Zachary Branca Smith

Zachary Branca Smith

4.3
Rating: 7.4

Licensed for 17 years

Divorce and separation Lawyer at Minneapolis, MN
Practice Areas: Divorce & Separation, Child Custody, Mediation

1400 Van buren St NE, Suite 200-209, Minneapolis, MN

About Zachary

Biography

Practice Areas

3

Practice Areas

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 60 minutes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in Minnesota for 17 years

State: Minnesota

Acquired: 2008

Authorized to Practice

No misconduct found

Location

Vox Law

1400 Van buren St NE, Suite 200-209, Minneapolis, MN, 55413

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Zachary Branca Smith's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.3 /5.0

6 Client Reviews

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

Posted by anonymous | September 10, 2019 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Excellent Family Law Attorney

Zach has been a wonderful attorney over the course of an extremely extensive custody case. His attention to detail and knowledge of the law shows clearly in his work both in and out of the courtroom. He is honest, hard-working, quick to respond and always there to help with any little thing that may ...arise along the way. He is very professional, thorough and greatly helps to make the difficult times that much easier. I would highly recommend.

Posted by anonymous | June 27, 2018 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Great Attorney

I was given Zach’s information by a former classmate of his and am very thankful for it. Zach helped me through a tough situation and was always there, whether it was answering my lengthy emails, at all times of day/evening and weekends, he never bs’d me like 99% of attorneys do, he keeps it real, if... you will and his experience and knowledge clearly show in the court room. He always put me at ease when my ex was trying to slander me in ways that was not even relative to the case. Thankfully because of Zach, my child is in the safest possible situation he can be in, and Zach made sure there would be safe guards to ensure my child’s safety when in the other parents care. I will not hesitate to come to him in the future if there is more issues that arise. And I do not hesitate to recommend him to other’s that are in situations that closely resemble mine. Thank you Zach for everything you did for my son and I!

Posted by anonymous | May 27, 2018 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Beneficial review

I would like to take a moment to put the spotlight on my lawyer Zach. He is my confidant and someone I truly trust. I owe him so much for being there for me every step of the way. He will be my lawyer for life! Zach has always been there for me, answered all my calls, and goes above and beyond what a... typical lawyer would ever do. I felt safe and protected next to Zach in court; he is smart, capable, strong, and experienced. I have watched Zach make a high powered attorney scramble in his seat; he does not back down. I witnessed Zach bring up aspects of law - clearly the others even the Judge did not have full knowledge. Impressive to say the least. Zach does his homework. Please go with your gut after a consult and that would be my best advice. I made that mistake by not listening to my gut and chose another lawyer who had 34 years experience, couple five star reviews, some super lawyer title that's paid for, and all that got me was a lawyer who was never prepared, there was no communication, the lawyer she didn't even get my child's name right in documents. She even didn't pay for a filing fee, and that is now being taken from my tax returns. Now that is just touching the surface with that lawyer. I had enough- That is when I went back to hire Zach. With Zach I have not had to deal with any of that nonsense. I wish I had hired Zach from the start, and listened to my gut. No Zach didn't have 30 plus years of experience but he certainly did have his paperwork put together, didn't have my child's name incorrect in documents, didn't call me day of for court appearances. Zach didn't act like a puppy with his tail between his legs against the other high powered attorney I was facing. Thinking about all that really makes me wonder if any of what you read online with stars and ratings or experience really matter. Even to look at Zach's previous review that is such a joke. I won't even go there because comparing Zach to my previous lawyers is like night and day. Zach you are an amazing lawyer! Zach definitely earns a shot at representing you, and taking your time for a consult with him you will not be wasting your time. Lastly, Zach was a referral to me by someone I spoke to over the phone. The other terrible lawyers I had prior I found online. I am just happy I found a lawyer like Zach that is competent, professional, and knows how to do his job effectively. I'll forever recommend Zach to anybody In the future.

Posted by anonymous | March 8, 2017 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Not recommended, bad lawyer

I hired this attorney for a divorce case and regret it big time. First, he does`t respond to calls, does`t give good advice or options and strategies. He was always agreeing the other side or doing nothing letting them lead and win. I lost custody and divorce fastI fired him and got a better lawyer.... With him I lost 85 percent of custody. With the new lawyer, I ended 50-50. He over billed me. I asked him to find a medium happy and he refused. He took me to court and then garnished my paycheck. I have proof of all this. If I had my second lawyer, I could have ended much better. All in all, I do not recommend this lawyer

Zachary Smith

Replied last March 8, 2017

I'm sorry to hear that you feel this way. For confidentiality reasons, I can not and will not get in to details surrounding this case, however, I am aware of what prior client this is and what the circumstances were. Each divorce and custody situation is different, and I'm happy to hear that you were able to increase your parenting time down the road. However, at the time I represented this client there was an Order for Protection for Domestic Violence in place, which I successfully had dismissed, but which still very much impacted the ability to share parenting time. I'll note that absent my efforts to have the OFP dismissed, he would have had zero chance down the road to achieve equal parenting time. Sometimes, while it is not possible to have an ideal outcome in the short run, you need to set yourself up for success in the long run, which is exactly what happened here. With regards to "not returning phone calls", the client was upset that I did not call back immediately on Christmas eve. I called back 12/26 as soon as my office was open. This client did not "fire" me, they did not make any payments towards their account and representation was terminated, as evidenced by the fact that they had their wages garnished. In almost 10 years of representing clients, I have had to garnish the wages of exactly 2 people. This client refused to understand that part of any good lawyer's strategy is to know when to fight and to know when to negotiate. Blindly fighting for equal temporary parenting time days after an arrest for domestic violence would be counterproductive, not to mention a waste of the client's funds. This client wished to aggressively litigate every single detail while not paying anything towards the cost of doing so, and paying no attention to the long term outlook of the case. I understand that divorce is a stressful time, but frankly, this client was nothing more than a bully and a jerk to deal with. He has attempted to smear my name and reputation through the legal system and has gotten absolutely nowhere (the conciliation court judge explicitly noted that I provided excellent representation at a more than fair cost, especially in getting an OFP dismissed outright), so now he is resorting to smearing me over the internet. If there was an AVVO for rating clients, I would give him zero out of zero stars.

Posted by anonymous | October 5, 2012

Great Custody Attorney

I was served by my ex with child custody paperwork and I didn't know what to do. I spoke with a friend who I knew had gone through a similar situation and she recomended that I get in tocuh with Zach at Vox Law. He was very helpful on the phone and even more so after the initial consultation. It r...eally helped calm my fears after that first meeting, because my rights in the legal system were explained and he took the time to answer all of my questions. My case ended up settling before trial, and everything is going great. Thank you, Zach!

See All Client Reviews

Zachary Branca Smith's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Zachary
Christopher Wesley Keyser headshot
Christopher Keyser

Family lawyer | Oct 17

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Zach's attention to detail and creative solutions to family law issues makes him a fierce advocate. He brings passion and effective communication to the table in all cases, large and small. I highly recommend anyone seeking outstanding representation to contact Zach."

Timothy Eric Ward headshot
Timothy Ward

Divorce and separation lawyer | Oct 15

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have confidently referred clients to Zach for 3 years now. All of them have been happy with the results and the advice he has given them."

View All Endorsements
Rebecca Rose Kreuser Baer headshot
Rebecca Baer

Family lawyer

Sara Ashley Daly headshot
Sara Daly

Divorce and separation lawyer

Christopher Wesley Keyser headshot
Christopher Keyser

Criminal defense lawyer

Landon J Ascheman headshot
Landon Ascheman

Criminal defense lawyer

Timothy Eric Ward headshot
Timothy Ward

Estate planning lawyer

Experience

Rating:  7.4 (Very Good)

Honors

2013

Northstar Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association

2012

600 Series, USBC

2008

Public Service, Minnesota Justice Foundation

Work Experience

2010 - Present

Attorney, Vox Law, LLC

2007 - 2010

Associate, Joslin & Moore Law Office

Associations

2012 - Present

Minnesota MSBA Mock Trial

Judge

2011 - Present

Twin Cities Metro IBA

Member

2011 - Present

Barristers Brunch

Member

2010 - Present

Minnesota Family Law League

2010 - Present

Pro-Se Clinic

Volunteer Attorney

Sample of Legal Cases

In Re the Marriage of L.L and S.L.

Very favorable for my client

See More Legal Cases

Education

2008

William Mitchell College of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

2000

University of Minnesota

B.A.

Speaking Engagements

2019

Minnesota Family Law Institute

Achieving Work-life balance

N/A

Divorced Men's Network Meeting

Divorce

N/A

2012 conference

Employment Law

Publications

2018

MEL Magazine Scenes From a Divorce Party

2012

Huffington Post 10 Things Your Divorce Attorney Won't Tell You

Languages

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

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