Berna Lynn Warner-Fredman

I retained Berna Warner because she is certified and represented herself as a family law specialist. She charged me $500/hour in a divorce saying she was a super competent family law specialist who could resolve my divorce faster than someone else. However, after billings exceeded $30,000, she appear...ed no closer to settling my case. Further, the way she conducted business left me feeling she was preying upon me during an incredibly vulnerable and distressing period. She repeatedly pointed out bad things that could occur to me during the divorce, increasing my sense of vulnerability and distress. Then, she addressed these via legal briefs, stipulations, and discovery. I was unhappy with her services for several reasons, including: 1) She seemed unable to find ways to negotiate with opposing counsel to settle my case (which she said was stronger than my ex's) and appeared baffled by oral representations my ex-wife claimed to have made almost 15 years earlier regarding the principal residence. Ignoring the Statute of Frauds, which requires written evidence for real estate agreements, she said we would need to go to trial on this matter. And, she said she would no longer represent me unless I executed a Family Law Real Property Lien on my house in the amount of $100,000 to cover trial preparation expenses. 2) She ignored evidence I provided her regarding my volatile employment record the past 4 years in negotiating a Stipulation for Spousal and Child Support. She drafted a stipulation that was guaranteed to bankrupt me. Then, threatened to withdraw from my case unless I signed it. Later, after my new attorney renegotiated the Support, my ex-wife’s counsel said that Ms. Warner had not shared information about my employment and that they would have structured a completely different Stipulation had they received it from her. At this point, I replaced her on the case. Within 3 months my new attorneys settled the case equitably for a fraction of the cost. I would not recommend her services, although I would unequivocally recommend the services of the firm that replaced her.