Paula Lock Smyth

After I paid her my $1500, she was hard to reach and nearly impossible to get a hold of. I asked multiple questions via email, but was always told that she was "busy" or "in court". I emailed her a request regarding my legal document...and it's been months and she hasn't responded. I do NOT recommend... Ms. Smyth for anyone who anticipates having a back and forth discussion about your legal issues. She was aloof, dismissive, and not helpful. I wasted $1500 on her!!!

Paula did an outstanding job with my custody case. She was always very prepared for trial, she knew the lawyers she was up against. She worked great with the judge. She also kept me in line. I got very angry at times and lashed out. Vented at her. She was very professional. When needed she was... very firm. Paula is a great attorney. She also has a very dedicated staff that helped when she was in court and couldnt get back to me right away. I am very pleased

I began interviewing attorneys in December 2011 in anticipation of divorce. I considered divorce for many years but always came back to "I don't want to lose my kids". I even used the phrase "It's cheaper to keep her" to validate my reasons for not filing for divorce. So even after interviewing se...veral lawyers, I still decided to wait. However, I came to the conclusion that when needed, Paula would be my attorney of choice. The decision was made for several reasons but the three most important to me were 1) Her knowledge of family law....she had the answers to all of my questions immediately. She never said "I'm not sure...can I get back to you on that one?" 2) Her professional and personal experiences with one of the main causes for my divorce...alcoholism. 3) Her compassion for my kids well-being. Throughout the entire process she always lead with "What do you think is best for the kids?" And although she never admitted it, I believe in closed chambers, she would ask the judge the same question which made the best of a bad situation for my kids. Fast forward six months later....I'm sitting in my office at 4:30 on a Friday, and a stranger shows up and serves me with divorce papers and a protective order preventing me from going home and preventing me from communicating with or seeing my kids. My heart sank!!! There's alot of things a person can do to make me mad, but never, never try and come between my kids and me. I sent a frantic email to Paula at 4:50 on a Friday evening explaining what had just transpired and you know what??? She immediately responded to my email and spent quite a bit of time calming me down and explained all of my options. She made time to meet with me first thing Monday morning to discuss specifics and set expectations. Our initial court date was two weeks later and she made sure she was prepared. Paula and her office staff were meticulous in filing papers with the courts. I never had to be concerned about missing a deadline or anything being filed with the court improperly. Our first day in court, Paula immediately got the Protective Order revoked AND convinced the judge to make my ex-wife-to-be leave the house for almost two weeks so I could recover that time away from my kids. One week after our initial court date the judge granted me primary custody of our children. Yes. In Texas...the husband was awarded primary custody of the kids. I'm guessing because SOMEONE asked "What do you think is best for the kids". There were additional court dates and repeated requests from my wife's legal team but custody never changed. I maintained primary custody after every court appearance because, I believe, SOMEONE asked the question "What do you think is best for the kids?". Even after my wife CHANGED lawyers, Paula kept the proceedings on track and never allowed any delays. We attended mediation in December and when we left that night...the ex-to-be agreed to sign over the house, we agreed that NO child support would be paid to either parent and after a 15 year marriage, there was no alimony that had to be paid. AND...the kids would still spend more time with their dad than with their mom. Do you know why? Well, I believe SOMEONE kept asking "What do you think is best for the kids?". Oh yeah...did I mention I am a business owner and my ex has no claim whatsoever in my business now? Yeah...that happened too. Our entire divorce from beginning to end took six months and one week. Paula never over-promised and under-delivered. Conversely...she set my expectations lower than what I hoped for and in the end I got more than I could have imagined. I promise you....it is never "cheaper to keep her". If you want an attorney that will fight tooth and nail for you in an expeditious manner with better than expected results, Paul Lock-Smyth is the answer. Sometimes you just have to do what you think is best for the kids!