Kathy L. Portnoy

Kathy Portnoy ushered me into her dazzling two-story office. She sat me down and listened to my post-divorce concerns about insufficient child support and being out of the workforce for over a decade. (She had previously reviewed my settlement agreement). After 45 minutes, she said three memorable th...ings to me: she told me that I had signed the worst settlement she'd ever seen, that I had "no leverage," and that my best option at this point (to this 40 y.o. college-educated mother) was to get married again. Then her secretary ushered me out to billing. 5 minutes later and $400 poorer, I left in tears.

I've held off since 2008 in reviewing this lawyer believing that she might choose to do better for others after being confronted and sued. I regret waiting this long. She has led many good parents into danger, causing them to lose children and the ability to fight for their children. She is not alone... in this as we now know. Her failures are protected by connected lawyers who are able to cover up lies in court, causing the Appellate & Supreme Court to rule on incomplete & inaccurate records. It's a shame, but that's just how it is. Avvo is not as reliable as it could be, because damaged parties are intimidated into not challenging professional misconduct or billing fraud. Pay attention to pending & past news media reports; what Kathy did on my case is very common, but most cases do not involve 2M in damages from being put in a position to have to buy back your own children. How did this happen? She would not let me see the child custody evaluator's report, for starters. Had I seen that report, given the available, visible evidence in hand, the outcome would have been much better for me and for my children. Additionally, she and her associate were running a "dating service" of sorts, introducing vulnerable clients to each other, while withholding funds for support, running them into debt, withholding needed & available protections and more. Avoiding temporary hearings for months, lying to the court to further destabilize the client, all to create a situation where they and their friends could makes tens of thousands managing an unnecessary child custody fight. These types of cases are the norm for them, and there is no consideration for the trauma caused to confused but trusting clients, let alone for the stress caused to children...when it could all be avoided. Please choose more wisely than I did.

Having interviewed many attorneys I chose Kathy Portnoy. She is brilliant, compassionate and dedicated to ensure that the best outcome possible could be attained with the least hassle. Her character was most apparent when she advised me not to "win" the case but to settle because it would be in the b...est interest of my children. At the time I couldn't understand but she assured me what would be best... and she was right without any doubt. My current situation is the best it can be for my children (half-time custody) and a relatively amicable settlement with my ex. My children are learning for themselves about both their parents and are growing well. Life is too short to foster bitterness and to cause anguish to children. Kathy's reputation was very apparent among the judges and her colleagues. She's very tough when she has to be but also very considerate and personable. I always felt that I had confidence in her and highly recommend her (and her able staff) to anyone in need of solid and ethical representation.