Jeffrey DeRoberts

Let me tell you about Jeff as an attorney, is he warm hearted, nope. Is he one to listen, nope. Is he a good attorney, yes. I hired Jeff for a nasty custody battle where I was going for 50/50 and my ex-wife was going for full. I hired him after reading about his aggressive tactics, I knew it was who ...I needed on my side. Well I went to talk to Jeff, and in the consult I did very little talking aside from telling him what I wanted. Whatever I said, he is confident he can get me 50/50 then fine. Now all attorneys aren't great about returning phone calls, Jeff was one of the best even calling me from his cell phone after hours. When I did talk to him he did most of the talking, but he was honest and upfront and did not hold back because he would hurt my feelings. If I wanted something he saw as stupid, he held no issue in saying it. But for all his talking, put him in front of a judge and he shows the utmost respect and knows when to speak. So Jeff isn't the warm fuzzy let me pamper you type, he curses, can be blunt, but at the end of the day he knows what he is doing. There is a reason he has a beautiful office, he is good at what he does. He fights for his paycheck by fighting for his client. He talked circles around my ex's attorney and I came out getting nothing less than I wanted. If you hire him, don't go in with unreasonable expectations, don't go in thinking he will coddle you, go in knowing what you want and be upfront. He will fight for you like no other.

I hired Jeff to handle my custody case and child support proceeding. From the start I realized that Jeff was a poor listener, but the A-hole I needed to get things done. He’s amazingly cocky, but he has the ability to be a pitbull in court—if you provide him with the right tools. He will rarely have ...time to speak to you, which is in your best interest…because speaking to him is billed by 15 minute increments, which can be pretty costly when you’re speaking to someone like Jeff who loves to hear himself talk (the money is subtracted from your retainer. Syracuse is so small, all of the lawyers and judges know each other, so I don’t/didn’t take it personal when I heard them trying to make deals with my ex’s attorney. I spoke mainly to his assistant and strategically set up how I wanted things to go through her. She was amazingly competent and she is billed at a lower rate than Jeff. In all do fairness, I think most lawyers are horrible listeners and ALWAYS think they are right. But one shouldn’t be surprised by that because they take classes on persuasiveness and believing in the impossible. Plus I have several close friends who are lawyers and they validate this perception. In all, I think Jeff is a guy who can get the job done. He was my fourth lawyer and after spending upwards of 15K, I was pretty clear as to what I needed and how to get this accomplished. Is he warm and fuzzy? NO! Does He listen well? Only when it has a benefit for him or something he’s doing. But if you write out your expectations and communicate with his assistant, you will be fine. Good luck!

After reading some of the negative reviews on here, I felt compelled to share my own experience. Jeff is not warm and fuzzy, however my husband and I hired him several years ago to sue my husbands ex for custody. There were a lot of negotiations and she even denied access on thanksgiving day, despi...te having agreed to us having him for that holiday. Then she refused to sign the stipulated order. Jeff filed a motion with the court and and we got what we wanted, and the new custody arrangement has worked out wonderfully for everyone, especially my stepson. Jeff gave us all of his phone numbers, responded to us and took our calls after hours and on that awful Thanksgiving day - despite the fact he was with his family. He is aggressive and can be intimidating, but he knows his stuff and all the players in the courtroom, and is absolutely fantastic.

Jeff did exactly what he promised me that he would. And QUICKLY! He kept me informed on things my former lawyer didnt tell me at all, and handled my case within a couple months. He is kind of a jerk, but thats a good thing when it comes to an attorney. I hope to not ever need another attorney, but if... I did, I would deffinately go with Jeff.

I hired Jeff Deroberts for a basic divorce with minimal assets and when I first visited him, he seemed very energetic and ready to take care of the divorce and minimize the damage. Literally when I paid him the retainer of $2,500.00 his entire demeanor changed. He then mentioned that there would also... be a $400.00 filing fee not included in the initial retainer (thanks for the heads up). I became a nuisance, if I wanted to speak to him he always seemed like anything else was more important. I had to start doing my own research because he would not give me advisable information. Everything was like pulling teeth. It almost seemed like he was an imposter and didn't know anything about a divorce! I moved out of state and when I asked him, "What consequences will I have with custody of my kids if I move out of state?" He responded with "What do you give a ****, your moving out of state." I am appalled by his behavior. The next day I confronted him about the unprofessional manner he spoke to me the day prior. He then denied even saying it! He immediately changed the subject. I went to Jeff Deroberts office in March of 2011 and by December of 2011, nothing was in motion. We have accomplished absolutely nothing. No court dates, no child custody arrangements…absolutely nothing has been set into action. I finally had enough and called and requested to remove Jeff Deroberts as my lawyer. I was billed $1,615.00 for their services. Now there is a balance of $885.00 that Jeff is working on devouring. He is now charging for the motion to remove as my lawyer and the sheet that informs the opposing attorney of their removal as representing attorney for me. At $250.00 an hour I am pretty sure that the remaining balance will be taken and probably even have a bill.