Marlene M. Zinsmeister

I married an abusive man in 2005. We had two children. All I wanted was to get away from him and protect my 5 and 3 year olds. According to the laws in Texas, I had to hire and pay for an attorney to represent me. Marlene took my case and it took me over THREE YEARS before my simple divorce was g...ranted. I ended up going through a jury trial. Texas is the only state that allows it. Anyway, I lost everything. My home, my job, my inheritance and most importantly, custody of my children. DO NOT hire Marlene to represent you. Her agenda is herself.

I was a client of Ms. Zinsmeister in 2017. During initial consultation, Ms. Zinsmeister said all the right things to me. She stated that she had a special interest in my case. She insinuated that she herself would be handling the specifics in my case. Shame on me for not directly asking that question... . So, when my case was being reviewed , Ms. Zinsmeister wasn’t available. She constantly allowed her legal aids to handle even the most sensitive and intimate issues with opposing council. I attempted to bring this to her attention, but her staff constantly said that Ms. Zinsmeister was not available. I wouldn’t hire her again , to be sure.

Marlene Zinsmeister was recommended because she was a “ Bulldog” in court, which I needed for my case. After my consultation with Marlene and briefing her on my situation she was overly confident that my then husband would “ Pay for what he did”. She oversold herself. I felt confident in her abilitie...s. Boy was I wrong! I was spoken to as if I was expected to understand the system and how things worked and when I would call for clarification I was charged every time. Her unfriendly front desk staff seemed to get annoyed with my questions. I wanted to understand more about what needed to be done or what happens next... I had to have a second meeting to get a better understanding ($425 later....) All of these things were annoying but what makes me rate her a 1 Star is the fact that during our consultation she “ oversold” herself but when we went to mediation she didn’t fight for anything. Hours upon hours of gathering receipts paper trails photos emails, all things you requested and it did nothing. When I asked her how about certain things that she had said my ex would pay her only reply was “ well you can’t force a person by law to pay/ sell ....” WELL if that was the case I could’ve told you that they would never AGREE!” I was completely disillusioned by the woman that told me she had my best interest. I was out 15K ( yes I have the custody of my children) but lost my home and everything that I put into it for so many years. No marital support no insurance. I wish I could disclose in full detail all that I endured that led up to my divorce and how it would seem like a open and shut case..but then this review really wouldn’t be anonymous ... let’s just say I wasn’t just screwed over by my ex.

I went to Marlene after being served with divorce papers unexpectedly. Marlene listened to me and my story - talked to me about what my goals were for the divorce with kids and what she could do for me. Marlene is a straight shooter and will give you an honest opinion. I hired her and it was the ...best decision. My divorce started off very contentious - the opposing lawyer was happy to write letters and emails and run up the bill - Marlene was not like that - she was a wise steward of money. She addressed things that were important and ignored what was just noise. We met multiple times and set a strategy and followed that strategy for the duration. Marlene is very smart and level headed which translated to strength upon which I came to rely. She would hear my concern and calm me down / set me straight when needed. Her staff is top notch and quick to respond to my questions and offer suggestions. Marlene is well respected in the Fort Bend county courts and is familiar with the procedures - she was an asset when we went to court to enforce agreements from the temporary orders that had been ignored. Eventually things started to settle down in the case - as we went through mediation Marlene was great - she offered great advice and solid counsel. She was vital to me getting a fair settlement and a fair custody arrangement - I am confident that things would have been much different had I had a different attorney. I highly recommend Marlene Zinsmeister and her firm - you will not be disappointed in her intelligence, her skill and her professionalism.