Judith A. Devriendt

!!!WARNING!!! I wish that I write more than 4000 characters to explain the true extent of NEGLECT, LYING, and MISREPRESENTATION that not only Judy participated in, but her staff as well. Before I retained Judy, she promised that I would not pay anything until the case was over and all allocations h...ad been made regarding attorneys fees. That was a lie, after 6 months I began receiving notices to pay or lose representation. When brought to her attention, she DENIED saying that. I filed for my divorce in late 2018 and am still NOT divorced(I spent a third of that time in my first divorce with 2 children)! Taylor had taken over my case at one point and just before our THIRD attempt at trial she went on maternity leave. The BIG problem here is that I was NEVER made aware that would be on a leave. It wasn't until the night before our trial hearing that I was contacted and they still didn't know who was going to be in court representing me for a continuation. This caused another 3 month delay. Their poor communicational skills are astounding on all fronts; email, in person, and phone calls. I was told at least 6 emails hadn't been received and must've gotten "lost". This has NEVER happened in the 20 years I've had that email address. More than a handful of phone messages were claimed to have "never been received". Even when e-mails and phone messages were answered it would take WEEKS to hear a response! When I receive my monthly billing statements there are charges for dates in the future. Judy failed to start the parenting time I was asking for and this caused me to lose ALL access to my step-daughter. By the time Taylor brought it to court for mediation and GAL it had been too long for my request to be valid. I lost MY CHILD, raised her from birth, because of the outright NEGLIGENCE of this "firm". Every "promise" they make is taken back and then denied it was ever said. The entire staff lacks the ability to take accountability for their mistakes or mess ups. In my experience with this "firm", they also lack the ability to be organized. I have turned over the same documents requested/needed on multiple different occasions and the response was always "well you must've not given it to us because I can't find it". This has caused issues regarding whom owes what when looking at marital debts. I had made Taylor aware of documents my X was hiding when it came to monetary issues in 2019. When my X turned in his documentation he did not disclose these things. I reminded her of these documents yet she waited until the day before before the hearing to request them. He admitted to hiding said documents, this also happened the day before our last trial hearing, which caused another delay in the proceedings. And it is a BIG delay, it is likely we will not have another trial hearing date until April or May! There is still an outstanding petition regarding tax returns from 2019. I have asked about it NUMEROUS times, with no real solution. My X chose to lie about his return, saying it was garnished, without providing proof. After 2 years, it's still in limbo, and never brought to the judge's attention that he has continuously gone against the court's order. If I even attempted to voice my feelings or frustrations regarding such incidents I would be yelled at and told that I am too ignorant to understand the law. Even the receptionist, Alice, is awful to work with. Most would get fired for the behavior and attitude they all exude. They have stolen over 3 years of my life, the relationship with my child, and over $15k in fees. We still don't have a new trial date and in over 3 years in court only 2 issues have been resolved. Go figure, one of those issues regarded her fees in which she would receive a payment. The office seems to be taking on too many cases, which leads to lack of quality, care, and knowledge of cases. To be honest, I am surprised that this "firm" is still open and that the lawyers are allowed to practice law.

She told me on the matter of payment that she was to get the payment from my ex first THEN discuss a payment option with me. Then she told the judge she DIDNT say that! Had I known what kind of mess this would have turned out to be i would have NEVER brought my ex into court and fought for sole custo...dy. I should have just left well enough alone.

If you want a no, nonsense and get things done she is the person to hire! I have been through a very contentious divorce and without her commitment, knowledge and determination I would’ve been not been able to successfully have custody of my children. She is compassionate, but tells you the way it is...! She is genuine and truly listens to your case and takes action. I have referred her to several people. What you see is what you get! Hire her…. She truly is the BEST!!!

My experience was pretty much spot on with the existing review. She had me sign an agreement that she ignored herself. She did things without telling me. Took days and sometimes weeks to reply to messages and when she did they were incomplete responses. Part of her staff is family and she claimed sh...e couldn't fire them after acknowledging their incompetence. Now that my retainer has been used up and she is aware that I'm not happy, she is withdrawing from my case for false reasons. On top of all that she over billed and under delivered. Wish I would have checked here before hiring her.