Van Clief was recommended to me by my divorce attorney to handle the financial and retirement portion of my divorce, with the expectation of an equitable and fair resolution. In this, they failed completely. I provided them with extensive documentation going back over 20 years, establishing every cent and its rollovers. Despite this, Van Clief allowed me to get "hosed" on a technicality: most financial institutions do not keep detailed statements beyond 10 years. However, they do keep rollover documentation (amounts, funds, dates, and times), which creates a legal trail. Instead of working with the documentation I provided, they caved to the opposing party's demands because it was easier. Critically, they still get paid either way. Van Clief is quick to say, "We're an independent party, we follow the numbers." In my case, this was just plausible deniability. It felt like a classic case of "don't know, don't care, we still get our check." [[HIGHLIGHT]]This lack of care became increasingly apparent when trying to finalize matters. and run-of-the-mill questions. Like many clients, I have a Will and Trust. When I asked them questions about this, it took over a week to get any kind of response.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]And when they finally did respond, it was buried in a ridiculous form of "legalese" that would make a 17th-century law clerk shake their head.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] In short: Arrogance. Don't know, don't care, as long as they get your money. read more

Anyone looking for assistance going through any legal challenge should call this office! My divorce was in itself a very painful experience but everyone in this office was caring, very knowledgeable, and experts in their fields. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I always felt heard and understood, and when i needed something they were quick to respond.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I hope to never need this help again ... but i do know who i would call!! Much gratitude to each member and a special thank you to Elizabeth Van Clief. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]I used Elizabeth for pension settlement for a divorce. I have heard she's the best in San Diego, so I was happy to get in with her.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] She made the process really easy and the price was fair. We just emailed over documents, discussed options, and signed. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Her support staff is friendly and good too.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Worst form of betrayal is an attorney who pretends to advocate for you, but turns out to be the one who takes advantage of your need. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I had set up a FREE consultation with Elizabeth VanClief, a QDRO Attorney. During this consultation, Elizabeth listen to my challenges with another attorney. She said to me that she knew this particular attorney,stated that she did not like to see anyone being bullied, and then she OFFERED TO CALL THAT ATTORNEY TO GET INSIGHT TO MY ISSUE. SHE ADDED, DON'T WORRY YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED FOR THIS. Sounded good.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] About 2 1/2 weeks later she billed me. She had not been retained as my attorney at that time. [[HIGHLIGHT]]When I addressed this issue with her, she yelled at me, which I was not surprised because I did read another review that she yelled and hung up on someone else. With a raised voice, she told me that she was an attorney and that she did not work pro bono.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] She flipped the narrative and said that I asked her to call the other attorney. Which would've been the furthest thing from my mind to do. This felt like a set up to gain fees for work I did not or would not have agreed to. Remember. I had not even retained her. This was a free phone consultation call only. I will be placing my reviews on Other sites and also to the powers that be that govern unethical tactics. Betrayal from those that are supposed to help you is the worst form of betrayal. I hope that in sharing this, that a multitude of people will benefit. Thanks. read more

Van Clief & Van Clief - Divorce & Family Law Near Me - San Diego, California

In 2020, I was referred to Ms. Van Clief by the attorney who was consulting during my divorce. I had been married to a man in the Navy for over a decade and I wanted to be certain that I had done everything I needed to do to ensure that I receive my portion of his retirement pay. Ms. Van Clief charged me a flat fee for her services that I found reasonable, especially given that the task with which I had charged her required several phone calls and emails to be exchanged. My ex-husband managed to get his retirement processed in such a way that I lost access to my fair entitlement. This past year - in the process of looking into whether or not I could feasibly recoup what was withheld from me - I was referred to her again, by a second San Diego divorce attorney. In both cases, the lawyers who referred me to her spoke of her as the ultimate source of reliable information regarding the law surrounding military divorce. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ms. Van Clief had the unfortunate job of informing me that in fact, I had no case. Or, that pursuing the matter to a resolution would be cost-prohibitive. She delivered that news with genuine sympathy and patiently explained to me what the changes in the law meant for my situation.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] She emailed me a copy of the court decision that spelled out why my case was unlikely to succeed. She spent nearly an hour in total on the phone with me (and then with my attorney, as well) and undercharged me for her time spent, again expressing in an email her sympathy for my losing situation. Her kind words were appreciated but her true value is the knowledge she possesses surrounding military divorce. In addition, she truly does seem to have an uncanny ability for analysis and a phenomenal memory for detail. While I wish that my case had turned out much differently, I can't fault Ms. Van Clief: She gave me a thorough explanation of my options and was frank with me about the time and money it would take to pursue my full pension. I find her to be an ethical, talented, and genuine attorney. read more

The team here hit the ground running and jumped all up on the fine print of the official documents related to my case. All this before I even knew the gravity of what it all meant. I'd highly recommend the Van Cliefs and their team of associates for handling legal matters that can change your life. Very honest, straightforward, and they don't sugarcoat the realities. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Working with them was the best experience following a messy divorce that took years to finalize and settle.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The Van Cliefs and their team easily put everything into perspective and worked on my file as if they had personal assets on the line along with me!!I highly recommend for all matters even so much as mentioning MSA and QDRO. read more

I hired Mrs Elizabeth to calculate military pension arrears. She was completely unprofessional. She told me the cost would be between $ 300 and 900$, saying it would be a very simple task, and I believed her. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Many months passed without updates. Whenever I called her, she would contact the opposing party to request documents, and she charged $150 for each email she sent.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] She claimed the other party was unresponsive and offered excuse after excuse. When I asked her to base her calculation on all the documents she had requested just a few days before the court hearing, she suddenly said the other party had sent additional documents and that it would cost more. I said Why? You told me it wouldn't be more than $300 or $900. However, despite having everything she needed, she still failed to deliver a correct calculation. When I presented it to the judge, the opposing attorney pointed out errors in the dates. She had arbitrarily chosen dates, never inquiring about when I started receiving the retirement benefits. She told my lawyer to fix the mistake without charge. but afterwards, she billed me $ 300, anyway. [[HIGHLIGHT]]In total, I ended up paying $ 2300. When I complained about the amount, she began yelling at me on the phone and telling me, "What do you think I don't have ethics ?" She was out of control[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]I rate her ZERO, she has no respect for clients and no professionalism[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

These folks were great! I couldn't do the math but she could. They figured everything out for my QDRO and I got my half. Divorce is horrible and most men are mad they have to give up anything. Elizabeth's resume is why I chose her. You just have to be patience and wait for the courts to do their thing. read more

I was referred to tax attorney Van Clief by a family law group during mediation for a divorce. Despite 2 years of considerable interference and challenges, Ms VanClief and her stellar staff persevered, always professional, always courteous, always kind and understanding. This firm performs neutral separation of assets in divorce cases ( QDRO), in fulfilling all legal requirements but in an easy to understand way. She and her firm are a breath of cool fresh air in a lengthy stifling legal hothouse in the challenging world of divorce proceedings. God's blessings to you, your firm and all you do for people like me! read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Terrible communication.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Was extremely disappointed with their service. I will never need this service again but I would definitely not recommend them to anyone. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Always late for phone appointments or don't make it at all.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Please do your research. There must be better options than this one. Additional update: [[HIGHLIGHT]]Just got off the phone with Elizabeth Van Clief and she asked my why I left a bad Yelp review. I told her and she hung up on me[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. The level of unprofessionalism is INSANE. There are too many other options to choose one that is so immature. read more

Elizabeth and her team were extremely helpful, professional and patient during a rather convoluted QDRO process driven by delays from the opposing party and a request to re-do calculations after signing the DRO documents. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Throughout the process they were reasonable, responsive and resourceful.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I recommend them highly. read more

Paid them upfront. They got lost. Never returning messages, or emails. Excuses are all over the place. They take several calls and messages just to figure out a small issue. Basically, I gave them orders, they got lost, I called back and had to remind them who I was and what I paid them for -- several times. Please guys... do your darn job. This is why lawyers are not trusted and have bad reputations. Steer clear of this outfit. read more

I retained an attorney in Vista for a very simple uncontested divorce, where all assets and income were spilt evenly. My attorney told me his office could not write DRO's and referred me to Mrs. Van Clief, because she "wrote the book" on drafting DRO's. I paid an additional $3600 to Mrs. Van Clief to draft this very simple DRO regarding assets and income. She continually delayed in returning phone calls or emails from myself or my attorney. Her incompetence and delays cost me additional attorney's fees from my own attorney and delayed our divorce by six months to a year. When she finally filed a DRO for a brokerage account, she didn't write a DRO for splitting my pension and disability income. It was pretty much done automatically anyway. I feel my first attorney failed me by his not being able to wrote a simple DRO and by referring me to her, and costing me another $3600, and a large stressful delay in finalizing our divorce. There is no way in the world I would ever even think about retaining Mrs. Van Clieff for any legal services, period. She made a simple divorce a living hell. read more

I contacted Elizabeth Van Clief on two occasions to have QDROs done on my behalf. They were able to assist me, securing my portion of two retirement accounts. In both cases the administrators of these retirement accounts were difficult to deal with. Everyone I dealt with at the Van Clief organization was professional and experienced. They went beyond just putting the QDROs together and securing the court order. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They were so supportive, gave me great advice and stuck with me until my claims were secured in my favor.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I cannot say enough about this firm and the people employed there. And their fees are reasonable. I felt that I more than got my money's worth, they are experts in their field. read more

Elizabeth Van Clief and her whole team did an outstanding job in helping us overall with our QDROs in the community interest in retirement military benefits in our situation. She is brilliant at math, and she was able to formulate the numbers we needed in a clear spreadsheet and clear language in a quick manner. She is highly experienced which is evident. [[HIGHLIGHT]]She had her staff did an excellent job addressing any questions and concerns along the way, showing kind support and understanding always.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Also, it is reassuring to know they are there for any future assistance if need be. Thank you for helping us figure out something we would not have been able to do on our own. Much appreciation and grateful to all of you! God bless all of you! read more

Elizabeth Van Clief is renowned as the go-to attorney for retirement division services during divorce. She has worked with countless friends and colleagues and has done exceptional work in every instance. Cannot recommend more. read more

Elizabeth was wonderful in preparing the QDRO for my divorce. Extremely easy to work with. Always available to answer my many questions and returned all communications promptly. She worked directly with my other attorneys and my CPA and bookkeepers so that I was well prepared and taken care of. I felt like she always put my needs first and had great ideas to help me through this stressful process. I thank her immensely. read more

5 year of what is called a " highly contentious divorce". Elizabeth and her team were truly the only bright star in the divorce process- a clear voice of reason, great communicators and not motivated to extended the timeline to collect more fees which honestly is what ever divorce attorney is motivated to do. I am forever grateful for Van Clief's amazing support and expertise. read more

Elizabeth is the right support for your needs related to court order pension processing. She makes herself available for calls and is very responsive. Highly recommended! read more

If you're looking for an attorney to prepare a QDRO for the Marital Settlement Agreement (MSA) that you've negotiated, keep looking. In my case Ms. VanClief improperly changed the terms of the MSA and divided my separate property assets that weren't even listed as community property on the MSA. Once she generates the totally flawed QDRO that's full of mistakes (all in the other party's favor), California law prohibits the Judge from assigning a different (competent, fair, neutral) attorney to prepare the QDRO unless both parties agree. If your divorce is like mine, it's unlikely the other side will agree to give up tens of thousands of dollars they weren't entitled to receive. Your only recourse is to file malpractice to collect damages. Divorce is painful enough; you can make the final settlement part easier by paying any other attorney to prepare your QDRO. Good Luck! read more

Divorce is painful. QDRO's in my case was the last step. It took more than half a year to get the retirement accounts separated between me and my ex but I'm glad it's finally done. Van Clief will work on a flat fee which is the option I chose rather than paying by the hour, in the end I feel like I got fair value. I kept my divorce attorney involved in the process to review documents as I had no experience with this, and hopefully never will again. I was diligent about setting reminders to follow up to push the process along as it seemed to get stuck easily between the different attorneys, ex-spouse and the retirement account companies, I recommend you do the same and keep your records organized. Good luck. read more

I would give her a zero but 1 is all i can do. I got a judgment and she said to go to the court. Why did i even hire her. She did nothing but tell me to go to court read more