Verified Review
Anonymous Client
It was one of those situations; the harder you try, the more you fail. It wasn't a very cooperative or collaborative effort.
I had a marriage that dissolved, and I needed a lawyer quickly. The relationship had deteriorated over quite a few years. It was one of those situations; the harder you try, the more you fail. It wasn't a very cooperative or collaborative effort. I would use the term hostile. But now, I've gone from a place of high stress to much lower stress.
Before the marriage was over, I was constantly researching any free moment I had. Trying to see what is allowed, what isn't allowed, what to expect. It was a learning process, an eye-opening process too. What you want and what is the law, and what can be done are two different things. You have to tell yourself, "The law is written for everybody. It's not tailor-made." It's quite a process, and it takes a lot of reminding yourself, "Okay. It's not fair. It's the law." It's extremely high emotion, and you feel like tossing your hands up in the air a lot.
It was word of mouth that put Family Law Group into the equation. I checked out lots of websites, including the Family Law Group's. When it came to reading reviews, I liked that there were some consistent themes. They'll say, "Well, it's not cheap." But the common theme was that they seemed fair and worked really hard to achieve goals for getting resolutions. The words fair and achieve we're recurring themes. I had more of an affinity to that because I wanted to get things resolved. I wanted to be fair, and I wanted to move on. I just wanted to move forward. If I could get somebody to help me do that, that's what I was looking for.
Even talking with the person at reception, I felt more confident. She seemed to be well-informed. She knew who I was coming through the door. I also felt very confident speaking with Brenda. I felt a lot better after talking with her as well. I felt like, "Okay, we're going to actually accomplish something here. I'm not going to be running around in a circle for another year or two and not really be that much further." Brenda wasn't the first family lawyer that I dealt with. With my first family lawyer, I was a little disappointed by how it evolved. How accounts were managed and how things were done. I felt a little passed around and incomplete.
I felt like I was going to get something accomplished coming to the Family Law Group. I do remember having that impression. During the consult, Brenda was getting me to do most of the talking. But guarding the conversation so that she could find out different aspects of what needs to be done. Finding out what I already have accomplished so that I can bring it to the firm. So instead of starting at square one, we maybe would be able to start at square three. She let me know who would be in contact with me. She seemed very confident and assured. I see those as very good qualities, especially when looking for somebody to assist you with something really important. I felt that she knew what she was doing and that she's well-experienced in tricky situations when it comes to family law.
I remember being stressed, not about being in the meeting, but about my situation. I didn't feel that the meeting pulled me into misdirection and wasting time getting too emotional. It kept the focus. It kept moving forward. It wasn't like I went to a meeting, and I was overwhelmed. It was focused, and that's why I felt confident. I felt like we were going to accomplish something.
It might have been a day or two later, and then I retained them. I was definitely decided at some point in the meeting. I was feeling confident in what I was being presented with. It was a really good experience. I had a very clear idea of what was expected of me and what was to be expected from the firm. Everything from what I need to bring in and what the fee schedule was. In regards to an administrative point of view, nothing was lacking.
I remember getting the Family Law Group binder. It basically got me started to get really organized. There's an introduction letter about the expectations, information about the process, and how to communicate with them. I do remember a little quote on it that says, "What happens to us, 90% of it is what we perceive, and the other 10% is actually what happened." I found that interesting. One of those little reminders as you're flipping through the pages to relax. This will be over at some point.
Brenda is very business-like. Very assured, as in a good quality. Confident and very focused. I got to see her a lot outside of the courtroom, and she was very good at briefing me and being very aware of what has to be done next. She seems very level, which is something you want. I just want cool, calm, and collected. Someone who knows what they're doing. Is able to make themselves very clear. Is able to interject at an appropriate time. Is able to keep me informed or have me prepared for what I need to say or not say in any situation that we'd find ourselves in. That's pretty much what her personality is. She's very cordial but very frank. Definitely not a mushy person from what I experienced, and that's exactly what I'm looking for. It wasn't all business all the time or anything like that, but we found ourselves mostly in settings that we were on versus off. It was more like we were at work. It'd be definitely somebody to work with.
I think she was very good at tempering expectations. Sometimes I may not have liked what I heard or agreed with it, but it's not Brenda. It is the way that the law goes or the chances of things happening. Or what it actually means versus what I think it means. When I got to see her and work with her in person, I felt like I had a really strong individual with me. Somebody that was well put together, well-informed and well-prepared. That in and of itself helps you feel stronger in these situations. To be with somebody that is a strong person.
Brenda generally had just one law clerk, Lauren, that I was working with, and she was also excellent. There was a lot of back and forth regarding emails and stuff like that. She was definitely business-like, and she got things done. I found her very professional and very easy to work with. Once in a while, Brenda brought others in to assist in certain aspects of what I was dealing with. I was always well informed, and they all knew who I was.
It was quite a process, but we kept on pushing through it. Even at some points where I felt like saying, "Nevermind," I would be nudged. They said things like, "Well, this should be solved. It shouldn't be left hanging open." It gave me a chance to think, "Okay, yes, let's just close this. Let's get this done and keep on pushing forward and make sure things get done. So things can be properly closed." I'm truly thankful that I did that, especially towards the end. I'm also eternally thankful that as hard as the process was, I had somebody that would be frank with me. Someone who would give me a general idea of what could be achieved and didn't sugar coat it for me. I liked having the straightforward approach of, "This is what we may be able to achieve. This is what we might not be able to achieve." Then getting the nudges to motivate me to keep on going to get things completed.
During the process, I was given the opportunity to read and reread documents and add input or take away things from anything that had to be filed or communicated. I felt like I was very much a participant and a part of it. They were able to make things clear and concise. It helped give a focus and direction even though the other side was rather unfocused, dragging their heels not coming to the table.
I got a lot more at the Family Law Group than I did with my prior experience. I got close to as much as I could have gotten. Even though we didn't think that it was necessarily an achievable feat, we did get one thing that was very important to me in regards to specific custody of my child. We went beyond what I thought we could have gotten. Brenda was very clear on how it could go, but we still managed to achieve that anyways. I'm still very satisfied that I got some of the things that I thought were the most important to me. Because of what was negotiated and then pushed to be completed, my son's going to benefit. He will have advantages when he's older in regards to not having to worry about certain obstacles when it comes to post-secondary. I'm happy about that. Very happy.
I would highly recommend the Family Law Group. I wish more law firms would conduct themselves like them because the process would be a lot more efficient and faster. There would be a lot less nonsense and game playing. Straightforwardness, trying to get things done, and trying to get things resolved. I can draw on the experience of having dealt with a couple of other lawyers prior to going to the Family Law Group. I can compare the differences between when I thought I was getting stuff accomplished and when I actually was getting stuff accomplished. It's a big difference. I definitely think that when it comes to the expense, it's the whole, "You get what you pay for." If you have to do the same thing over four hours, that can be accomplished in half an hour, then tell me which is better for everybody?
I found their communication, motivation/encouragement were the best things. They're not like cheerleaders. It's just nudges or reminders. Not that I needed a lot of them, but there were some very pivotal ones. You think to yourself, "Maybe I can just let it go" or, "It's not that important," but it is. You negotiated. You got to this point, so don't let it go. I think that the communication and the assistance through the process as a whole were very, very helpful. I remember being surprised by getting responses from Brenda on weekends or late nights. Much of the stuff we've done has been over email, which I really appreciate because I need time to think about things and mull things over to rethink and focus. They were well organized and well structured. I knew my expectations through different steps, or the direction things were going or needed to go. It was very clear. Nothing fell off the rails, and they were definitely very timely.
I really wish I had known about the Family Law Group sooner. But then I wouldn't have had the experience of what I went through to appreciate or understand what I got with the Family Law Group.
Anonymous Client
Before the marriage was over, I was constantly researching any free moment I had. Trying to see what is allowed, what isn't allowed, what to expect. It was a learning process, an eye-opening process too. What you want and what is the law, and what can be done are two different things. You have to tell yourself, "The law is written for everybody. It's not tailor-made." It's quite a process, and it takes a lot of reminding yourself, "Okay. It's not fair. It's the law." It's extremely high emotion, and you feel like tossing your hands up in the air a lot.
It was word of mouth that put Family Law Group into the equation. I checked out lots of websites, including the Family Law Group's. When it came to reading reviews, I liked that there were some consistent themes. They'll say, "Well, it's not cheap." But the common theme was that they seemed fair and worked really hard to achieve goals for getting resolutions. The words fair and achieve we're recurring themes. I had more of an affinity to that because I wanted to get things resolved. I wanted to be fair, and I wanted to move on. I just wanted to move forward. If I could get somebody to help me do that, that's what I was looking for.
Even talking with the person at reception, I felt more confident. She seemed to be well-informed. She knew who I was coming through the door. I also felt very confident speaking with Brenda. I felt a lot better after talking with her as well. I felt like, "Okay, we're going to actually accomplish something here. I'm not going to be running around in a circle for another year or two and not really be that much further." Brenda wasn't the first family lawyer that I dealt with. With my first family lawyer, I was a little disappointed by how it evolved. How accounts were managed and how things were done. I felt a little passed around and incomplete.
I felt like I was going to get something accomplished coming to the Family Law Group. I do remember having that impression. During the consult, Brenda was getting me to do most of the talking. But guarding the conversation so that she could find out different aspects of what needs to be done. Finding out what I already have accomplished so that I can bring it to the firm. So instead of starting at square one, we maybe would be able to start at square three. She let me know who would be in contact with me. She seemed very confident and assured. I see those as very good qualities, especially when looking for somebody to assist you with something really important. I felt that she knew what she was doing and that she's well-experienced in tricky situations when it comes to family law.
I remember being stressed, not about being in the meeting, but about my situation. I didn't feel that the meeting pulled me into misdirection and wasting time getting too emotional. It kept the focus. It kept moving forward. It wasn't like I went to a meeting, and I was overwhelmed. It was focused, and that's why I felt confident. I felt like we were going to accomplish something.
It might have been a day or two later, and then I retained them. I was definitely decided at some point in the meeting. I was feeling confident in what I was being presented with. It was a really good experience. I had a very clear idea of what was expected of me and what was to be expected from the firm. Everything from what I need to bring in and what the fee schedule was. In regards to an administrative point of view, nothing was lacking.
I remember getting the Family Law Group binder. It basically got me started to get really organized. There's an introduction letter about the expectations, information about the process, and how to communicate with them. I do remember a little quote on it that says, "What happens to us, 90% of it is what we perceive, and the other 10% is actually what happened." I found that interesting. One of those little reminders as you're flipping through the pages to relax. This will be over at some point.
Brenda is very business-like. Very assured, as in a good quality. Confident and very focused. I got to see her a lot outside of the courtroom, and she was very good at briefing me and being very aware of what has to be done next. She seems very level, which is something you want. I just want cool, calm, and collected. Someone who knows what they're doing. Is able to make themselves very clear. Is able to interject at an appropriate time. Is able to keep me informed or have me prepared for what I need to say or not say in any situation that we'd find ourselves in. That's pretty much what her personality is. She's very cordial but very frank. Definitely not a mushy person from what I experienced, and that's exactly what I'm looking for. It wasn't all business all the time or anything like that, but we found ourselves mostly in settings that we were on versus off. It was more like we were at work. It'd be definitely somebody to work with.
I think she was very good at tempering expectations. Sometimes I may not have liked what I heard or agreed with it, but it's not Brenda. It is the way that the law goes or the chances of things happening. Or what it actually means versus what I think it means. When I got to see her and work with her in person, I felt like I had a really strong individual with me. Somebody that was well put together, well-informed and well-prepared. That in and of itself helps you feel stronger in these situations. To be with somebody that is a strong person.
Brenda generally had just one law clerk, Lauren, that I was working with, and she was also excellent. There was a lot of back and forth regarding emails and stuff like that. She was definitely business-like, and she got things done. I found her very professional and very easy to work with. Once in a while, Brenda brought others in to assist in certain aspects of what I was dealing with. I was always well informed, and they all knew who I was.
It was quite a process, but we kept on pushing through it. Even at some points where I felt like saying, "Nevermind," I would be nudged. They said things like, "Well, this should be solved. It shouldn't be left hanging open." It gave me a chance to think, "Okay, yes, let's just close this. Let's get this done and keep on pushing forward and make sure things get done. So things can be properly closed." I'm truly thankful that I did that, especially towards the end. I'm also eternally thankful that as hard as the process was, I had somebody that would be frank with me. Someone who would give me a general idea of what could be achieved and didn't sugar coat it for me. I liked having the straightforward approach of, "This is what we may be able to achieve. This is what we might not be able to achieve." Then getting the nudges to motivate me to keep on going to get things completed.
During the process, I was given the opportunity to read and reread documents and add input or take away things from anything that had to be filed or communicated. I felt like I was very much a participant and a part of it. They were able to make things clear and concise. It helped give a focus and direction even though the other side was rather unfocused, dragging their heels not coming to the table.
I got a lot more at the Family Law Group than I did with my prior experience. I got close to as much as I could have gotten. Even though we didn't think that it was necessarily an achievable feat, we did get one thing that was very important to me in regards to specific custody of my child. We went beyond what I thought we could have gotten. Brenda was very clear on how it could go, but we still managed to achieve that anyways. I'm still very satisfied that I got some of the things that I thought were the most important to me. Because of what was negotiated and then pushed to be completed, my son's going to benefit. He will have advantages when he's older in regards to not having to worry about certain obstacles when it comes to post-secondary. I'm happy about that. Very happy.
I would highly recommend the Family Law Group. I wish more law firms would conduct themselves like them because the process would be a lot more efficient and faster. There would be a lot less nonsense and game playing. Straightforwardness, trying to get things done, and trying to get things resolved. I can draw on the experience of having dealt with a couple of other lawyers prior to going to the Family Law Group. I can compare the differences between when I thought I was getting stuff accomplished and when I actually was getting stuff accomplished. It's a big difference. I definitely think that when it comes to the expense, it's the whole, "You get what you pay for." If you have to do the same thing over four hours, that can be accomplished in half an hour, then tell me which is better for everybody?
I found their communication, motivation/encouragement were the best things. They're not like cheerleaders. It's just nudges or reminders. Not that I needed a lot of them, but there were some very pivotal ones. You think to yourself, "Maybe I can just let it go" or, "It's not that important," but it is. You negotiated. You got to this point, so don't let it go. I think that the communication and the assistance through the process as a whole were very, very helpful. I remember being surprised by getting responses from Brenda on weekends or late nights. Much of the stuff we've done has been over email, which I really appreciate because I need time to think about things and mull things over to rethink and focus. They were well organized and well structured. I knew my expectations through different steps, or the direction things were going or needed to go. It was very clear. Nothing fell off the rails, and they were definitely very timely.
I really wish I had known about the Family Law Group sooner. But then I wouldn't have had the experience of what I went through to appreciate or understand what I got with the Family Law Group.
Anonymous Client
Contact Details
Family Law Group
1579, Hyde Park Road
London, ON, N6H 5L4
Phone: (519) 672-5953