Geraldine Welikson Hess

I spent way more time and effort to select my divorce lawyer than I ever did to choose my (now ex) husband. I did extensive online research. I read tons of testimonials. I even listened to divorce podcasts and took notes. On paper, Geraldine Hess stood out among the other divorce lawyers I considered because she is Fellow of the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), and her practice is 100% focused on family law. In practice, Geraldine Hess ended up being an advocate I could TRUST to help me navigate through one of the worst times in my life. I liked working with Geraldine because she was always tactful and professional, but at the same time, she never sugar coated anything or tip toed around difficult things that needed to be said or done. I loved that she was so straightforward and honest, while also being fair and kind. I also really appreciated how tough Geraldine was, both mentally and emotionally. I don’t mean that she was a junk yard bull dog with a spiked collar and a loud bark. I mean that nothing surprised her or shocked her or threw her off her game. If my husband had set himself on fire while on the witness stand, Geraldine would probably have to stifle a yawn. Beyond that, Geraldine was organized, reliable, and responsive, as were her assistants. She ran a tight ship, and I knew that she would never let anything fall through the cracks. During my divorce, I ended up needing a criminal lawyer and then a contract lawyer. Geraldine referred me to two excellent attorneys who were both trustworthy and excellent in their fields. Geraldine Hess has my highest recommendation. I hope never to get divorced again, but if I did, I would call Geraldine right away.

The short version: If you need a family law attorney, go to Geraldine. She is smart, dedicated, no nonsense (but still kind), will keep you well informed and quickly and fully responds to questions. Bottom line, she takes care of business and does so extremely efficiently. The long (yet still shortened) version: My spouse and I decided to get divorced and started off with the collaborative divorce process. As the collaborative process neared completion, my spouse terminated the collaborative process despite the advice of counsel and a mutual divorce coach. Shortly after terminating the collaborative process, my spouse hired a new attorney and filed for divorce while making many false and vicious accusations along with unreasonable and upsetting requests to the court. I obtained a new family law attorney/law group and a very contentious process ensued. After many months, not much progress had been made and my attorneys were convinced that settling outside of court was not likely. My attorneys therefore significantly increased their retainer and informed me that they would have to withdraw from my case if I was unable to pay the new retainer. At this point I had amassed a significant amount of debt and could not afford the amount they requested. They withdrew from my case. I was at a complete loss for what to do. I was financially destroyed, the emotional stress of the past year and a half was taking its toll on me and I didn’t know where to turn. Then I found Geraldine and retained her services. Almost immediately the tone of the process changed and I felt like progress was being made. Geraldine quickly got up to speed with my case and hit the ground running. She laid out the options and scenarios, explained what she was thinking and why and developed a strategy for moving forward. She kept me fully informed and answered any questions I had every step of the way. A few months after Geraldine came on board, my case was settled and with an outcome that was significantly better than what I was expecting and better than previous offers made to my spouse which had been turned down. Having the unfortunate, and likely uncommon, experience of working with multiple family law attorneys, I can say that Geraldine is awesome at her job! She did much more for me than any prior attorney in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost. I never write reviews. However, felt compelled to write one for Geraldine as 1) a way to acknowledge and thank her for a job very well done and 2) to hopefully help others out there who find themselves going through a divorce. It is not fun. It is not easy. However, having the right attorney makes a world of difference.