John Kevork Karanian

I am a 29-year-old single mother and new mom that has only been inside of a courtroom for a minor traffic stop, never have I sought out representation from an attorney before, and I until now have had any knowledge of the court system and its processes as it pertained to custody, visitation and chil...d support. I never envisioned giving birth to my first child and spending my entire first year as a mother having a third party/judge dictate my parenting experiences and journey. I gave birth to my daughter in February of 2021, and shortly afterward the father of my child-filled for custody in Henrico. I remember receiving the notice on my door that I was to appear in court, and I panicked. My daughter's father recorded our phone calls, took screenshots of our text messages, had his mother chaperoned our drop-offs and pick-ups at the safe zone, and proceeded to make our experience stereotypical. Before John Karanian represented me, I fired two attorneys who were both referrals. The first filled documents on my behalf incorrectly and had no strategy. I felt that she generalized my circumstances. The second attorney was from a well-known law firm that advertised its services on billboards throughout Midlothian Turnpike. She was fresh out of law school and had zero litigation experience, which is how I ended up with a week-on-week off schedule for a 7-month-old with the father of my child living in Manassas, VA, joint physical custody, and little to no child support. I remember praying to God and asking him to be present inside the courtroom. I felt less than a human and hopeless as I sat and listened to someone take my dignity and joy away from me. I was a new mom, carried my baby for nine months, and had full psychical custody of her until that moment. I filed for an appeal immediately and began searching for a new attorney. I came across Barnes & Diehl and two other law firms. I read each attorney's profile and paid for consultations. At each consultation, I brought two folders with me that included samples of documents to provide a visualization of my scenario and about ten general questions that would provide me with information on their strategies to win the appeal. I say all of this to say that out of all the attorneys that I interviewed, John was the only attorney with a background in Psychology. John also answered my main concern: how will you manage my case and remember the facts about my case, especially being that he is representing me through an appeal? John advised me to provide him with a detailed written summary of the events that occurred over the past couple of months that I felt were important for him to know. John provided more information that would give out the strategy of my entire appeal (Thank you, John!). Every detail that John discussed during the consultation he performed in real life. I was allowed to see John in action. He represented me in the child support case after firing my previous attorney. John had no more than two weeks to prepare. He entered the courtroom; he was articulate, sharp, prepared, prompt, confident, assertive, and knowledgeable. Seeing John in the courtroom brought me peace. I had found the right representation for me, knowing that the wrong order can change the trajectory of my life but my child’s life. John communicated and kept me informed every step as he scheduled the trial date, during the discovery phase, and final negotiations and settlement. Every suggestion or strategy I discussed with my previous attorney that I felt would be beneficial for my case that was not considered. John outlined and executed those strategies and provided additional resources to ensure the presentation of the best case possible to place my child in the best predicament. John was brutally honest with me, kept my expectations reasonable and provided his professional opinion, which made a tremendous difference in my case. John was heaven sent, and I could not have asked for better representation.

Don’t look any further for an attorney. John Karanian is the best! John handled our case regarding grandparent visitation. My deceased daughter’s husband would not allow us to see our grandson. John was always very professional, returned all calls, and kept us informed at all times. John is very k...nowledgeable and has plenty of resources. If I had to note a negative about John, I could not think of even one. John’s psychology degree helped us make a decision also. Best of all, the case is over and our grandson just spent the night with us!

I cannot understate the regard that I hold John Karanian in. He is a fantastic attorney. In the beginning of my divorce we discussed what my goals were and what my restraints were, especially my budget. Here at the end, all the goals have been exceeded in ways I could scarcely hope for in the beginni...ng. He kept my budget in mind the whole time. I knew at the beginning that I has two choices One was to micromanage my divorce, the other was to let John lead the charge. I let John lead the charge and personally believe that was the best possible use of John's talents. When it came to the case he was no nonsense and methodical. Every move we made was well prepared for before hand. Even though he was leading the charge he let me know what was going on and why. My Ex was trying to play games with custody, property and support. Every week would come a new demand or request from her. John sliced through those obstacles incredible efficiency. I would be frustrated, angry or just plain upset but John's calm cool way of handling her games was amazing. When you go through a divorce there is no shortage of advice you get from people, especially ones that have never had a divorce. My polite response was, "I will consult my lawyer about that." I would ask John about it later and he would explain to me why it was not, almost always, a good idea or how my case was different. John was very patient about this process and understood what I was dealing with. John was very responsive with my emails and phone messages. It was rare that John did not get back me the same day. If he did not it was always at his earliest ability to respond. The entire staff at Barnes and Diehl were exceptional, especially Crystal. Crystal is John's assistant and she was always helpful, knowledgeable and made sure my concerns made it to John. John I cannot thank you enough.

John is an outstanding attorney. He worked very closly with my husband and I in a complicated step-parent adoption case. John was very impressive in the court room and was obviously well prepared. His intense knowledge of the law is evident. John is an astounding lawyer; one I would highly recommend ...to anyone with child custody/adoption issues.