Audrey Michele Sager

I am disappointed in the services of Sager Gellerman Eisner (SGE). They were my counsel for 6 1/2 years. Despite trial, my divorce is still unresolved. I worked with Audrey Sager until her retirement and then Veronica Kapka. I liked both of them personally and used SGE as my sole source of guidance.... I thought if I followed their instructions and paid my bills on time I would get a divorce. I would get a clear financial separation and some protection from my husband’s behavior. What I have gotten is protracted conflict with no clear end in sight. I was married 6 years. We built one business and had one child. I worked to build the business while also supporting us. When the baby came, I provided more than 90% of the childcare, while remaining involved at the business and supporting our household. Additionally, my husband was often inebriated and verbally abusive. When our child was just over a year old, I asked him to leave. The business was in his name. In the bluntest economic terms, he held our asset and I, our liability. He refused to share the profits of the business or provide any meaningful support for our child. Ms Sager is a fantastic negotiator. She brokered a custody agreement that serves the best interests of our child. He has lots of time with his father, but there are specific limits on visits to extended family. The agreement limits my contact with my ex-husband. Our handoffs for the most part happen at school. I bring our child to school and his dad picks him up for overnights and returns him to school. Most important to me, I have the deciding vote on decisions about health, education, and religious instruction. Without it, I think each decision would have driven us to family court with the added pain and expense of consulting psychiatrists, social workers, and physicians. This is entirely due to Ms. Sager's negotiating skills. However, we could not negotiate a division of the business or of child support arrears. We had one profitable, cash-based business. It was in his name and he was the only person with access to the accounts. He refused to share our profit or our expenses. He slowed proceedings and when we got to trial, I had supported our child for five years, four since the date of commencement. My option was trial or giving up our jointly built business and child support arrears. Before and during the trial, Ms. Sager told me that she was hopeful he would be assessed my legal fees as his intransigence had forced us into court. In the post trial memorandum, she did not request them. Later she told me that she was certain the judge would not award them, so changed our strategy. I don’t think she deliberately misled me, but I am disturbed that she changed strategy without consulting me. I would have insisted we ask. In deciding to go to trial, I relied entirely on the expertise of SGE. I knew they couldn’t tell me what would happen and that I was subject to the court. I asked them for best/worst case scenarios and imagined a landing in between. They did not bracket the time it would take, nor accurately assess the cost. After 4 years of negotiation, the trial and decision took roughly an additional three years and 85k. Worst, they let believe me that the trial would put an end to our battles. Instead there is no ending. The court did not fully adjudicate our conflict. The judge ruled that I am owed arrears of child support and incidentals from The judge ruled that I am owed arrears of child support and incidentals from the date of commencement forward, but did not give the amount that I am owed. Per the judge, my now ex-husband is in some unknown amount of debt to me. My options are to ask him to pay an amount of his choosing or return to court to ask for a more decisive decision. Absent a definitive decision regarding arrears or coverage of my legal fees, the trial portion of my experience with Sager, Gellerman, and Eisner was grossly extended, costly, and financially unsuccessful.

Audrey Sager is truly the best attorney for custody and divorce. She was responsive, attentive and dedicated from day one. Her experience and knowledge will deliver results. I hired her after my first lawyer failed to represent me and demonstrated gross negligence in my case. She was able to corr...ect those grievances and tilt my case to my favor. She is hardworking and I was confident that she was managing the details of my case acutely. I'm eternally grateful that I found her and employed her services.