Deana Balahtsis

It was about 12 years ago that I had met Deana in the family court building in Queens, NY. I was a young mother, full time student, and working as a bar tender to earn a living to support myself and my son. I had been given a court appointed attorney who seemed so disinterested in the well being of m...y son. Our prep time for court was all of five minutes and her agenda seemed to be to wrap my case up as quickly as possible. As I sat in despair on a bench in the court house this woman came and sat next to me for a break and something inside had urged me to ask her if she was an attorney. Just as I began to lose hope Deana assured me that she could help me and she did just that. Well needless to say I have recently found myself in another custody battle. Deana and her associate Merilda have provided me with comfort and knowledge of what's going on every step of the way. I came back to seek her out as my attorney because I know that she is a force to be reckoned with. She is knowledgeable beyond anything that I have witnessed and handles everything professionally as it's thrown at her. With God and Deana on my side I am confident that this will become another well deserved victory. What makes it even sweeter is that she is not just fighting for the win but truly for what's best for my son. With Deana by my side I can walk into the court room with confidence instead of fear. I highly recommend her to anyone who is seeking a fighter, an honest representative, a strategist and a wealth of knowledge. Deana is amazing! She's worth every dollar spent.

Our experience with attorneys and the court system has been nothing short of disappointing. 2 years ago we experienced the courts bias against fathers. From the judge, law guardian and therapists. We hired an attorney who was more concerned with my credit card number, and it's expiration date, rat...her than issues concerning my 13 year old daughter. She took a back seat and allowed things to unfold in the hearings. These hearings unfortunately, are exclusive to the attorneys, judge and law guardian (Supreme Court). We never had the opportunity to see our atttorney in action, as the matter never went to trial. Fast forward to now and my daughter once again wants out of her mother's house with the same complaints and then some. Skepticism immediately set in, but we do whatever it takes for our kids, right? Deana came highly recommended and from the get go we informed her of our lack of trust in attorneys and the system, but we needed to get custody. She set up a meeting on a weekend, because time was of the essence. She reassured us that she will work tirelessly to gain the upper hand. Still didn't buy into it, until I witnessed her work for myself. She took the case to Family Court, and I stood right next to her and listened to her speak on my behalf. The passion, decisiveness, and her matter of fact way of speaking was impressive. Every thought and detail we spoke about before standing in front of the judge was expressed. With our new attorney, new judge, new law guardian it was a totally different world. It felt like the system was working the way it's supposed to. My daughter was able to freely express herself without fear or retribution. Deana set the wheels of justice in motion for us. She is the catalyst that has allowed my daughter to be in a place where she can be a normal teenager. My wife and I thank her for her dedication, and admire her passion as our attorney.

Deana is a complete professional and throughout the entire process made sure my son and I were ok. She is a shark in the courtroom and fights hard for her clients. She goes above and beyond and takes the time to make sure you are prepared and able to handle the situation fully. In addition a few ...years after my case was completed we lost our home to Hurricane Sandy. Deana immediately reached out to check in on my son and I to see what we needed and how she could help us. At that time we hadn't been her client for a few years. Obviously this shows how much she cares for her clients and how she is always willing to help. I highly recommend Deana and if I ever find myself in a situation where I need help again there is no doubt in my mind that Deana would be my first and last call!

You can't go wrong with Deana. Super knowledgeable, professional, responsive and compassionate to your needs. Once I met her, it was like a weight was lifted from me. She eased all of my concerns with my custody battle and gave me hope again. Deana is a champ in the courtroom! She will most definit...ely get the job done. I recommend her highly to anyone who needs a great family attorney. Thank you Deana!

Deana was the first attorney I hired. She helped me get full custody of my daughter. I moved so I had to switch attorneys---which I did several times. No one matched her responsiveness, her strength in the court room, and her clarity about what was right. Because of her, my daughter is in the best po...ssible situation. In some ways, Deana saved us both. Deana will fight her heart out for you and you will feel you have the best attorney in the room on your side.