Lisa Ellen Zeiderman’s Reviews

One year ago, I came to Lisa with the impossible request of modifying my child custody order; an order drafted by my former attorney who I naively trusted and who deceived and misled me. Lisa was honest and straightforward with me from day one. While my previous attorney falsely raised my hopes and expectations and over billed me, Lisa was the opposite - she told me the good and the bad of my situation. Despite the tremendous task I presented her with, Lisa and her team orchestrated a victorious trial. Through wisdom, good intuition, perseverance, and unparalleled dedication, she and her firm were able to correct the damage done by my prior attorney. Lisa served as a smart counsel, a mentor, a coach, and a trustworthy ally. I am so grateful to her and her firm for representing me and advocating for my daughter and I so we could rebuild our lives and start a new chapter. Lisa did everything possible within the legal arena to lay the foundations for us to actually be able to lead normal lives, despite my ex-husband's assault and the profound mistakes made with my prior attorney.
I echo other client's words when I say that Lisa is a caring, trustworthy, knowledgeable, highly dedicated, and assertive attorney. She possess qualities other attorneys do not; qualities that can make a tremendous and meaningful difference in your and your family's lives.

Lisa is an amazing lawyer who's work is marked not only has an extensive knowledge of the law but an incredible attention to detail. She was able to negotiate terms that I never thought possible and used creative thinking to get me the best deal based on the circumstances. As I was working on a pre-nuptial document with a trust attorney on the other side, she insisted we have our own trust attorney review the documents as a part of our team so we would be on an equal playing field. She is the most intelligent, responsive, thorough, ethical, caring and compassionate attorney I have ever come across and would recommend her highly.

After a (too) long marriage, my ex finally had me "served." She took the kids, all the money, and demanded everything I had...and then some. I had four days before I was to appear in court, and I honestly had no idea what to do. I turned to an attorney friend (non-matrimonial). He read all the legal documents, said nothing, picked up his phone, and called Lisa to tell her I would be calling within the hour.

From the moment I spoke to her on the phone, Lisa calmed me down, told me exactly what to expect (good and bad), and explained that while I might not go to trial, we had to prepare...and that the entire process could take 1-2 years, minimum, to complete. (She was right; I wanted it over quickly, but she continued to encourage me to slow down, not give too much or to give in too early, and to just be patient.)

I had no other choice but to trust her judgment...and thank goodness I did. She told me exactly what to do and how to prepare--and she chastized appropriately if I ever strayed from her advice and counsel. My ex used several attorneys during the entire process, but Lisa never wavered, was never flustered, and met every "restart" with the same professionalism--and balanced blend of careful offense with staunch defense--as she had from the first moment we spoke.

The best thing by far about Lisa is that she knew exactly what she would done to me had she been my ex's attorney. I would never play chess--or poker--with Lisa! She knows the local courts, personnel, staff, etc., and not only did she mount a strong defense--and in my case, a very strong one was needed--but also knew exactly what kind of offense to expect from the other side. She was literally never wrong in terms of what she expected from the other side...and she routinely identified errors in my ex's strategy and tactics, and used them--and the court's own idiosyncracies--to prevail.

Lisa turned around requests instantly--including during vacations and holidays--and although I know she had many clients, I always felt like I was her only one. She cared enough to introduce me to other professionals who could help me with the emotional and mental anguish of the entire process, too--what other attorney does that???

I literally walked away from my divorce without spending a ton of legal fees, settling better than I ever thought was possible (financially and with respect to my children), and on somewhat civil terms, even, with my ex. I see my kids more than I thought I would (joint custody), and pay very reasonble support. And most importantly, I've learned some incredibly valuable life lessons about marriage, how to protect myself--and my children--should I remarry, and how to minimize more legal issues/fees in the future from my first marriage.

You simply cannot--and will not--do better than Lisa. I strongly recommend her without reservation. And may God help you if you are on the other side of the table from her!

THANK YOU, LISA--you saved my relationships with my children, and you have made it possible for me to start over with a clearer head, some assets in my name, and a non-zero bank balance. THANK YOU!

A friend and colleague recommended Lisa. I cannot thank her enough. Lisa was the third lawyer to represent me after two years of a difficult and wrenching divorce process. By that time, I felt disillusioned and demoralized and only wanted "it" to end.

From the moment I sat down with Lisa at her round consulting table to discuss my case, I knew she "got" it. My spirit immediately lifted from the depths of despair. I knew I found an ally, someone I could trust to give me good and sound counsel, and someone who could help me complete my divorce. No small feat.

Lisa has the winning combination of intelligence, compassion, kindness, strength, integrity, grace, humor, common sense and boundless energy. She was always available when I needed her. Her fees were more than reasonable and if she charged double her rate, she'd be worth every cent and more (But, thankfully, her fees were lower so I was lucky enough to be able to retain her).

Beyond being a superb and savvy lawyer, I want to emphasize the human dimension here. As a psychologist working regularly with others' pain, I know first-hand how important this quality is. Amidst the pain and loss inherent in divorce in general and my divorce in particular, throw into the mix parental alienation, and the pain can feel unbearable at times. In all this, Lisa proved to be a rock, a kind and caring rock that I could lean against when I felt dizzy, confused, and at a loss for what step to take next. She led me by the hand, guiding me to take one step after another, until I found I walked a mile, then two, and before I knew it, a marathon. She remained calm, steady, level-headed and forceful, qualities I have gradually internalized as we worked together this past half year.

My ex-husband decided to represent himself, pro-se, after the collaborative process collapsed a few months earlier. When I went back to my first lawyer who I used before the collaborative process, he asked me to share every email my husband sent me with respect to the divorce. Before I knew it, there were constant flurries of email exchanges between my ex-husband and my attorney. Needless to say, his billable fees soared, and my plea that I not share every single email given the mounting legal fees, fell on deaf ears. When I shared this with Lisa, explaining that my ex-husband was happy to write endless emails to her as he acted pro-se, and my fear that once again, I'd be paying huge fees each month, she said not to worry. She would not be so engaged and highly selective in her responses. And she was.

My divorce stipulation was signed in November about two months after I retained Lisa. My prior attorney had drafted a divorce agreement that was filled with gaping holes and that did not protect me in many ways. Lisa not only filled those holes but rewrote the entire agreement starting from scratch. Best of all, she crafted an agreement that was beneficial to me in so many ways and one that had built in mechanisms to protect me. She anticipated actions my ex-husband might (and did) take and each time he has tried to breach the agreement, her advice to me to follow the agreement and not deviate from it in any way has proven to be very sound advice.

In sum, I cannot recommend Lisa highly enough. if you want a mensch of a lawyer who is bright, energetic, filled with integrity and compassion and an absolute joy to work with (see earlier adjectives as well), then Lisa is the attorney for you.

Lisa helped me navigate through a very long (1.5 years) and painful
divorce. She managed to get me a deal that was much better than our
prior informal agreement in all aspects of the deal (money, asset
separation, visitation rights etc). And that's despite my ex's lawyer clearly trying to burn money and make things very difficult by
filing all sorts of meaningless motions and refusing to accept
fair and logical compromises.

There are several things that Lisa pleasantly surprised me with:

* She was very cost conscientious and tried not to waste my money.
There are lawyers that value reputation over immediate profit.

* The way she handled depositions and questioning was just
scary - sharp and quick with responses. She managed to get
things out of my ex that I thought her lawyer was going to through
her out of the window for saying them under oath. Some of them
were border line jail time things. I would definitely not want to be
on the other side of Lisa.

* She knew all procedures very well and even managed to catch
my ex's lawyer failing to file some important form. This would have
resulted in the whole case thrown out with probably some stiff
penalties for my ex's lawyer. That alone forced them into settling
the case as they could not possibly go to trial without that form.

* She even caught the judge double-booking the trial time
(expecting us to settle and not come to the trial) and use that
as a bargaining chip.

Lisa was an absolute godsend during my divorce. She was always quick to respond to questions (once emailing me back at about 1:30am)! She is able to see -- and explain -- both sides of a question, so I always felt I was making informed decisions. I trust her advice absolutely and am very grateful I had her to guide me through my difficult and painful divorce. I'd be in a much worse position today without her.

Lisa was honestly the highlight of my divorce. I was taken totally off guard by my ex-husband and she was the only person I trusted throughout the whole process. She is caring and understood my emotions because she was divorced once herself. I would not wish what happened to me on anyone but Lisa helped me to remain strong through a very difficult time in my life. She was able to secure a wonderful settlement for me when I was so confused about what to ask for and/or what I was entitled to. As you read all the reviews on this site, I echo their compliments of Lisa. She is amazing and look no further!

Not only was LIsa Zeiderman knowledgeable, responsive, and trustworthy, she wasa also willing to listen and discuss my practical necessities - she was able to help me weigh family priorities along with strictly legal ones. One of the most common things you hear about divorce lawyers is "they just want to make money off this" and that they protract the battles. I hope that's not true of many lawyers but i can certainly say it's not true of Lisa. She fights the necessary fight to do the best she can for the client but not at the expense of keeping the time to minimum and sanity at the maximum.

I was in a long marriage with a difficult man and I was afraid I would never be able to get out. I had been to see other lawyers but I could never commit to separating; I just never felt that I would be safe. But when things deteriorated, a friend recommended Lisa and I went to see her. She was the first lawyer who I felt really understood and more importantly, cared about my situation. Throughout the time she worked with me, she was invariably understanding, patient and strategic. I feel like she always had the time to talk me through the actions I needed to take, explaining why and why now. I know it couldn't have been easy because I was terrified but she never got frustrated. She just kept explaining the steps to me and I was able to hear her and follow through. She was always attuned to my safety (there were weapons involved) and gave me courage that I didn't know I had.

Lisa was representing me....and how well she did it!!!!!! I have filed for divorce in Feb.2010, and settled in Oct. 2010. My ex is very aggressive person, initimidating peple is his specialty, and very, very difficult to deal with....especially when it comes down to "money" matters....But, little did he know about Lisa, as she DOES NOT get intimidated....is always combat ready....and committed, first and foremost, to protect her client, it's assets, and safety. There were situations where I was so scared....scared for my safety....for my finances....losing everything that I have worked so hard for for the past 10 Years while being married...built the business with my ex from a scratch , and turned it in to a very profitable one....while neglegting my own career....just to get in the situation where I have to file for divorce as my ex had ongoing, daily affairs and was highly disrespectful towards me...agressive...verbally very abusive....and many more! I must admit that I was ready to walk away with very little just to have this divorce finalized ASAP as I've had to have daily communications with my husband being that we were both running our business...and finalizing the divorce would mean that I will step down, and not to have to take a single phone call from him anymore..That alone was worth a lot more to me then any money outthere....as you can not put a price tag on the happiness and freedom. Great thing about Lisa is that she was able to recognize my feelings, have utmost respect for my wishes, was very much empathetic towards my request to wrap things up as I wanted out so badly....but in NO CASE was she ready to let my ex walk away with my money....Therefore, she has used all of her knowledge, that I would say is very extensive, to "break" my husband, which she totally did while she did deposition that was going on for 6h...and followed with the settlement talk for 2 hours....unheard of, I guess...or that is at least what my other friends that are Attorneys as well, are telling me! She made the deal for me and had me walk away with almost triple then I was asking her to try to get it for me!!! And asking at the end if I was happy!!!! I wasn't happy...that is such an understatement...I was ecstatic!!!! Still can not believe that she got me much more then what I wanted only for such a short period of time....I hear many people complaining about not being able to reach their attorneys...having many unanswered quiestions, or conerns...having them not return the calls for days....not knowing what's going on as they are to busy handling too many clients...
Well, let me describe Lisa's work ethic...she is very busy lady, but makes you feel like you are the only client she has, will attend to your e-mails, phone calls, concerns or request in a very timely manner...will e-mail you while vacationing in Italy...or on a Sunday morning...late in the evening....just anytime you need her! And that means everything, especially if you are in distress, need help, and need your attorney ASAP...she WILL be there!!!!!! And another of her great traits is that she was able to calm me down (which is not an easy thing if I am "freaked out", let me tell you that:) regardless of how scared the delopments were....
So, it was very important to me to share my experience with Lisa with you people out there as I know how helpful this web site, and reviews written on it have helped me to chose the Attorney that will be representing me thru such a hardship called Divorce.
And thanks to all of you sharing your story with us!!!! I was very pleased with Lisa, privileged to have her representing me...and wish her all the best!!!! She was my ROCK thruout the whole process, and that means a lot if you know for 100% that your Attorney has your "back" and is on guard at all times!!! Good Luck to all of you that need one!!! Be strong, do your homework, collect the evidence that you need, hande it over to Lisa, sit back and enjoy watching her in action...kicking your ex's b...! Oh, that was the most enjoyable moment of them all!!!!!! LOL, Olivera

Lisa is a great attorney. She has that rare combination of real listening skills, and an ability to educate you on legal and practical matters. She is able to understand the importance of every facet of your case, and helps you pull it all together.

She is very easy to talk to, and I knew after our initial consult that she was someone I could go to when things got very stressful or too "complicated".

My first impression of Lisa was that she could be strong and tough if I needed her to be, but she was smart and skilled enough to know how to be a respectful, professional, strategist and negotiator. She has high energy and I always felt she gave me a high level of service and that she was on top of my case. A few weeks into my hiring of her, I realized how correct my first impression was of her, and she proved to be above and beyond what I could have hoped for.

Lisa never made me feel like I was her "case" or a "file." She took a sincere interest in me and took her role in my life-changing event extremely seriously. Her understanding and thoughtfulness made her my trusted advisor.

No matter what your situation, or the outcome of your case, I am confident that choosing Lisa to represent you will be a decision you will be happy with for the rest of your life.

if you need anything about divorce-custody-mariatl issues ,you need to use her.
she's on the ball ,sjh knows what she's talking about and she makes you feel good about it.
she would never promise you something she can give you and tells you as well when she cant do it .
she's fair and she's there to win and no games.i would totally recomend her to anyone for sure.she blows everyone and anybody away by a mile.she totally knows what she's doing.

Lisa provided unequivocal outstanding representation for me in my case. She was referred by 2 friends, and I have referred Lisa to my friends as well. Here is a short list of reasons that she is an incredible lawyer:

1. Extremely intelligent and Incredibly professional. She can understand complexities in finance, business and gets to the bottom of aspects in a case rapidly.

2. Winning instinct. Lisa takes her profession very seriously. She is loyal to her clients and does her utmost to win cases and steer best best possible outcomes in favor of her clients.

3. Great communicator. She is incredibly responsive, both in email and on the phone. Her legal written communication skills are fantastic.

3. Attention to both strategy and detail. Lisa is always looking at cases from both aspects.

Lisa is someone who gets right to the bottom line-she is direct and fair. Her way of communicating worked very well for me-first, she explained what was happening and answered any questions I had about the process; then, she offered advice and helped me weigh the pros and cons of every decision. Once a decision was made, she stuck with it and worked to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks.
In addition to her legal expertise and ability to communicate clearly and efficiently, Lisa understood the emotional and psychological factors that came into play. It was obvious to me that she had taken time to calculate these factors and that her advice and treatment of the issues that arose was a function of this understanding. The fact that she tailored her decision making to my unique situation put my mind at ease and helped me to trust her and the process in a way that I would not have otherwise been able to do. She was always on top of the issues and kept me abreast of all new information. Her combination of legal expertise, understanding of the underlying issues and ability to stay focused even when things got complicated and messy allow her to stand out as a divorce lawyer and professional.

I interviewed several lawyers before I hired Lisa. From the day I met her, I knew she had the best interest of my children at hand. When things become crazy, she always went back to the day we met and focused on what I really wanted.
My divorce was one of the most difficult things I have every been through. I discussion to divorce my husband was mine and my ex-husband did EVERYTHING he could to make it difficult for me. Because Lisa was always one step ahead of things, and I listened to her, she avoided wasting time and money.

I cannot say enough positive things about Lisa, she is loyal, professional, no matter how many clients she has, and you always feel like you are the only case she is handling. Although at times she told the truth you did not want to hear, it mattered. Lisa changed my life...
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My divorce should have been simple. We were young, had no kids and were married for 15 months. Due to a variety of circumstances (including the structurally inherent ability for any party to drag a matrimonial case through the expensive and painful rounds of pre-trial work regardless of the merits of the case) the case was not simple and went on for longer than the marriage. My X went through three lawyers in that time and spent almost five times as much money. I had one lawyer who steered me through it all and the simplest way I can put my experience of her work would be to call in a blessing.

I am the son of a lawyer, have handled the legal aspects of my business for 10 years and feel I have a good handle on what makes a good lawyer in the pure lawyering sense. Lisa was creative in her strategies, forceful yet measured in her responses, broad in her assessment of risk, and thorough in her review. While the other side seemed to miss simple procedural checkpoints Lisa was consistently crossing all the t’s and dotting all the i’s. When she needed a sounding board on a strategic decision she never let her ego restrain her from asking the sound advice of her colleagues and senior partners. I was consistently impressed and grateful for the quality of her work. My father, a very successful corporate lawyer in NYC for 30+ years was similarly struck by her work.

So she’s an awesome lawyer. But here is what impressed me the most: she never forgot the human side of the case. She was thinking of my emotional state of being and was not simply a tactician out for blood. My experience of divorce was that it was overwhelming. The pain of loss and grief and anger was at times all-consuming. To know I had someone in my corner who I trusted, who genuinely had my interests in mind, was not just trying to run the clock, who was fierce when she needed to be and was always sharp; allowed me the time and space to process the emotional side of my divorce with minimal worry over the legal proceedings. I thought of her as counsel, a formidable warrior in the courtroom and a friend.

Lisa Zeiderman represented me in my divorce and child custody in Supreme Court. I often characterized her as a pit bull when describing the effort she put into my case. My ex-husband was intent on creating a battlefield out of the proceedings. Compared to others going through divorces, I know I had some very unique circumstances surrounding my case. From the onset, Lisa and I discussed what my wishes were, what was most important to me and what was the least. Throughout the proceedings she kept my priorities in mind and strategized ways to attempt to attain the outcome I had desired. When all was said and done, I had received everything that I was entitled to, and some things that I believe I might have lost if she hadn't been my attorney. Lisa Zeiderman thinks outside of the box and because of that I had a favorable outcome in my divorce.

Lisa then represented me in my child visitation in Family Court. Again, Lisa understood what my children and I desired as a result. Once again, Lisa was faced with somewhat atypical circumstances regarding my ex-husband's criminal behavior and present lifestyle, his past efforts to see and communicate with our children and the fact that my children were adamant about not having their father in their life. Lisa clearly and professionally presented the arguments in court that allowed my children to gain proper representation through the court. Lisa was very clear when explaining to me what the judges usually order in cases similar to my own that include children of my children's age. At the conclusion of my visitation case that Lisa Zeiderman handled, we reached a unique agreement, that granted my children's wishes. I know that it was Lisa's ability to communicate and maintain my position with my ex-husband's attorney that led to this outcome.

Throughout the time that Lisa Zeiderman represented me (approximately 3 years total for both cases), she did not create needless costs to me. She obviously understood the financial burden that a single parent with a an ex-husband who was intent on fighting was facing. She had the foresight and honesty to tell me what was and was not worth fighting for. In the end, everything that I had hoped to receive, in my divorce, custody and visitation cases had been attained.

I would highly recommend Lisa Zeiderman especially to anyone who is aware they will be challenged in their divorce/child custody/child support proceedings.

Lisa did a great job with my case. I am a newly divorced father of three great kids and my ex and I were not having an amicable split. From our very first meeting, Lisa understood my situation and, more importantly, she understood my ex and the way my ex thinks. Because I was in a custody fight, Lisa advised me not to move out of my apartment until the judge said I could. I ended up living almost another year with my ex while also taking her to court. Lisa understood what was at stake for me and gave me great advice on how to deal with my ex while still living with her, as well as what strategy I should use in dealing with her when she got confrontational.

In our first meeting, Lisa also took the time to describe to me the judges we might face in court, their personal tendencies, how I might fare before each and how she gets along with each in court. I thought this was very insightful and it shows how much thought Lisa puts into her work.

Lisa is very sharp and very tough in a deposition. She conducted two eight-hour depositions of my ex, and through both she was focused and persistent. She never let my ex, who can be very evasive and confrontational, off the hook. She never backed down and she made it very clear to both my ex and her attorney that Lisa was in charge of the deposition. Also, at the end of the second deposition, it was discovered that my ex had altered documents that had been submitted to the court. And after my ex was forced to confess what she had done, Lisa asked her if she had come to the deposition intending to tell the truth. And my ex answered "No". This was really quick thinking and a great question on Lisa's part and my ex's answer was devastating to her case.

Lisa was very honest with me. Throughout our year-long court case, Lisa explained the different strategies and discussed the financial implications of each, vis-a-vis her fees and the possible outcomes. She also managed my costs extremely well. Lisa is very efficient with her time and always informed me up front of any possible added costs (whether they were consults with one of her Firm's senior partners, or weighing the cost of a court reporter from the Pearl River area vs. the cost of a court reporter from Manhattan).

Lisa's knowledge of the court and the judge we faced was far superior to my ex's attorney's knowledge of the same. Lisa knew when to talk and when to be quiet. She knew what this judge wanted to hear and she knew how to say it. Every time we were in court, the judge had issues with my ex and with my ex's attorney. And whenever the judge ordered us out of the room to meet, Lisa, in the heat of the moment, gave me great advice about what to acknowledge to my ex and what not to acknowledge.

In the end, my not moving out was the best thing I could have done. Because my kids are older, the judge immediately put my ex on the hook for having all this time to get a job and doing more to support herself and our family and for failing to do anything.

Lisa got me the custody arrangement I wanted. She got me a financial outcome better than what either of us thought I would get in the end. Her fees were fair especially relative to what a Manhattan attorney might have charged me. All in all, Lisa Zeiderman was well worth the investment.

Lastly, I have referred several friends and acquaintences to Lisa and each has retained her and is happy with her work.

Lisa showed remarkable skill in my divorce case. She was smart, strategic, detailed-oriented, and cost-efficient. I always felt I was in the best of hands with her no matter how difficult my case was. She worked at times around the clock, and even on her vacation, to meet deadlines and dodge bullets from the other side. I really trusted her with my life and she came through for me 110%.
I have also recommended Lisa to many friends and all have been very pleased with the work she has done for them. She really is an exceptional lawyer, and a very special person.

Lisa represented me in my divorce. I was married for 18 years with two kids, property and a 401k i wanted to keep !. Lisa fought for me in a way i never expected. She was personable and did not threat me like just a client but a person with feelings through a really rough time. She was compassionate, available suportive and kept me informed every step of the way. My family could not believe that while on her vacation Lisa stay in touch. She also did not create unnecessary expenses for me knowing that the process would be expensive and although most items are unavoidable and taking my situation into consideration she even recommended something as simple as droppign off a file to the court house to minimize courier cost . Some attorneys would not have even made that suggestion.

Lisa has been a pleasure to work with. She is smart, inteligent and goes in fire for her clients. She did a great job and got me a very successful outcome. I don't usually like attorney's but she has been an exception!