Mary S Pence

Good friends recommended Mary to me in April 2012 when I found out my then wife wanted a quick divorce. I didn't know it at the time, but their recommendation took me to someone who is far more than the best attorney out there. I knew right away that Mary was the right attorney for me when, after... hearing about my situation, she asked me to think about my where I wanted to be in five, or ten years, and how I wanted to get there with integrity, in a way that would allow me to get on with my life. Up until that point, like most people in my situation, I had been focused on the transactional side of divorce, dividing up assets and responsibilities. Mary made me see the process not as a series of transactions, but as a starting point for where I wanted to go next in my life. Suddenly, the financial issues that seemed so important became less so, because she helped me decide for myself where I wanted to go next - and so at that point, I could figure out what really mattered and make a stand for what mattered, and let go of what didn't. But don't be fooled, that didn't mean we wrote off my financial needs - no, rather, we prioritized them and decided what mattered for the long haul, and focused on that with purpose. Since my ex-wife continued to take a transactional approach, Mary continued to keep me grounded and focused on my own personal goals. We had my list of what mattered to me, and we made sure that everything we did moved us in that direction, and ignored what didn't matter. It may not have changed how my ex-wife approached the divorce, but it did help me maintain my integrity and composure through what could have been a very ugly divorce. In the end, the entire process took less than a year and was far less expensive (and was financially successful for me) than I ever thought it would be - Mary was careful to provide the advice I needed, but also very careful to not presume to act - I know of others who have gotten divorced who were stunned at the amount of time and money they put into the process - with Mary, I felt we were focused and in sync throughout the process, and that meant I came away not just feeling Mary was a skillful attorney, but also that she was an attorney who put her client's interests first at all times. She was always available, but she carefully measured her time to make sure I wasn't paying for services I didn't need. I can't recommend Mary enough - her wholistic, goal-oriented, constructive approach to dealing with divorce made what could have been a painful, drawn-out, difficult and expensive process into an ultimately positive, relatively quick and successful endeavor. If you have Mary on your side, you can't help but end up in a good place.