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Debra Nickin Ribitwer

3.0
Rating: 6.5

Licensed for 48 years

Divorce and separation Lawyer at Bloomfield Hills, MI
Practice Areas: Divorce & Separation, Child Custody, Child Support ... +2 more

4190 Telegraph Rd Ste 3000, Bloomfield Hills, MI

About Debra

Practice Areas

5

Practice Areas

Child Custody 3%

48 years

3%
Child Support 3%

48 years

3%
Alimony 2%

48 years

2%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer


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Licenses

Licensed in Michigan for 48 years

State: Michigan

Acquired: 1977

Active in Good Standing

No misconduct found

Licensed in Florida for 46 years

State: Florida

Acquired: 1979

Membership Lapsed

No misconduct found

Location

Debra N. Ribitwer & Associates PC

4190 Telegraph Rd Ste 3000, Bloomfield Hills, MI, 48302-2082

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Debra Nickin Ribitwer's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

3.0 /5.0

6 Client Reviews

5 star (3)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (3)

Posted by anonymous | June 4, 2019 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Professional, Aggressive, Determined

Debra was honest and upfront with me from the first day I met her. While she is an expensive attorney, she is worth it. She won't beat around the bush or sugarcoat the process for you. Divorce is emotional and difficult and having someone as aggressive and hardworking as Debra on my side gave me the ...strength and confidence to get through my divorce in one piece. Debra always managed to realign my behavior with what was actually most important in my case - my children. Sometimes while going through a divorce you forget what really matters, and she encouraged me to stand up for my children and always do what was right and best for them. I additionally had some difficulty paying my balance after my divorce concluded, however I brought it to Debra's attention immediately upon receiving my final bill and she was kind and willing to work with me to let me pay off my bill over time. She even went so far as to discount my remaining balance. I never got the impression that she was prolonging my case to rack up fees, in fact i felt that most of the actions she took saved me from expending an absurd amount of money in court. I would recommend her to anyone who wants to come out of the other side of their divorce as a stronger person.

Posted by anonymous | July 29, 2018 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Excellent Attorney

Debra Ribitwer is an extraordinary divorce attorney. I met her three years ago, as I was just beginning the worst days of my life. She showed me compassion, understanding, and helped me understand the law. I had a very high conflict divorce, with very young children, and Debra stayed one step ahea...d of everyone at all times. She has brilliant ideas, strategies, and is not afraid to think outside of the box. She is experienced, trustworthy, and hard working. Debra always has, and continues to, make my case a priority, even in post judgement matters. Debra may be expensive, but she is worth it! I would not trust anyone else to fight for the best interest of my children.

Posted by anonymous | March 26, 2018 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Excellent Divorce Attorney

I ended up hiring Debra after learning that my ex-husband planned to turn what should have been a simple divorce case into a nasty trial. From the very beginning, Debra was calm and calculated. Not only did Debra make herself available to me when I needed her, she went above and beyond to explain e...ach step of the process to me. Debra used her extensive experience and knowledge of the law to formulate a strong strategy in my case. Debra made it clear to me what she felt our approach should be and it worked. This could have been a very lengthy divorce, which could have revealed some very sensitive information. Thanks to Debra, we were able to bring the case to closure without a trial. I am so grateful for her expertise and professionalism!

Posted by anonymous | March 19, 2018 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Not what you want in a divorce attorney

I hired Debra to protect myself and my children during a very scary and emotional time in my life; filing for divorce. I thought as my attorney she would look out for my families best interest and that was not the case. Debra only cares about collecting from a divorce. She racked up astronomical fees..., totaling nearly 70k for an eight -month divorce without any trials, and I did not ask for or get anything that I wasn't already legally entitled to. She slipped in a judgment against me within my judgment of divorce that forced me to pay her an amount I never agreed too. Please read her contract, it is not in your favor. Demand a monthly bill and question everything as once the 30-day billing period is up you are stuck with the bill according to the contract. Please read every paragraph of your judgment before you sign it or you too may be surprised to find out she has a judgment against you within your own judgment of divorce. I had pleaded with her to please reduce the fees because it would be financially detrimental to mine and my children's future and she said she didn't care; Debra just she wants her money. I've had several attorney's review what happened and all of them felt this was grossly unethical, and that "a trained monkey straight out of law school could've handled this case for $5k". I feel I was taken advantage of by my own attorney during a time that I trusted her to protect me. Debra will take her own clients to court. Sitting down in that chair and signing that contact was the worse thing I've done.

Posted by anonymous | January 14, 2015

No value for the money

Debra Ribitwer claims to be at the top of her field but she is not as knowledgeable as she claims. I got the impression that she had no real knowledge of court procedure and seemed uncomfortable with going to court. She also did not know the law as well as she claimed. She pushed me into settlement e...venthough I didn't want to settle. She threatened me with racking up excessive fees if my case went to trial. I got the impression that she was working with, instead of against, the other side of my case. In my opinion, she needlessly prolonged my case so she could get more fees. She seemed more concerned with collecting her unreasonably high hourly rate than with getting me the best result in my case. Her personality is abrasive, elitist and undermining and, frankly, I don't feel like I got the value of the thousands of dollars I paid her. I would not recommend her to anyone.

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Experience

Rating:  6.5 (Good)

Work Experience

1977 - Present

Attorney, Debra N. Ribitwer & Associates, PC

Associations

1977 - Present

American Bar Association, Michigan Bar Association, Oakland County Bar Association, American Bar Family Law Division, State Bar of Michigan Family Law Division, Michigan Inter Professional Association

Education

1977

Detroit College of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1977

Detroit College of Law

JD-Juris Doctor Cum Laude

Languages

English

Avvo Rating

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