Gary S Avratin

I found Gary Avratin through a friend of a friend and immediately could tell that he would be the right advocate for me as I unraveled a 20+ year marriage. By the time I found Gary, I had been considering divorce for a couple of years so I’ve interviewed multiple other attorneys and a mediator. In ...each of those interviews I was quickly told that there was not much to be done, we would just split things 50/50, including time with our child. No one else bothered to listen to all the facts behind what I was seeking. Gary listened and then negotiated a fair settlement with the help of a mediator. The process was not simple but Gary used his determination and knowledge to push through it all with my best interests in mind. I selected Gary because he is clearly a tough-as-nails litigator who will fight for his clients with passion and I knew I needed someone who could effectively do that for me. At the same time, Gary is ultimately seeking fairness and a final agreement that allows his clients to have a decent relationship with their ex so that that they can co-parent for years to come. That approach makes a difference because, because you don’t want to destroy the chances of being able to co-parent. By seeking fairness, Gary allowed me to walk away from the process with an amicable relationship with my ex. Gary and his assistant, Helene, are incredibly busy but responded when I needed quick answers. When I reached out with more urgent matters, I got help within minutes. One has to remember that Gary and Helene are handling many, many other cases, and when they are working with a client, that client gets their 100% full attention. I have witnessed other attorneys who spend meetings texting and emailing about other cases and that is simply not how Gary operates. Also, they weren’t out to nickel and dime me; they did things that were important and checked what I sent them but they would suggest that I do a lot of the financial work myself to save time and money. They called with questions about the paperwork I sent to make sure I hadn’t made any mistakes or forgotten important details. Also of importance, is that Gary is very well known in eastern Massachusetts courts, especially Norfolk County, and he is well respected by judges, clerks, attorneys and mediators alike. Divorce is not fun and it’s likely not easy for anyone. It’s important to find someone who can guide you through the process and prepare you to start the next chapter of your life. Gary made a tough situation better by caring about me and my child and how each element of the agreement could be the best outcome for us.

Divorce is never a pleasant experience and I had a lot of anxiety going into this process. While looking for a lawyer close to home and close to the court house, I had found Gary's office. Called for a meeting and I was able to get right in to get the process started. Gary was able to chill me out an...d relieve most of my anxiety. I had many questions that we were able to navigate through and answer. When it did come time to meet the financial requirements, I found Gary was quite reasonable compared to other firms I had looked into. Anytime I contacted Gary for any updates on how the process was going, he always got back to me in a reasonable time regardless of what Gary was involved with. When the court date finally had arrived, Gary had everything ready to go. The court house can be an intimidating place, and Gary kept me relaxed, and the whole process went as expected with no surprises. I would highly recommend Gary Avratin to represent anyone through the difficult process of divorce.

Gary is an excellent attorney. I had a very complicated case but I knew I was in good hands from the first interview with Gary. He drafted a very clear and detailed plan of action and stuck with it. He conducted an amazing discovery process and by the end there was no stone unturned. There was so muc...h fraud and lies that any attorney would have required a forensic accountant. However, Gary was very mindful of my limited resources and we untangled the mess without expert advice. He simply attacked my ex from all the angles and produced proof that both my ex and his high powered attorney made grossly false statements in court. Additionally, both Gary and Helene are very compassionate. I cannot stress enough how important it is to feel comfortable with your counsel during this extremely difficult and stressful time. Although he is very busy, he always got back to me even if he was on vacation. Amazing job!

I hired Gary formally as my divorce lawyer after a failed attempt without him at mediation. He has been extremely helpful in all aspects of this process. Everything from informing me of the law (even when I didn't like what I heard), keeping the opposition lawyer in-step with all disclosures, and dra...fting a professional and detailed settlement agreement to finally finish this process. Gary has been an advocate, level headed, highly professional, and incomparable in working within the law to achieve the best possible outcome. Gary and his staff (particularly Helene) have my highest possible recommendation for anyone going through this process. I also want to commend Gary for not killing me with costs and providing me a bill that was fair and reasonable, and in the end less expensive than my mediation process was. Thanks Gary!

Before I hired Gary, my divorce languished in mediation and litigation. My ex-wifes lawyer had dragged out the divorce for over two years, employing as many dilatory maneuvers as she could conjure to delay the divorce and churn fees. My ex wife fully participated in this process having bought the... false promises made to her by her lawyers. Among the many promises they made was a truly extraordinary claim that they had the ability to get her support and assets that were greater than those allowed under the Alimony Reform Laws of 2011. Their angle was they could get her a support award based on maintenance of her (exaggerated) marital lifestyle. The lawyer I had at the time was completely ineffective. She continually accepted disingenuous representations from my ex's lawyer that they wished to settle, when in fact they had no interest in any rational settlement. When Gary took over my case he knocked my Ex-Wife's lawyers back on their heels. He subpoenaed documents and discovered my ex-wife had been siphoning financial assets for years and hiding them in multiple safe deposit boxes. We learned she had been going on secret trips with other third persons. Gary learned that my ex-wife who said she could not find a job, had actually played over 100 rounds of golf and 300 tennis matches the previous year, and had gone on a half dozen vacations to resort locations. Gary immediately deposed my ex-wife and he caught her in multiple contradictions and lies. Gary also got her to make several very important admissions, which would later prove critical to our case. Gary then proceeded to have a Special Master appointed (which my Ex's lawyers opposed) to determine certain asset values that my ex-wife had inflated to her benefit with the assistance of shill experts she had hired. The Special Master held a hearing and effectively determined the appropriate asset values were less than half of what my ex-wife and her so called experts proclaimed them to be. Within 5 months of Gary taking over as my lawyer my ex-wife's lawyers quit the case and referred my ex wife to other lawyers, who they said could better represent her in a trial. My ex-wife pressed on with her new and even more expensive Boston lawyers. She took me to a trial and demanded 46% of my income and 60% of our assets. She brought both of her high priced lawyers to Court with her every day to argue her case. When Gary got her on the stand he got her to admit that her demand for support had no basis in need. She admitted that her demand was what she wanted not what she needed. He showed her how the evidence on her expenses contradicted the representations on her financial statement and proved that her expenses were not as high as she reported. He exposed her indolent and indulged lifestyle to the Court. My ex-wife, a licensed RN, testified she could not find work. Gary discovered records that showed my ex-wife had been working under the table for extra income that she was not reporting to the court. This fine legal work resulted in an attribution of income to my wife in the final judgement. He methodically and expertly took her through her cross examination and exposed her misrepresentations, exaggerations, false allegations, and entitled attitude. He proved her to be "not credible". When the judgement came in Gary had won his arguments. My ex-wife got exactly what the statutes provided for, nothing more. Gary had succeeded in dismissing her lawyers demands for higher support to fund her extravagant lifestyle. I was very pleased with the judgment Gary got for me. He is a skilled. honest, and talented attorney and he can best any high priced Boston divorce lawyer(s). He cares about his clients, which is not something I ever felt from my other legal representation. His fees are reasonable and he is extremely fair with his time. He is the best divorce attorney in Massachusetts! You should not hesitate to hire him.