Edward Ian Hecht

I engaged this firm in mid April 2024 and fired them in mid June 2024 after only two months of lies and incompetence. I spent $8000 for literally nothing but a postponement of a status hearing because my attorney assigned (Bryson Hash) was busy with other cases and trials. I was told he was very s...ick hence the delay and then when I asked him in person he had no idea what I was referring to. I never spoke once with Mr. Hecht but he would charge to "review my case and consult with Mr. Hash. This firm aggressively bills on everything and their minimum starts at 15 min of time for paralegal/attorney (I would get billed $250 for them to review a screen shot sent by my phone). Be careful with the fine print in their onboarding because they didn't disclose to me they require a minimum of $5000 retainer at all times. This firm is incompetent they would lose emails and then supposedly had email issues when they sent the notice of withdrawal of counsel that the court never received, They sent a replacement attorney to my Sept status hearing without informing me and then charged me for showing up when they didn't send in the required paperwork and I had fired them 4 months prior. Lastly, this firm sent me a refund receipt email for $350 of my original $8 k and then didn't even bother actually sending the money. That was 3 months ago. They've claimed they had a change in their billing system and have had "issues"

Hecht Family Law does not aim to genuinely solve clients' issues but rather complicates simple cases and delays them to drain clients' wallets. I am very dissatisfied with their services, especially with Ed and Bryson's performance. Throughout my case, I encountered numerous issues, including unreaso...nable high fees, lack of attention to the case, and poor customer service. First, the issues with fees are very serious. I noticed many charges were far above what I expected. For example: On October 31, 2023, there was a charge of $100.00 for a 0.20-hour session involving preparation and debriefing with Bryson about case strategy. Similarly, on January 3, 2024, a brief service process discussion was billed at $300.00 for just 0.60 hours. These instances suggest a high billing rate for tasks that appear to be quite brief. The initial meeting and subsequent activities on October 31, 2023 led to a bill of $1,550.00 for 3.10 hours of work. This includes preparing pleadings which seems quite substantial for the time reported. Frequent brief discussions, such as those on April 26, 2024, and April 29, 2024, have each been billed at $50.00 for merely 0.10 hours. The repetitive nature and brevity of these discussions raise concerns about their cumulative cost impact. It appears that every email and phone interaction, no matter how short, is being billed. This method of billing significantly increases the total cost, especially considering the high hourly rate. Secondly, the attention to the case and efficiency is also questionable. The billing reflects frequent, brief exchanges that may indicate less than optimal management of task efficiency, leading to unnecessary escalations in billing. Moreover, the quality of customer service is extremely poor. Ed showed great performance during the initial meeting but once the retainer check cleared, communication suddenly dropped, except for asking for more money. This approach is highly unprofessional, especially when handling important custody cases. I cannot recommend him for any significant legal matters. If he gets frustrated with you or your family, he will find ways to charge you, even by putting a lien on your property. Furthermore, Bryson showed extreme indifference and lack of responsibility while handling my case. He submitted case materials without my notarized signature and often made errors, including misspelling my name and my daughter's age, with numerous spelling mistakes in the legal documents. Worse, my attorney withdrew from my case without my consent, severely impacting my case. Bryson Hash and Hecht Family Law submitted unauthorized documents and failed to cancel discovery requests as I explicitly instructed, causing me unnecessary trouble and stress. Throughout the process, I also encountered the following unpleasant situations: They would deduct money without sending me a bill. It was only after repeated urging that they finally sent me a consolidated bill for two charges. Ed even lied that the bills had been sent earlier without providing any proof. When I inquired about the bill details, Ed threatened that if I continued to ask, they would withdraw from the case. Initially, I didn't understand and was afraid to ask further. Later, I sent two emails raising questions about the billing expenses, but they refused to respond. According to the service contract, I have the right to raise disputes within 7 days, but they did not reply to my dispute emails, forcing me to contact the bank for a dispute and notify Hecht by email. Overall, Hecht Family Law has issues not only with their billing practices but also with customer service and case management. If you are seeking legal services, please consider carefully. My experience shows that they are more interested in selling themselves than providing valuable legal support.

Ed Hecht is by far the most passionate person I have ever met. He is very smart and knows his clients needs thoroughly. He will fight for you at your weakest moments. He is a unicorn of attorneys in this area. Do NOT go to others until you speak with him first. I’m not just saying that- I’ve been to ...a few firms that will take your $ and not speak with you. Ed and Bryson will make the process EASY so you don’t have to update handwritten forms like the other attorneys in the area. These individuals wear a vest of empathy but they are bulldogs at the end of the day for you to get what you deserve!!!!!!!!

I was in the process of negotiating an uncontested divorce (outside of court) with my ex-spouse, when I was surprised by a court summons I received in the mail. My ex and her attorney filed a contested divorce case in the middle of negotiated an uncontested settlement! The attorney that was helping... me prepare the uncontested divorce documents referred me to a list of trial attorneys, including Ed and team. I happened to interviewed two other trail attorneys first, but I decided to go with Ed after our first conversation. Ed really understood my situation. Not only is he an experienced divorce attorney, but he also went through a difficult divorce himself. He helped me to put my situation into perspective and helped me to focus on the most important aspect, which was my children. I worked with Ed and Bryson for 15 months. There were lots of court delays due to COVID in addition to my ex and I not coming to terms quickly. During the intake meeting (our first meeting to discuss the case), Bryson walked me through what the divorce process would most likely look like. He explained all of the steps we will go through and all of the opportunities to come to a settlement before we actually go to trial. He explained why people go through each step and what is most likely to happen for me based on my situation. Looking back, we ended up going through that exact process he laid out; and settling 2 weeks before the court date which he expected based on how far apart my ex and I were. We attended Zoom court hearings, in person mediation, and late case evaluation; in addition to many phone calls discussing all the complex aspects of my case. One of the first accomplishments we had was establishing a temporary custody schedule with my kids. This is something that would never have happened without Ed and Bryson's help. I was having difficulty getting any type of regular schedule established with my ex. They were able to get my ex to agree to a fair schedule, which included half of the Christmas break just a few weeks before Christmas break. This is even prior to the first 30 day status conference with the judge. Over the course of the 15 months of negotiation, we were able to establish that I would have my kids 5 days out of every 14 days. This was after starting with only having them every other Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. Bryson was great to work with. He is an experienced and knowledgable attorney; and he had longstanding relationships with many mediators, judges and other people involved in the Fulton County family court system. He was able to anticipate many people's perspectives, which went a long way with negotations. He is also an expert in family law with many years of experience. I recall one impressive moment during our late case evaluation. The late case evaluator was a former judge who is obviously an expert in family law himself. Bryson and the Judge were discussing some esoteric detqils of child support calculations as part of negotiating our position, when the former judge replied "Oh really? I didn't know that." Bryson referenced where the detail was explained and the former judge said "Wow, I've been doing this for 30 years and I never knew that. I still learn something new everyday." The settlement agreement turned out to be extremely valuable. I have already cut and pasted from it numerous time in communications with my ex, when she decides rules don't apply to her. It has ended a few arguments before they even started. Even post divorce, Ed's advice is valuable and has helped me avoid problems as well as giving me a better understanding of legal options when my ex isn't following our settlement agreement.