Don't trust what you read online. You won't find any reviews on my ex's attorney, yet my ex cleaned me out while Van der Jagt did nothing to defend me. Give Culver credit, he's good at getting bodies in the door. That initial meeting, he made all these promises, wanted to move aggressively, pushe...d me to file divorce papers immediately. I filed, and then... nothing. Lots of nothing. The attorney assigned to me kept telling me that we just had to wait for the initial status conference... then we had to wait for the PRE... then the mediation session... then it was all over. Meanwhile, my ex's attorney was filing motions, ordering a parental responsibility eval, putting me through the wringer. I was immediately assigned to one of Van der Jagt's contract attorneys. Terrible attorney. * My attorney generally wouldn't respond until I'd emailed twice about any given issue. * Once he went completely dark on me for over a week, lamely replying that he was out sick. You're kidding. You don't have an out of office notice on your damn email? * He dutifully emailed me every filing my ex's attorney made, without any accompanying explanation. I was left to my own devices to decipher the documents. When I did email my questions, it would take several days to get a reply and the replies were not helpful. * I asked if I should be filing the same motions and my attorney responded that he and Culver felt like these motions weren't helpful to the case and were just harassment. So it was fine for my ex to harass me, but they didn't approve of it. * That didn't really matter because he neglected to tell me that there's a 60 day pre-trial deadline for filing motions. On top of that he never asked if there were any motions I'd like to file. So by the time I got hit with the pattern interrogatories, etc, it was too late for me to request the same anyhow. * There's also a 60 day deadline for naming witnesses. He never asked if I wanted to call any witnesses. * My ex ordered a PRE, yet I received no coaching, no advice, nothing. As you might predict, my ex's attorney did the opposite, and the outcome should be obvious. The PRE, selected my my ex's attorney, handed out a report even more favorable than my ex requested. * So I walk into the mediation hearing with an extremely weak position. * At the mediation hearing, it turned out that he didn't have the software on his laptop to calculate child support payments. I had to download it myself. You might think that being a family law attorney he'd use this stuff daily, but you'd be mistaken. * At mediation my ex's attorney wrote the memorandum of understanding and the final documents. The MOU contained some major catches that my attorney missed. I did realize that things were starting to go badly about 6 weeks before my court date and I talked to another attorney. She told me that Van der Jagt hires contract attorneys and farms out cases to them, and apparently only does court appearances. My particular attorney she'd faced 3 times before and her take was that he was sloppy and lazy. I agree with her assessment completely, and hopefully if you've taken one thing from this review, it's that fact. Unfortunately, by the time I realized how bad it was, I'd missed the major deadlines and she wasn't willing to take on a case that had been so badly mismanaged. In the end, you should judge your attorney by the outcome. So here's the score: If I had taken my ex's initial proposal after the initial status conference, I would see my kids more than every other weekend. I'd have saved months of stress and indignity. I'd have a smaller alimony and child support payment. And I'd have saved tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. So hiring Van der Jagt cost me in the neighborhood of $30,000 up front, another $75,000 by the time I'm done paying alimony and child support, and a whole lot of stress, gray hair, and lines on my face.

Copied letter to Van Der Jagt law: Thank you for your support and the support of Kelli Malcolm, as I negotiated legal waters with my ex-husband. In particular, you recognized that though I did not fully understand it or want to embrace it, I was a victim of domestic abuse. You introduced me to the ..."wheel of power and abuse” and my life changed. My husband has supported me through the years regarding my ex, but your revelation helped me to help myself. I studied the wheel components and made myself understand how I came to where I was. For a short while I denied so many “check marks” of the wheel, then I felt enlightenment and acceptance which then transformed to anger at myself and my ex. Now the anger has subsided and I have empowerment. With empowerment one can accept the past, resolve the issues, and never fall into that trap again. Thank you for empowering me. I have met with my ex several times since and I have remained strong, to the facts, solid in commitment, and will never cower again. My past anxiety (PTSD) dealing with him has now turned to normal anxiety for the situation, but without a racing heart, fear, dread, or submission. Kelli (Malcolm) is a gem! She is such an advocate. I remember in the office consultation someone said that “no one could ever be mean to Kelli.” I had yet to meet her, but when I did I realized that "though she be small, she be fierce.” She was very professional and supportive. She earnestly conveys an attitude of doing what is right for the children, which no one can argue with. She was soft yet powerful, mild yet controlling in the meeting with my ex and his attorney. She has some sort of magic for controlling chaos. Her knowledge and vast experience of social services and the policies/procedures therein make her an expert for cases like mine or any involving children. I believe her heartfelt concern is for the children, and that is a powerful component which lends to trustworthiness. I highly recommend her services. Thank you, J. Rausch

I first showed up at the Van Der Jagt offices as a walk-in without an appointment. Within minutes I was talking with Culver. Culver showed me that he understood the situation I was in. I was divorcing a high-conflict personality disordered spouse. Culver asked me some very specific questions that let... me know that he knew how borderline personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder would effect the divorce process. He offered me some advise on serving the divorce papers that at first I found hard to accept. In fact, I argued with him against this advise for 30 minutes. Now, over a year later, I'm glad I followed his advise! He definitely saved me from making a costly mistake. The thing that impresses me most about Culver is that he utilizes his extensive experience in litigating tough divorce cases to offer rock-solid advise to his clients on how to navigate the entire divorce process both personally and legally.

It was Super Bowl Sunday and I had an emergency child custody issue that needed immediate attention. I contacted Culver and he agreed we needed to address the situation ASAP. He asked me to meet him at his law office and he worked with me on my case until after midnight. His professionalism, respons...iveness and dedication to my case was more than I could have ever imagined. He is powerful, intelligent and focused. This short review cannot relay the gratitude I feel toward Culver Van Der Jagt and his team.