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I have been involved in the legal field since 1998, when I began my career as a receptionist at Wendy L. Aikin, P.A. I've worked in various areas over the years, including three years at Gray-Robinson, P.A., and a year at Egan, Lev & Siwica, P.A. However, my passion and the majority of my experience are in family law. I opened my private practice in 2010 and have chosen to focus my solely on family law, with a particular focus on children's issues.
I have always had a passion for advocating for children, victims and the disadvantaged. Prior to becoming an attorney, I volunteered with Junior Achievements, in classrooms, as a youth group advisor for teens, and various other volunteer children's activities. During my legal carrer, I have served through the Orange County Bar's Legal Aid Society as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem, as well as being a teen court volunteer. I serve on various committees through the Orange County Bar as well as the Florida Bar, and am a member of the Central Florida Family Law American Inns of Court, which is an invitation-only organization which extends membership invitiations only to practitioners who exhibit a high level of integrity and professionalsm.
I attempt to resolve matters with minimal litigation and expense to clients, and consider it critical to conduct business in an ethical and professional manner. However, I will not hesitate to take matters to the courtroom if the circumstances warrant it. Since we are a small solo practice law firm, you will have direct contact with the attorney on a regular basis, and you can be assured that your case will be handled with care, compassion and efficiency.
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Chat withState: Florida
Acquired: 2008
No misconduct found
1801 N. Econlockhatchee Trail, #679414, Orlando, FL, 32867-2612
9 Client Reviews
Showing 1 - 4 of 4 reviews | Advocacy
Posted by Isabel | May 18, 2015 | Divorce & Separation
Total and Complete Scam!
Do not waste your money on this attorney. She is going through a lot of personal and medical issues and will only take your retainer for personal gain. I was referred to her by another attorney office, whom supposed to collect part of the retainer in case Ms. Mangan was not available. It is even ment...
I regret you had a negative experience with my representation. It is true I have been dealing with extensive medical issues, evidenced by your comment that I'm "always in the hospital." I dread going to hospitals, and do so only when necessary to keep myself alive. Prior to becoming ill, I received only glowing reviews. Further, the few recent negative reviews to which you refer, all refer to my health condition. I am dealing with a very rare disease that took over two years of medical appointments with numerous specialists to finally be diagnosed, and the disease is an autoimmune condition that may be terminal if treatment is not immediate and successful. For this reason, referring attorneys have been kind enough not to enforce referral fee clauses. Due to my health, I've been transparent with my clients, and cooperated with the few clients who chose to find alternate counsel, transferring their files to the new counsel. Most clients stayed with me and accepted the delays in order to benefit from the quality of my work. I absolutely disagree that I have ever taken a retainer without earning it. Even when I was not ill, if I worked on a case and completed it without doing enough work to justify keeping the retainer, I have been known to refund portions of retainers, even when they were non-refundable. Further, since I became ill, I stopped taking cases, despite needing the income, as I felt this was the only appropriate thing to do until my current cases were caught up and my health was back in order. As a further effort to minimize the impact of my health on my clients, I began providing my personal cell phone number in the event I was at medical appointments or ill, and not able to be reached on my office phone. Unfortunately, a few clients took advantage of this by texting excessively and calling at all hours, including evenings and weekends. While I often take the calls if able, if this becomes excessive, I limit the calls absent an emergency, and usually return calls within 24 business hours. Due to the backlog caused by my health, I have been forced to prioritize my time and have had to make working on files a priority over administrative tasks, such as billing. This has resulted in clients receiving my services despite their retainers being used and no new payments made. While most clients have appreciated this, it is unfortunate that when finally asked to replenish a retainer for trial, a very common practice, one client might accuse me of not doing work on the case, despite a court record reflecting my presence at various proceedings, and extensive correspondence I've had with the client and opposing counsel. While I have worked with clients as to payment, due to the circumstances, I cannot simply represent clients at trial without payment. Of note, the only negative reviews I have received were immediately after my informing said clients I could no longer represent them, even when the reasons were, in addition to non-payment, clients' repetitive refusal to follow my advice or the court's orders, resulting in negative impact to their own cases. Finally, I am a family law attorney and work primarily on divorces and child custody cases. These cases often involve highly emotional issues for clients, including infidelity, fear of losing their children, domestic violence, and embarrassment about financial issues. I often share my own life experiences with clients who are having a difficult time, in an effort to make sure they know I understand what they are going through. Most clients have thanked me for my openness and willingness to exceed my responsibilities by showing genuine concern for their well-being, rather than coldly doing my job, without regard for the very real and difficult emotional toll the process takes on clients. While I regret that you consider your experience a negative one, I won't apologize for caring. The day I stop caring is the day I will stop practicing law.
Posted by anonymous | October 25, 2013 | Lawsuits & Disputes
Not reccomended
This lawyer was unable to answers three questions right, I have to called the court and read through the constitution to find my answers. If I email her she takes a week to reply, phone did not work for weeks and no communication from her at all. In times with all the evidence I had on my favor she t...
Thank you for your feedback regarding your experience with me as your attorney. I'm sorry you were so disappointed by my representation, and would be happy to discuss your concerns with you. You are paying for services and should be happy with the services you are receiving. I have handled over 100 family law cases and have consistently received positive reviews, so I'm unable to determine who you are, or to address your concerns directly, unless you discuss them with me. Please feel free to let me know how I can better meet your needs. Most importantly, please let me know what information you believe I have provided that is not correct. This is not a concern that has ever been raised by one of my clients, and I would like to discuss the issue, and clarify any misunderstanding or misinformation, if any was provided. Regarding your concern about my doubting evidence or proof you have provided, it is sometimes the case, unfortunately, that I have to explain to clients that the other party has a better position, or that the client's own position or evidence isn't likely to succeed. If I tell you that the evidence you are providing is not likely to help you obtain the relief you desire, it does not mean I am taking the other party's side, though it may feel that way. It is my job to give you legal advice based on my experience, and I have significant experience in family law, having worked in this field for most of the 15 years I've been in the legal field and the five years I've been a practicing attorney. At times, clients are disappointed when I explain something, especially if the explanation is not the answer they hoped to receive. While I understand it is disappointing to hear that evidence you believe will prove something is not likely to do so, or that it is not likely to be admitted by the Court, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't tell my clients this in advance, and try to prevent the presentation of evidence I know will harm their position, or will not be accepted. Presenting it anyway not only makes the client's position appear poor, but it also gives the appearance that the attorney wasn't already aware of what evidence was admissible or appropriate. This is not a position you or I want to be in. Often there is evidence that WILL prove a particular point, and the point is important to a client for a variety of reasons, one of which is often the emotional element of family law. However, proving the particular point may not accomplish anything from a legal perspective. Sometimes clients simply want their "day in court" and want the other person to have to admit they did something terrible, and this is understandable. However, courts do not approve of presenting evidence that has no legal basis or remedy, as it takes up time that serves no legitimate legal purpose and could have been used for another hearing, at a time when the courts are already significantly backed up due to financial cutbacks. Finally, it is true that in moving offices, I had some technical difficulties with my telephone lines. This lasted one day the first week, and was resolved by the end of the day once I was notified by another attorney via email that the new line wasn't working. There was also a problem over the weekend that was resolved by 10:00 a.m. Unfortunately, transitions such as moving offices will cause temporary difficulties such as these, and since this was my first move after four years in the prior office, it was a new experience for me. I apologize for any delays caused by the move and assure you the new office is up and running with the new numbers you should have been provided as a current client. Again, the new telephone number is (407) 960-5688. If there is anything more I can address, or you want to discuss your specific case, please feel free to contact me directly so that I can determine how to better meet your needs.
Posted by Gabriel | April 27, 2011 | Lawsuits & Disputes
Stop looking...you just found your lawyer
i'm very fortunate to have found Gladys. first off, she was able to work with me on a price that fit my budget which is always important. i dont know a lot about the judicial system except what ive seen on Law and Order, so Gladys was great because she told me exactly what was gonna happen and what s...
Posted by Lisa | April 13, 2011 | Family
Awesome Family Lawyer
Glayds and Jill are both amazing at what they do. And together they are great to have on your side. They have and continue to do what is in the best interest for our family during this difficult time. They are sensitive as well as matter a fact with concerns at hand. Everything is done in a professio...
"I highly endorse Attorney Gladys Smith-Mangan. She honestly cares about her clients and their problems, and will do everything in her power to make things right for them. If I ever came across a family law case that I didn't want to handle myself, I'd refer it to her."
"I highly recommend and endorse Mrs. DeJesus Smith-Mangan for all your Family Law needs; she is definitely the attorney you want in your side."
"I endorse this lawyer. Attorney Smith-Mangan cares for each one of her clients. She is passionate and researches every detail. I am honored to call her my colleague as well as my friend."
"I endorse this lawyer. She has the knowledge and experience handling a variety of issues. While a caring and compassionate in her approach; she is also a very strong and zealous advocate for her clients."
"Gladys is able to help her clients not only clarify and articulate their goals, but to work productively toward achieving them. She is always courteous and respectful, but at the same time she knows how to keep conversations on track and as brief as possible, something that is essential in the practice of family law."
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2012
Pro Bono Award, Orange County Legal Aid Society
2011
Pro Bono Award, Legal Aid Society of Orange County
2010
Oustanding Pro Bono Award, Orange County Legal Aid Society
2009
Pro Bono Award, Legal Aid Society of Orange County
2010 - Present
Owner/Attorney, DeJesus Smith-Mangan, P.A.
2006 - 2010
Associate Attorney/Law Clerk/Paralegal, LaGamba Law Firm, P.L.
2004 - 2005
Paralegal, Rotech, Inc.
2003 - 2004
Law Clerk, Egan, Lev & Siwica, P.A.
2000 - 2003
Legal Secretary, Gray Robinson, P.A.
1998 - 1999
Receptionist/Scheduling Secretary, Wendy L. Aikin, P.A.
2012 - Present
Central Florida Family Law American Inn of CourtAssociate Member
2012 - Present
Central Florida Association for Women LawyersMember
2012 - Present
Orange County Bar Association, Professionalism CommitteeMember
2010 - Present
Orange County Bar Legal Aid Society, Guardian ad Litem ProgramGuardian ad Litem
2009 - Present
Orange County Bar AssociationMember
2009 - Present
Orange County Bar Association, Family Law SectionMember
2008 - Present
Florida Bar, Family Law SectionMember
2008 - Present
Florida BarMember
2005
JD - Juris Doctor
1998
BA - Bachelor of Arts
2012
Attorney Ethics
2010
English
Spanish
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