At my consultation with Mrs. Sklar, I was pregnant & went in for advice. She interrupted my questions with her own, do you mind if I eat this sandwich while you continue? At first I thought, so hard working, doesn’t have time for lunch. I should have taken it for what it really was; unprofessional. ...Amy was late to EVERY court date, giving little or no time get familiar with facts. IE. knowing I was breastfeeding. Once, after negotiating visitation she wrote to the adversary, [My client failed to inform me she is breastfeeding …] I'm sorry but I have never been involved in a custody case before, isn't this why one hires a lawyer? For their experience, for them to ask questions that are relevant to winning arguments on one’s behalf? I asked MANY times to let me know what I can do/provide. I found the email to the opposition flat out inappropriate. She also misrepresented my wants because she assumed. For support she asked the judge to go above the minimum. I told her to stop. I didn’t want more. After, she called me naïve. The next hearing, she did it AGAIN. The judge said she found no reason for the request. I was embarrassed & as anticipated it caused an argument with my ex. I promised I wouldn’t take more than what our daughter needed. He said I was after his money. He STILL brings it up & says I’m lying when I swear I told her not to go for more. I became so nervous that she lacked the info she needed to represent me, I requested to meet the day before one of our court dates. At this meeting, she was a hot mess. She didn't have my W2s, so I RE-forwarded what I had already sent, as well as documents for reimbursement from my ex. At 2AM she responded saying we needed more evidence; bank statements weren’t enough, I needed receipts. She had those documents for MONTHS. Now, 6 hours before court this was being reviewed? I did my due diligence, gathered & organized everything for the next court date. She never presented it- ever. I was not reimbursed until my new lawyer took over. My case was complicated, I lived in another state. The plan was to fight home state. The first custody hearing came & went with no mention of it. When I asked her, she brushed me off. I ended up having to move back to NY due to her lack of effort. I was told by the time I got a new attorney; we were too far in to argue home state. She also waited 5 weeks after my ex to file a custody petition on my behalf. Other lawyers I consulted with were baffled by her not even trying for home state or having the petition in immediately before the father, who didn’t have a lawyer at the time. Finally, my emails were blatantly ignored multiple times and it was the lack of communications that broke me. I sent a custody agreement draft from my ex because I wasn’t sold on his wants. I wanted to review to negotiate & finalize before the next court date. After about 5 days of no response, I emailed her again to make sure she received it. No response. Tired of the incompetence, I looked for another lawyer immediately. I retained an AMAZING law group. TWO WEEKS later, I finally heard back from Amy. No notes, just [I read it, let's speak this week] That week was our next court date & there would be no time for negotiations. She was absent minded & unorganized. Amy was not my cup of tea. If you can work with someone who throws your case to last minute luck, move forward with her. She made it clear my case was not as important as her Supreme Court cases. If you want someone who cares & shows your case proper attention look elsewhere. You do not know a bad lawyer until you have a great lawyer to compare it to. I asked her to consider reducing the balance owed. It wasn’t a dramatic amount, but I truly felt taken advantage of. I thought she would see how little attention she actually gave my case, but her ego was stronger than her work ethic. I hope my review deters someone else from making the same mistake of choosing Amy. Best of luck to those searching for the right fit.
