case was horrific including a domestic violence restraining order. Simple or complex, Jim knows how to work for you. He is committed to getting the best for his clients. I'm happy I hired him and am keeping him as my attorney. You can be happy too. read more

I found the Ratzer firm in the end to not have been in my corner. If you are female Jim has and shows a very strong bias to the man, regardless of circumstances and even tho the female is his client. I regret ever using him, and found that his assistant Morgan knew about my case, but Jim seemed always uninformed about substantial details and communications. He was very friendly with other attorney's in the halls of the courthouse, but did not go to bat for me in front of the judge. His price was average, so you can find someone better to fight for you somewhere else for the same price. read more

Mr Ratzer is a fantastic attorney and I would highly recommend him. He is knowledgeable and very empathetic to clients.

I am very happy with the service Jim provided me as my divorce attorney. I found him to be honest, ethical and a straight shooter. My case ended up being surprisingly difficult, and throughout the 2 years Jim was consistent in his thoroughness and sound advice. His mantra was that he is a problem solver, not a problem maker, and he did his best to stay true to that under trying circumstances, ultimately guiding me through a successful mediation process. He worked efficiently and avoided unnecessary procedures, When things got tough emotionally, as they often do in divorce, he was supportive beyond just a legal aspect. On the whole, I am very pleased with my choice of Jim and his partner Morgan as my attorneys. read more

Jim Ratzer is a brilliant attorney! He certainly knows the law when it comes to divorce and separation. He is an outstanding attorney. Jim is a very caring attorney. I was a total train wreck when I came to Jim after finding that my husband of 33 years had been cheating on me for the full 33 years! Jim helped me to calm down and went right to work getting the MOST possible from my former husband. It was a long journey, but Jim stuck by me ALL the way. I highly recommend Jim. He is positively amazing to watch when he is in court. Trust me; Jim really knows his "stuff." You won't be disappointed if you hire Jim Ratzer to represent you. read more

I hired Jim Ratzer after letting go of a previous attorney that I did not believe was performing well. During my initial consult with Jim Razter, he told me I had a very good case against my husband and he would get me the fair amount I was requesting. He told me that I was entitled to 1/2 of the community property during the time I was married. He also said that because my name was on the title of a certain property, that no matter what I would get ¼ of that property as per the trust agreement. After he explained this to me, I believed he could follow through with what he told me so I retained him as my attorney. He started the paperwork process, and asked me to bring every communication/record I had regarding income and properties. I took a whole box of documents to him! He mentioned that we were going to depose my ex-husband regarding the trust and the title of the business property. When the day came to depose my ex, Jim had not prepared for the deposition. Luckily, I had a list of questions I had prepared for Jim to ask my ex husband. When we went through the deposition he did not follow up on the answers my ex gave, and he closed the deposition before getting all the answers. It was a 3 hour deposition. It was an incomplete and unsatisfactory deposition because my ex was playing games ...acting sick and old. Jim Razter seemed to be siding with him. It was at this time that I started to realize that Jim Ratzer favors the male clients regardless of who he represents. My ex made an offer, after the deposition, that was not an acceptable offer. It was WAY too low. Shortly after this, Jim Ratzer asked me to sign an agreement that stated my case would be solved and he, Jim Razter, would get paid $50,000. from my ex for settling the case. I was confused. I questioned Jim, as I was paying my own attorney fees to him, about the $50,000 and asked that this would be applied toward my OWN attorney fees. Jim Ratzer said "oh no, that money will be for payment from your ex to me for settling the case." I don't know what the law is regarding this, but I believe it was a bribe. And I don't think it was lawful. I reported this to the Court. Finally, the last straw with Jim Razter representing me was when he tried to get me to sign a settlement agreement without receiving and reviewing all documents related to the settlement. He screamed at me and told me to sign the agreement. He also said that it was a good settlement and that he was going to be my financial advisor and handle all my money, giving me a monthly allowance to support myself. I believe that it is against the law. I knew, without a doubt, that it was in fact NOT a fair settlement and would not sign the agreement. I fired him a few days later. In the end, I recently finalized my case and received 3 times more than the amount in the settlement offer that Jim Ratzer wanted me to sign! If you are a woman, I would run in the opposite direction of Ratzer Family Law. read more

For more than 1 1/2 years Jim Ratzer and firm helped us through a complex case with numerous obstacles, and my husband won primary custody of his Son. We hired Jim Ratzer after firing our first two ineffectual attorneys which were draining our bank accounts. We were done with a lot of talking, meetings, and sympathy, but lack of strategy and fire power to combat an aggressive, baseless attacks we were under. We found the Ratzer firm and in the first meeting we felt we found the straight-talking, no BS, DNA we needed for what we knew would be a bloody battle. We battled for 18 months in family court attacked from every angle by an unbelievably vicious, money-driven unstable x-wife who wanted to move a young Son out of state from the only stable life he'd known. Jim Ratzer, and attorney Morgan Dobis were stars. They didn't waste our time, they had conviction, they fought back with equal vigor. They overcame obstacles thrown in front of us that were unjust. We went in knowing the odds that a father gets custody. We lost a few battles along the way that were not our attorney's fault. Family court is tough, it's squishy, you think you have it nailed with proof and then unpredictable things happen for reasons that we learned are inherent to Family Court. In the end, we won the war on nearly every front, and certainly every front that mattered. We are incredibly grateful that Jim Ratzer, Morgan and the firm helped a young boy keep a good, stable life, because the alternative would have been, and would have been extremely unfortunate. read more