Joan Elizabeth Smith

Joan is the epitome of class and integrity. She communicated regularly and timely with us on all matters. Her job first and foremost - and one she takes extremely seriously - is to advocate what causes the least amount of stress and strain on the child/children involved in divorce and custody. I hav...e nothing but the absolute highest praise for Joan. I came to Mirshak and Smith after receiving less than stellar representation from another lawyer. I was told up front the costs involved as well as the caveat that costs may increase based on the length of time the case took and how many court appearances could be involved. Both Tim and Joan are professional. They work in concert at times as well as solo, but always with the needs of the client in mind. Divorce and resulting custody issues are painful. They are emotional. Sometimes the attorney has to tell the client things they may not want to hear. I can attest that Joan and Tim were always direct and honest with me. My process of retaining custody of my child began nearly twelve years ago after a contentious divorce. Joan and Tim took my case over ten years ago and continued to represent me up until the last action one year ago. Joan in particular is adept at avoiding court when possible and making both parties comfortable with the outcomes. Is Joan expensive? Yes. Was she worth every single penny? YES.

When I first set up my consultation, I actually started with Tim. They work hand in hand on most all their cases and switch back and forth. The first time I was scheduled to go to court, I met with Joan and we discussed all the issues and the outcome that we wanted and what we would have to do to m...eet those outcomes. She is very understanding of the problems that I was going through in my separation. Every time we go to court, she goes the extra mile and puts in a hundred and ten percent. I think that my divorce and separation would be a lot harder if I didn't have such a good attorney. She does her research and is very well respected in our legal community. She adheres to high standards and will do everything possible to ensure that the client has the best result possible. She is also very realistic though and prepares you for all the various outcomes so that you are not surprised if something different happens in the courtroom. I would recommend Joan to anyone who needs an outstanding attorney (and I often do recommend her). Oh yeah, I also happen to work in the family court section of a clerks office and when we pick our attorneys for our own personal cases, we only use the best. This is proof positive.