Dawn M. Cardi

Dawn Cardi and Jessica Friedrich helped me through my divorce case. I can vouch for their knowledge, hard work and interest in their client. There were moments when I felt lost and the pain of divorce overwhelmed me. Dawn was a real human being, never a legal machine and ready to discuss my issues i...n a direct, careful and thoughtful fashion. She worked hard to get me a good settlement, showing genuine care and respect. She is savvy, articulate and forceful, yet also surprisingly gentle--so that she could convince the other side and work with them. Jessica always followed through what needed to be done and was also easy and helpful in our dealings. I am happy I was introduced to them.

Divorce is a lonely road no matter how big your support network is - a good advocate you trust is priceless. My high conflict divorce lasted a little over 4 years and it involved an angry ex and two children, one newborn and the other 16 months when we began our journey. Despite having had 3 succ...essive presiding judges admonish my ex for dragging divorce unnecessarily, ex refused to settle and we had two trials, one each for custody and child support. Dawn advised me to settle when terms were fair and appropriate and advised me to hang tough when we needed to fight back. With every emotional punch my ex threw, I am thankful I had Dawn (and her team) a phone call / email away. She was accessible at all hours of the day/night/weekends/holidays, even when I specifically noted that my issue was not urgent. I am often asked why having passed the NY bar myself, I cannot manage my own divorce. I need Dawn for her decades of experience (to advise me on what's customary, what's fair, what I should expect, how to present my case, which fact patterns are material, which we should prioritize) and I need Dawn as my emotional buffer to deal with my ex (and his attorneys) because my two babies deserve a sane mother. At various points these last 4 years, I needed a negotiator, a litigator, a financial expert and a psychologist. I had all four in Dawn and her team. My ex actively hid assets. I needed counsel who's financially savvy, asked the right questions and able to argue my case succinctly to judge. I had that in Dawn and her team. Her associate Joanna spent weekends poring over boxes of financial statements and building spreadsheets so that Dawn can articulate her arguments and cross examinations clearly so judge "gets it". My ex changed attorneys several times, often right before trial date. Given the length of time my divorce took, I also had 3 different judges presiding. I needed a lawyer who can adapt and get the opposing counsel and judges up to speed. I had that in Dawn and her team. My ex buried me in debt and sued for full custody to pressure me to give up. I needed counsel whose judgment I can trust when I couldn't think straight. I had that in Dawn and her team. My ex plays mental games and visibly enjoyed sparring with Dawn while on witness stand. I needed someone who can handle all the drama. Dawn was sympathetic to the psychological toll that a divorce and a hostile ex impose and Dawn dealt with my ex’s mind games without losing her focus. I am grateful that Dawn has decades of experience with cases of all shades to put my experience in perspective, that Robyn has social work background to help me make sense of my chaos and that Joanna had the mental wherewithal to help me articulate myself to parent coordinators, to forensic evaluators, even to myself when I am drowning in hurt, anger and helplessness. Proof of their value are in my children, who are growing up nicely despite the hostilities they experienced practically since they were born. Conflicts heat up most often during wkend/holidays (i.e., Xmas handoff, wkend access) and I never had to question Dawn's dedication - always available. Lastly, cost. Dawn does not double bill. Yes, lawyers are expensive but the outcome of this divorce will dictate my children's life for 10+ yrs and I need to survive sane. I cannot put a price on that. A smart experienced attorney who you trust, who's your partner from beginning to end, is worth every single penny. When I started this journey, I received advice that I shouldn't worry too much about who to hire because you can always change lawyers but I disagree. Changing lawyers mean you pay for new lawyer to get up to speed and you may still not be happy with the new lawyer. Get a lawyer who can navigate your case when things hit sideways - just in case. I was fortunate to have found Dawn from the get-go. I will be forever indebted to Dawn and her team - I recommend them wholeheartedly.

I hired this firm after surviving severe domestic violence. My ex broke my face and nearly killed me. He had moved out of state, and when I finally blocked him and went no contact, he flew back to New York solely to file a retaliatory order of protection to keep me quiet while actively harassing me. ...I told the lawyers I wanted the case handled correctly and efficiently, that I had no interest in pouring endless money into legal fees, and that I believed this should be straightforward considering I had done absolutely nothing to him and that his only “evidence” was an email from me saying that I would never forgive him. They assured me it would be a slam dunk, one and done matter that very likely would not exceed their standard $5,000 retainer. From the very first court appearance, it was immediately apparent to everyone in the courtroom that the judge’s behavior demonstrated clear bias. Going into it, these lawyers were confident that the case should have been dismissed under basic constitutional principles, including my right to free speech, and during, it was clear that there was no evidence supporting his claims. Yet when it mattered, they stayed silent and let the judge postpone any ruling and did not push to vacate this order that he should have never been given. Weeks went by during which his lawyers went to work, rapid-fire filing, egregiously baseless violations. The firm that was hired to defend me, let the violations pile on instead of defending my innocence. The same judge who granted him a gag order with absolutely no evidence, appeared to know him personally. Years later, after I had the energy to file formal complaints, the court itself confirmed that bias. These attorneys could have requested the judge’s recusal based on what they were witnessing. They did nothing. They stood by while my abuser weaponized the system with fabricated evidence and false police reports. When those false reports led police to demand that I turn myself in, even though I had done nothing wrong, I begged these lawyers to contact the supervising officer. For weeks they ignored me while I cried and lived in fear of an unjust arrest. I was the one who gathered the proof and tirelessly researched how to resolve the situation. I had to write my own affidavits because the lawyers could not transcribe details that I laid out perfectly. Other women also came forward during this case and submitted affidavits describing similar abuse, yet my attorneys still acted like the judge’s disinterest in their stories, his threat to the general public both socially and professionally, his blatant perjury, or even his own self admitted violations of the order were normal despite how clearly insane it all was. Meanwhile they drained my retainer without telling me and then sent inflated invoices for work they were not doing. They permitted invasive subpoenas and fishing through my private messages, searches that could have been twisted to put me in jail. After ignoring me, screaming at me on a regular basis, abandoning me, destroying my case and derailing my civil claim as well, they tried to obtain a judgment behind my back for an outrageous amount. They ultimately pursued roughly $70,000 after taking my $5,000 retainer, leaving me unprotected and sabotaging any chance I had at justice. The damage is permanent. Their negligence and indifference cost me my case, my ability to seek justice, and years of my life. I was left emotionally shattered and threatened by financial devastation. These lawyers did not protect me. They abandoned me when I was most vulnerable and then tried to profit from the harm. If you value your safety, your peace of mind, or your financial stability, do not hire this firm.

Very poor communication - updates on case; lost time in pointless settlement discussion that were really a delay tactic by other side, despite many warnings. did not prepare for critical 'final' trial date in Family Court, then cancelled last minute. VERY POOR performance and damaging to my case. ...Overbilled as well, unwilling to discuss any of these issues.