I didn't Have a great experience with Lisa Freitas during my divorce. She favored my Ex during the whole process. She took two weeks to get back to my concerns. She seemed like she wasn't knowledgeable with her job. I would highly recommend going to another practice and higher a lawyer that actually knows how to do the job correctly. read more

Overall our experience with Chris and Lisa at Sawyer Mediation was not positive and I would not recommend their services to others. My ex husband and I had what I think was one of the simplest mediation cases to navigate, and while we ultimately did get to an acceptable outcome in a reasonable amount of time, my concerns are primarily with their inconsistent and in some case unprofessional communication, as well as the quality of the work provided. Specifically: - we consistently had to chase Lisa for responses to emails, the nature of which were clarifying information from confusing, inaccurate, or incomplete emails from her or Chris. Responses often came after weeks of chasing and most recently we haven't gotten any responses after chasing for a month - the court forms they used for us were almost entirely template based and required very little information to be input that was specific to us. Despite that, multiple forms were completed with transposition errors that we identified and had to have Lisa resolve. This felt very sloppy. - Chris' approach to the mediation meetings felt sloppy and unprofessional as well. He seemed mostly unfamiliar with our case at the start of our meeting and was getting up to speed during our meeting, then in a follow up meeting I actually had to stop the conversation and ask him to speak more professionally to me, as he seemed very bothered by my questions to better understand how our spousal support determination was being made. - my last issue is that they collected a retainer from us and Chris assured my ex that because our case was so simple, if they didn't bill to that retainer we would get refunded the remainder. My best guess is collectively Chris and Lisa spent 10 hours on our case in total (inclusive of the time Lisa had to Spend correcting errors), in which case we should definitely be getting some sort of settlement of prepaid fees... but who can say as I've been chasing a final statement on account for over a month and they've just ghosted us read more

My ex-wife and I used the services of Lisa Freitas during our contentions and painful divorce settlement. Lisa was professional and helpful, but did not really move things energetically towards a conclusion. She was better-acquainted with my spouse's counsel than with mine. She was quite process-oriented, which didn't really get us closer to a settlement. Ultimately we did not reach an agreement in mediation. read more

Chris led the mediation for my divorce and went above and beyond to help me navigate a stressful situation while remaining independent. We had a very difficult case and eventually my ex fired Chris and accused him of incompentence. This was an easy excuse for not getting what he wanted which was money. We went to court and are exactly where we were with Chris. The rules are pretty rigid and unless you agree, it is what it is. I met with over a dozen attorneys because I had a high conflict siutation and they gave the same advice on my specific questions and were all slow to "counsel" or offer a straightforward process to execute on the three elements of divorce: 1. Custody 2. Support 3. Settlement Chris and Lisa helped us navigate a painful and hard process with lots of dynamics and emotions. If we had been more process oriented I think it would have been easier to just go to court. It basically insures the default use case 50/50 everything and support based on a computer algorithm. It's pretty clear. I wish I had known that. My ex is representing himself in court and doesn't seem to be discounted by that. Chris says mediation gives you flexibility. Court gives you speed to resolve. read more

I'll refrain from use of the word "incompetent" -- Christopher Sawyer is a lawyer, after all, and I have all the legal problems I can handle. But let's say he was a plumber who offered to help you and your husband complete a do-it-yourself toilet install, and when he was done with his handiwork, everyone was knee deep in shit, broke and no longer on speaking terms. My husband and I have known each other for 30 years. We like each other and decided to facilitate the divorce process with Mr. Sawyer since we had an interim settlement we both liked. Eight weeks later, at the advice of Mr. Sawyer and in the middle of mediation, my husband blindsided me, hiring another attorney (a former colleague of Mr. Sawyer) without my knowledge and having me served without warning. Now our 12 year marriage with no assets or children is headed for dissolution in a courtroom, which neither of us wanted or can afford. I will have no legal representation, unfortunately. While my husband has a legal right to file, the point of mediation is to ensure fair, open communication between all parties. We had agreed to file jointly; my husband agreed to pay for it. That was the mutual and explicit agreement from the beginning; it was never subject to negotiation. That neither Mr. Sawyer or my husband thought I deserved the courtesy of a phone call to at least inform me of this alternative development only demonstrates that "good faith" is anything but with certain individuals. If I could give them both zero stars, I would. read more

I went through a divorce several years ago. It was daunting and unpleasant, as you can imagine. I tried to "do it myself" and after several rounds of the paper work being returned, I was very frustrated and upset. I went to Chris Sawyer to have him help me finalize everything with the courts. Chris determined that because my ex husband wouldn't participate in the process, it would be simpler to go to court to finish the divorce up. So that's what we did and it was done before we left the court on the appointed day. This was such a relief to me, you can't imagine. (it had been over 9 months of battling with the courts on the paperwork prior) He was helpful, courteous and had good humor throughout. Divorce/ Separation is no fun at all but if you have to go through it, it's good to have an ally. He is a good man with a kind heart, who really cares about the best interests of his clients AND their spouses. He is fair and compassionate to both parties, which is also a relief. He will make this process as pleasant as it can be. Please feel free to message me if you want more information. read more

I came home from my final divorce mediation meeting with my husband and Chris Sawyer tonight, and I have only wonderful things to say about him and his practice. Divorce is the hardest thing I have had to go through, but working with Chris in mediation has taken so much of the stress out of it. With a calm, efficient manner, Chris provided a roadmap and I quickly felt like it was all going to be OK. He was unquestionably fair, compassionate, professional and efficient. He pushed us to consider how things might change down the road, and wouldn't let us rush to slap something together. I really appreciated how thorough he was. He listened to our concerns equally, and opened up discussion about creative solutions for custody and asset division. I feel intensely grateful to him for making this process less painful, and much more enlightened than it would have beens. Working with a mediator like Chris takes so much of the ugliness away from an ugly situation and replaces it with some civility. read more

I could not recommend Chris Sawyer more. This is an interesting review as we did not end up working together but I REALLY wish we did. It could've saved me over $100K (I'm the higher earner so I had to pay for everything) for a short-term 3.5 year marriage. After our divorce process was going nowhere, my spouse's attorney recommended a shady mediator with horrible reviews which I declined. I went through countless reviews/websites and had consults with several mediators. Of all of them, Chris clearly stood out as he's incredibly knowledgeable, approachable and not out to rob people but rather to come to a fair settlement & avoid unnecessary attorney fees. We ended up settling before working with Chris but it was a complete waste of time, money & sanity where no one won but the attorneys. Mediation is definitely the way to go if possible as family law attorneys fight for their clients with any garbage they're fed (in my case my spouse lied about literally everything) but in mediation you're dealing with someone unbiased. I'd recommend Chris to anyone going through a divorce (unfortunately there are too many of us) as having attorneys kick you while you're down just makes a traumatic situation worse. Lastly, Chris just seems like a really good guy which is few & far between, especially in family law. read more

Chris Sawyer handled my divorce and he was, well, perfect: thorough, objective, hard-working, efficient, and reasonably priced. My ex- wanted to hire his own lawyer and we were headed towards a rough, litigated divorce. I found Chris and we avoided acrimony, expense, and a lifetime of bad memories and hurt feelings. Divorce isn't great but, with Chris and his firm, I think it was as good as it can be. Hopefully I won't have to hire him again! read more

Chris made the hardest decision of my life and most painful process as easy, quick and tolerable as possible. He was fair, compassionate, professional and flexible. Can't say enough great things about him. No question I would recommend Chris Sawyer to anyone for any mediation needs or divorce. read more

Mr. Sawyer has provided legal consulting services to our firm. He is a highly effective attorney; he is sharp, has a solid understanding of the law, and applies a common-sense approach to his cases. One of our client's motions was won in large part due a legal brief he co-authored. We have also referred some of our clients to him for mediation services. read more

Going through a divorce was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life. So much emotional pain it was hard to think straight about all the legalities of the situation (so many its dizzying). Chris did an incredible job of making a very difficult situation much, much easier. Not only was he very professional and knowledgeable about every bit of the process, he was also compassionate to my situation personally. Out of pure anger towards my ex, there were times when I wanted to just take her through the wringer with high priced lawyers and courts, but Chris talked me off the ledge - clearly saving me piles of money and more heartache. For anyone that chooses the mediation process for their separation, I strongly recommend Sawyer Mediation. read more

I tried the "Do it yourself divorce" to save money. The paperworks were so confusing and the court clerk does not help you to figure out which paper you need to file. My friend recommended Chris to me and he is not expensive at all compared to the regular divorce attorney that I have talked to. Thank you Chris in helping me to get all paperworks in order so my divorice went smoothly and now I am happily single. read more

All divorce cases are difficult. And my case was not an exception. The emotions were running high. Several times the whole mediation process looked impossible to me. But Chris helped me and my ex to go through it and reach an agreement. He was playing not only legal expert role, but also helping us psychologically to manage difficult times in our life. read more

Okay, so divorcing is not fun, but it doesn't have to be hell like they make it out to be in the movies. It is possible to have an amicable, relatively smooth split if you put the effort into it. If the two of you can, try to be friends and avoid bitterness. This will make things easier on all fronts. Once you and your partner have made the decision to part ways, it's time to get through it as quickly and painlessly as possible so that you can both move on and make it to the other side. I highly recommend a mediation, but it only works if you hire the right person. I interviewed several people before going with Chris (found on Yelp), and I knew immediately he was my man. I knew my partner would like him too, as he is fair, willing to hear both sides, and as objective as it gets. He's straight to the point, matter of fact, fast (yet extremely thorough and professional), personable, nice, empathetic, compassionate and with a good sense of humor. That's right, I even found myself laughing or smiling in the process. Given that he is so efficient (again, in a good thorough and professional way), I feel like he was worth every penny and that I didn't spend a penny more than I thought it was worth. read more