I originally reached out to Jim months ago looking for guidance during a very difficult and uncertain time. From our very first meeting, his decades of experience were immediately clear -- he was able to accurately predict what would happen next in my case, which honestly gave me a sense of calm and direction when I needed it most. He took the time to truly listen, and our conversation helped me feel more grounded and confident moving forward. Now that I'm having to take the next steps in my case, I've found myself relying on the resources and guidance he provided me with early on, and I'm incredibly grateful for that. What has also stood out to me is how responsive and professional Jim and his entire team have been throughout the process. Anytime I've had to reach out, I receive a response within hours. The staff has always been friendly, professional, and made me feel comfortable during a very stressful situation. I know the road ahead is not easy, but I would absolutely recommend this law firm -- and Jim in particular -- to anyone looking for an experienced, knowledgeable, and compassionate attorney. read more

Life-Changing Legal Support I'm beyond thankful I hired James and his team at The Reape-Rickett Law Firm. My ex-wife filed for divorce and somehow believed she was entitled to everything after 20 years of marriage--leaving me with almost nothing. What followed was a long, stressful battle filled with false accusations and attempts to control the outcome. But James stepped in and shut it down. When the case went to trial, James handed things off to Matthew, and wow--he was phenomenal. Sharp, prepared, and completely in control. He exposed the flaws in my ex's claims and made sure the truth came through loud and clear. I wasn't asking for anything outrageous--just fairness according to the law. Matthew delivered exactly that. This team gave me peace of mind during one of the hardest times in my life. If you're facing a tough divorce and want someone who will fight for what's right, look no further. read more

I'm incredibly grateful to the team at Reape Rickett for helping me through one of the most difficult periods of my life. From start to finish, they handled my case with professionalism, compassion, and care. Attorneys Donald Reape and Samantha Essayan were both attentive, knowledgeable, and passionate advocates during a very stressful time. I always felt informed and I truly appreciated results they obtained for me! read more

If I could give zero stars, I would. Reape and Rickett overbilled me and did absolutely nothing to move my case forward. I paid them close to $100,000 and after firing them for their incompetence, they still had the audacity to send me another bill for $16,000. They were unresponsive, ineffective, and more focused on draining my bank account than actually helping me. Save yourself the time, money, and stress. This firm is garbage. read more

Worked with two of the lawyers at this firm. Matthew acted like a little man with a big ego. Uncaring and cold. Very expensive and a waste of time. All of the women in the support staff are competent and know what they're doing. read more

Prompt and professional. Thank you for your attention to my plight. Without you my issue would never have been finalized.

I do not recommend this law firm. I wish I could give zero stars. I hired them on July 31 and deposited $7,500 into their trust account. I made it very clear from the beginning that I had an important court hearing on August 28 that I needed help with. After an initial 30-minute consultation call (which cost me $300), I expected the firm to update my RFO and represent me at that hearing. I promptly sent them all of my documents, proofs, and evidence. However, in the following weeks, I received very little communication--most of the 31 emails exchanged were from me sending them materials. I never felt like there was a clear plan or sense of urgency about my case. Then, without consulting me, the firm arranged to push my court date back to November 3. This was extremely upsetting, as I had emphasized the importance of the original date. My case involved both safety and financial concerns, and I felt delaying it two months was unnecessary since all my evidence was already provided. In just about three weeks, I was billed approximately $6,600. Based on my experience, I feel the firm focused more on billing than on moving my case forward. What I hoped would be a straightforward matter turned into delays, stress, and significant expense. This was my personal experience, and I would strongly encourage others to be careful about hiring this firm. read more

I retained Attorney Donald Reape and the Reape-Rickett Law Firm to defend my business and home in civil Marvin litigation and I could not be happier with the results! I was fully awarded the business and was reimbursed for all moneys I contributed to the residence. I also received reimbursement for attorney's fees in the partition action. Excellent work! read more

I had a Family Law online consultation with Mr. Pensky. From the beginning, the service from the office was impeccable: emails, calls, paperwork.. all done efficiently. During the consultation, Mr. Pensky provided me with a clear road map for my questions, and precise advise. I highly recommend him! read more

I would give zero stars if it was an option. My time dealing with Reape-Rickett law firm was a horrible experience, I wouldn't wish on anyone. It created additional financial stress and hardship. During meetings with my lawyer I could smell alcohol, and he slurred his words, while re-hashing issues that had already been covered. All adding up to additional billable hours. He used unprofessional language, and verbal agreements were NOT honored. I was manipulated and lied to at a vulnerable time in my life. Due to his incompetence, I fired him. As a result I was in the position to retain new counsel. Which created additional fees incurred, including a new retainer, and cost to transfer all documents to a new lawyer. The amount of money I had to put out due to the incompetent dealings of this firm was exorbitant. read more

I contacted the Reape-Rickett law firm on November 5th. I was a victim of a wife who was tired of me. So she decided to call the sheriff and proceeded to accuse me of domestic violence. I was taken away from my home, thrown in jail and treated like a criminal. I hired the firm and told them I want in my house with my kids by thanksgiving ( which was 23 days away). They jump into action and I felt like I had everyone's attention and care. Don Reape is my attorney for this and he's very smart and strategic in his approach. I was awarded the house and temporary custody of my children 1 day before thanksgiving! It was amazing as I had not seen my kids in 21 days. I totally recommend the firm as they have given me a ton of attention and care. On the flip side they are not cheep. They do charge for everything so be prepared to pony up some dough. In my experience of life is you get what you pay for. And in my opinion they are worth every penny read more

It was a wonderful experience working with Jim Reape. Going through a divorce can be very frightening, but he made me feel extremely comfortable and well taken care of. A very kind man. A true professional with 40 years experience. Everyone in the office was very kind and polite. I literally left feeling so much better about my situation. I never thought that would happen. I believe this is a man you can trust with your situation. You can trust this firm, they will not take advantage of you whatsoever. I hope that's comfort for someone out there. (I know it's scary, but they are not about taking your money) I believe they're truly about helping people and their reputation of just doing that. read more

Jim and his team are amazing, I have never been ignored for any email or question. Always respond to me quickly. Definitely the best divorce attorney in Santa Clarita. read more

Mr Reape was awesome ... quality person with great attitude looking to help. He help me with a child support situation that was resolved extremely quick. Highly recommend his service great attorney. Thanks Again. read more

I had a horrible experience as a client (for over a year) of The Reape-Rickett Law Firm, specifically attorney Matthew Breddan, regarding a sensitive family law issue. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how bad it was until I was forced to replace Matthew with a new attorney. Here's what I experienced (in my opinion): 1--Non communicative. Matthew refused to explain the family law process or his overall strategy for resolving matters; whenever I asked him for clarification, he took it personally, assuming I was questioning his judgment. He acted as though I was supposed to "sign over a blank check and trust him." As the client, I ended up spending hundreds of hours doing my own legal research to understand my rights/options. 2--Unavailable and unresponsive. Matthew was often unavailable--even on time-sensitive issues--to answer questions or to respond to opposing counsel. As a result, issues that could have been resolved with a simple phone call or email took months and thousands of dollars in fees. Matthew claimed "that's just how the process works." 3--Passive. Although Matthew claims in marketing materials to be an aggressive advocate for his clients, he often took a passive approach to everything and retreated whenever opposing counsel pushed back. Sometimes I wondered if he was working for me or for the other side. 4--Took no responsibility. Whenever Matthew's strategies didn't produce his stated (likely) results, he was quick to blame the process, opposing counsel, the mediator, the forensic accountant or even ME as the client. 5--No creativity. Matthew's solution to almost every issue was "just write them a big check and they will go away." I originally hired him because I thought, with all his family law experience, he would have creative solutions to common family law issues. I was sorely mistaken and I often felt as though I would get better results from an online service like LegalZoom or Rocket Lawyer (for a fraction of the price). 6--Unsophisticated on financial issues. When it came to anything financial related--spousal support, child support, reading a balance sheet or a profit and loss statement), Matthew relied 100% on forensic accountants, which doubles the price of getting to a resolution. Toward the end of my representation, I asked Matthew to consider some of these points in regard to my last invoice and he categorically refused. I had to hire a new attorney and spent tens of thousands of dollars bringing that new attorney up to speed on my matter. read more

I had a wonderful experience with Donald Reape and Jim Reape. They were recommended to me by another law firm because of their expertise and attention to detail. My children and I are eternally grateful for their help getting to a place of peace. It also helped that they and their staff were very kind and understanding. read more

I have no words to describe my outrage from this company. By now we all know that disgraced attorney Tom Girardi has paid over one million to the state bar to dismiss hundreds of complaints against him, some of them for major staff, like theft. All those who have dealt with attorneys including Reape-Rickett, may understand now how attorneys bill without a work product to show. How a firm with this many complaints can still operate is beyond me. Each and every time that I hire an attorney I check with the state bar. Do they really have clean records, or cleaned records like Tom Girardi? I would never know. But arrogance, brazen disregard for any norms, suggests that attorneys knew that the state bar is on their side. I am outraged, how they misled me nearly a year, to believe that they were working on my case. Only work that was ever done was to organize the file, which was office staff duty, not $34000.00 worth of work, maybe a few hundred. My File was very small, next to nothing when I went to them and the only thing done during that period was to obtain my file from me and nothing more. I am also mad at the staff, they knew that the attorneys never worked on my file, never requested my file, they knew that i was getting billed, but their pity paycheck blinded their conscience and they became corroborators. I wish them nothing more than those miserable little paychecks. When back in 2019 I wrote a negative review about Reape Rickett. Immediately a male staff member called and threatened me with a violence. I really got scared and removed the review quickly. Later the same person was fired and had the audacity to call me. He complained to me, how the firm did nothing in my case and that he was willing to work for me to make up for the wrong that was done for a nominal fee. After dealing with this firm and very many attorneys in the last few years, it is my belief that the reputation that attorneys have, matches their overall conduct. I would suggest anyone who intends to hire an attorney, hire in limited scope, do not give them full authority over the case, make yourself familiar with laws and issues of your case, check more often and fire more often. Do not wait. If they performed well a few times in limited scope perhaps only then it's worth considering hiring them. Keep asking questions. One more thing, before hiring any attorney, describe in writing only all the issues in your case and ask them step by step their intended work and time frame to protect your interest. I have asked Reape- Rickett from the initial meeting to settle the case. I have even offered money to the opposition, even though the opposition is the one that owed me money. That's how concerned I was from Reape- Rickett's ineptness. At no time they have followed through with my request to settle. That's not what the firm wanted. Be firm, you have to take care of your interest and your life hereafter. One more thing, do not take calls from attorneys, let them write to you. Whenever they make a mistake, or make a wrong decision on your behalf, they will blame you, and they will allege that in those phone calls, you have approved their plans and moreover you are the one who has requested it. I have heard story after story, they treat clients like prey, I was a prey as well. Each and every time that I would contemplate hiring an attorney they would ask my schedule of assets or my tax returns. Reason for that, they were eyeballing their potential earnings from me and my case. Very many times and this firm told me that, "the reason we are expensive, because we know what we are doing and we are experts. To other attorneys it may take 17 hours to a draft motion, for us it will take two hours. Thus despite the higher hourly rate, we are saving you money." That was a brazen lie I have heard again and again from many attorneys, including this firm. Do not fall for it. I never saw such a thing. Precisely they did the opposite, billed me for hours and hours for nothing. In almost a year, Reape Rickett failed to prepare a single motion or do a single discovery. It is beyond me. NOT a SINGLE moving papers on my behalf to prepare the case for the trial. Zilch, Noting. State bar recently promised more transparency and accountability. Please use your voice, file a complaint when your interests have been undermined. Write an opinion, reach to media outlets. Do not suffer in silence. By the way, when an attorney offers referrals, those referrals need to be checked as well. Most of the time they are returning a mere favor to their acquaintances and friends and they care less about your interests. P.S. Do not fall for positive reviews from strangers. You do not know their incentives. Negative reviews most likely are the accurate ones. By the way Yelp hides or removes very many reviews and if you scroll down you may be able to see some of them as well. Their second office is in Calabasas and yelp has more negative review's there as well. read more

Jim handled my divorce. He was so patient and understanding. He was quick to respond and deal with the task at hand with professionalism and timeliness. The entire staff showed compassion and assistance. I highly recommend Jim and The Reape-Rickett Law Firm. read more

I had an informal consultation with Atty. Donald Reape. He listened to me, provided me with valuable guidance, and referred me to a local specialist. I am extremely grateful for my interaction with Atty. Donald Reape. read more

To start my experiences off with this firm , my retainer was paid in full and not on a payment plan. With this at hand , it's expected to get a response to my email or phone call in hopefully latest a 2 day period. It's not been anything helpful or useful or my moneys worth a month in . Especially going almost a WEEK , sending 3 emails without a response . I've now paid all this money just to have someone respond to emails instead of me . No professionalism so far , no support , maybe after this review I can get a response. Or talk to the attorney I requested in Rand Pinsky. I hope this yelp review gets seen , or an email gets responded too. Unreal ! read more

The Reape- Rickett law firm was outright negligent in my case. Moreover shamefully incompetent and but super aggressive in billing. When i asked them why they went to hearing without me, why they did not told me about a hearing, I was told: you should of known. So they would not even reach me to prepare me for a hearing, etc. in those hearings, that i was present, each time one unknown attorney would pop in, without any preparation. When i asked the attorney, why am I getting billed so much, he said, i do not get involved in that. It is not not my firm, But i was getting billed by his hours, when he spent no time, literary no time on my file. I CAN NOT FATHOM MORE SHAMEFUL CONDUCT THAN TO BILL FOR WHEN NO TIME WAS SPENT ON A FILE. i was never been contacted by the attorney in almost a year period. Not a single call or an email. nothing. any and all communication was with paralegal, however the bills came from attorney with no hesitation. When i asked in the beginning, why such a high hourly rate, i was told, we are so good what we do, that what to the other attorneys takes days to do, we do in two hours. that was not the case. later i found out that was a very common lie. I was charged tens of thousands for nothing. read more

I needed help from lawyers I could trust. Jim and team were transparent, responsive and helped me get the results I wanted. Very thankful.

Matt Bredden was a know it all and appears to suffer from short man syndrome. I interviewed him and found him to lack compassion and empathy so I moved on from this firm. He also seems to dislike women. ------ I've updated this review to reflect, again, that I didn't like this man and found him to be haughty and condescending so I didn't hire his firm. End of story. read more

My soon to be ex wife was highly recommended to use this company for mediation in the beginning was good. We want there and go all over everything agreed on everything sign all the papers on February something after we go back and forth because they make mistake filling up all the papers funny because that's their job no? And changing me $3500. Now it's almost the end of August and the court sent the papers back because it wasn't filled right and we have to sign again and sand everything back. So l asked for some money back and The shareholders board decide that they're not going to give me the money back they just sorry for wasting my time. It they can charge me for their time. Is that fair? I would not recommend this company! read more

I would like to know what warranted 3 to 6 intra office emails a day as well as 2 to 3 intra office conferences a day for a marriage of 6 years with no assets and when I wanted NOTHING from my ex. As a Bookkeeper, It just does not add up. I was told that if I did things myself it would save me money, and as I stated before that did not happen at all. Not to go into detail but I don't think mine was complex at all, as previously stated, what I wanted Christine to do absolutely 100% worked, I was the client and she should have tired what I wanted not just keep racking up fees. I should have left your firm at that moment, I did not realize how much it was going to cost for emails and conferences between employees. I was desperate for help and was referred to your firm, I can not explain how it felt when I opened my email and saw that invoice for $11,215.10, for emails, conferences and phone calls, it was gut wrenching. I tried several times to reach out, I requested we have the Bar step into assist and that NEVER happened. read more

Going up and beyond what is expected. Truly a great experience and the start of a great business relationship.

I can't articulate in words the gratitude and appreciation I have for this ENTIRE firm. At the onset of meeting Jim Reape and being assigned to Russell Thaw I knew I was in very competent hands. In a very difficult time I instantly had great support, sound and consistent legal advise with an "all hands on deck " approach. My case manager Ruby was a God send on those days when I felt the walls were literally closing in on me. Everyone from Caleb, Samantha, Brittany, Jim Slanton and Chanel in accounting ALL provided me and my daughters the support and compassion needed in handling a very difficult and lengthy legal matter which in the end we ALL prevailed. I would highly, highly recommend The Reape Rickett Family Law Firm they are now considered member of my family read more

James was so amazing. His tone of voice, his thoughtfulness and his ability to make me feel at home was just what I needed as I deal with this nasty divorce. He gave me a piece of mind and that is priceless. Thank you again James. read more

Never thought I'd be in the market for a divorce attorney but after interviewing Jim Reape and another attorney I knew I'd be taken care of under Jim's legal guidance. My legal team of Jim and Samantha were great. They were extremely attentive and responsive. When my ex's attorney was unresponsive, Jim and Samantha acted on my behalf to encourage a response. Without hesitation, I would recommend them and felt my interests were front and center. They also showed compassion during a difficult time of going through a divorce. read more

Jim's the man guys!! From The receptionist to the intake consultant everyone was very nice and professional. Jim gave me a great consultation and even better advice. Highly recommend this firm. Thank you! read more

I was referred to this firm by a co-worker that had success with them in his divorce. I used them for advice for a few years in which I was repeatedly told me that the excess child support I was paying would benefit me should I ever go back to court with my ex-wife over support. About three years after becoming a client, my ex-wife got greedy and wanted more money, so she took me back to court. All of a sudden, the extra money I had been paying my ex-wife, which was supposed to have been working in my benefit, didn't matter, according to my attorney (one of the partners). Then, right before the court date, I was transferred from this partner to some newbie attorney in the firm. She did a lousy job in court, failed to expose my ex-wife's doctored tax returns from her restaurant, and I ended up having to pay my ex-wife an additional 43% in child support even though my company had just reduced my pay by 16% in order to keep my job. Needless to say, I was not satisfied at all and felt deceived, and also 'bait and switched', by this firm. Would definitely not recommend. read more

I would recommend this company for sure,James is a great Attorney with great advice and they stay on all appointments, He told how to move forward on my case instead of pulling a retainer out of me, Not all Law Firms are like that. I highly recommend James and Reape-Rickett Law firm. read more

Please read the below correspondence between myself and Reappe Rickett Law Firm before hiring them to represent you. (this is their response to me asking them to work with me on repaying my debt to them following my divorce) Hi Patricia,   I tried calling you but your mailbox was full.  I spoke with the shareholders and they are not able to approve your request.  There was a signed stipulation that you entered into.  The stipulation actually was entered into when you had no job and you were REQUIRED to advise if you got a job AND negotiate an increase in payments.  The 100 per month was only the minimum payment when you had no job.   Best regards,     Chanel Phillips Bookkeeper The Reape-Rickett Law Firm My response to Reappe Rickett: Thank you for checking into this for me and I truly appreciate all of your help. Yes, I did agree to notify you when I was employed and able to pay more than $100 per month against my $86K divorce bill. However, in my divorce settlement, after a 14 year marriage, Reappe Rickett was only able to achieve 2 years of alimony amounting to $72K. Unfortunately, my alimony ran out last December, therefore,  I have been borrowing money from family members and from student loans and I am at my limit. Basically, I take home $500-$900 per month while still attending school full time. My rent  is $1650, my car is $400, auto insurance $130. there are additional bills that I am not mentioning. I have diligently paid the $100 per month for over 2 years and only asked for a deferment for 3 months.   It is just amazing that such a high powered law firm-one who fights for their clients' rights, would stoop so low.  Let's look at the bottom line:  with Reappe Rickett as my representative in my divorce, my x-husband earning in excess of $600K per year, I was awarded $72K in alimony and charged $86 K for this service.   It's amazing that I come to you in good faith, trying to uphold due diligence in paying off my debt by asking for only 3 months leniency and you shun me. Like many woman fighting for their life after a brutal divorce $300 in 3 months is the difference between having food and gas and being homeless-to Reappe Rickett, it is 1 hour salary for the least paid para-legal. read more

I needed a family law attorney on zero notice and Reape Rickett was amazing. They really understood my issues and were able to get me an outcome I was hoping for. Christine Inglis is an absolute ROCKSTAR!!! I hope I never need them again but I would definitely recommend to anyone needing kind and caring and respectable representation!!! read more

I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS FIRM! The attorney I had did need speak up for me on my behalf. It was like I basically went in to court alone. I kept having my case put off for another day, after spending most of the day in court. I was also advised by my attorney April, not to request child support. She said if I tried to get child support for my children I had custody of I can end up paying child support to their dad. Such bs! Also, towards the end, my attorney tells me she is friends with the other attorney in our case. It so happens they both went to law school together at Pepperdine. I wanted to pull my hair out. It was like she purposefully misrepresented me. This firm is highly unethical! I was very young and scared when I choose them. Knowing my rights now, I would've dropped them sooner and filed a complaint against them. DO NOT USE THIS FIRM!!! read more

I was referred to Jim Reape through an associate. One phone call to his office was all it took. Eric Arriaga was in contact with me shortly after. He took down all my information, and a zoom meeting was scheduled the following business day. Jim listened to all my questions and had some great answers in a short period of time. He even made a follow-up call later that day. Looking forward to working with Jim and his team. read more

Jim Reape is quite frankly the BEST Divorce (Family Law) attorney out there. His knowledge and performance while in and out of court was spectacular.. Any father who wants more time or even custody of their minor children need to call Mr. Reape. He totally SPANKED all "four" of my ex-wife's attorneys. I love The Reape & Rickett Law Firm!! Thank you for all of your help. You and your staff are true professionals.!! Client - Jim Herbie read more

I was referred to Jim and his team by another lawyer in LA. Shortly after I had hired Jim, I found myself in an unfortunate situation where I was served a divorce petition from out of state. I was completely disheartened as I loved working with this team. After having a difficult time with my ex in the divorce process and having one lawyer already close my file, I felt Jim had my back and that he was going to get me out of this divorce process in no time. We decided it would be best to find another lawyer from the state I was served, and Jim helped me every step of the way. I never once felt abandoned and truly felt cared for. Thanks Jim and team! read more

Unfortunately this is divorce #2 for me and I went to RRLF with extreme skepticism after being absolutely depleted from the previous representation many years prior (separate firm). However, given the reactive circumstances in my case, Rochelle Binns was assigned to my case and immediately began educating herself on what was happening and subsequently educating me about what it all meant, including a plan of attack. After more than four months of court delays and multiple appearances in the court, we have walked away with a win on some level every single time, and that's a testament to Rochelle's work ethic, moral ethic, knowledge of all the available tools, communication with me and clear direction of what's needed from me in order to do her job. Although my case is still pending, and of course costs are racking up, I can't say that I'm not getting my money's worth - I absolutely am. I'm benefitting from an entire firm's-worth of experience, perspective and feedback at only the cost of her time spent (unless in the case of a unique circumstance) - that's much more reliable than depending on a single person throughout the process. In my first divorce, I lost sleep, I lost an enormous amount of weight, wasn't eating, etc etc because of the stress of money, lack of service, lack of knowing what's coming. Simply put, because of Rochelle, I am sleeping at night and I haven't missed a meal. You have no idea what that's worth unless you've experienced being without it. Thank you for everything so far RRLF, I know you're fighting for me and all those involved. read more

Mr. Breddan and the Reape Rickett law firm have been an outstanding source of knowledge, as well as comfort for me. Mr. Breddan has walked me through my divorce, with my children and myself as his ultimate concern. I know that our lives are in the right hands. Thank you Mr. Breddan, Ms. Morales, and the Reape Rickett Law Firm!! read more

Reape Rickett & Breddan - Me and my daughter xoxo - Divorce & Family Law Near Me - Valencia, California