James M. Cordes

James is a nice man. But he cost me 100s of thousands of dollars that I didn’t need to pay. I consulted with two additional attorneys, but it was too late and the damage was done. He also gave me bad advice about the likely outcome of a court case if we went to trial. The money out-of-pocket goin...g to my ex wife was earmarked for my children in a trust. In short, she is taking my kids’ inheritance and James advised the outcome. James is minimally competent—he included items in the separation agreement that I did not okay, massive amounts of typos in court documents, and he advised that if I went to court I might have to pay lifetime maintenance (I later found out that the statutory period would have been 7.5 years, not 40+ years (if my ex-wife lived to be 80) as he suggested could be the outcome. James means well and seems like a nice guy, but he is a bad lawyer.

James is a smart, strategic lawyer who knows what a reasonable outcome in divorce looks like. He helped me negotiate end of spousal support upon my retirement at age 62. He was a strong advocate on my behalf with the judge, opposing counsel and arbitrator, but also a voice of reason when counseling... me. Ultimately we were able to negotiate a final cash settlement that was reasonable during a non-binding arbitration, terminating support and resolving all issues in a divorce that had been extremely lengthy and difficult eight years prior. James also did a good job negotiating with opposing counsel a confidentiality agree related to an employment separation agreement with my former employer, that was satisfactory to my somewhat rigid former employer and me. All-in-all a very good job by James.

James worked on my case, partnered with Laura. He is very professional and right to business. Opposing council for my case was very abrasive even toward James who was merely representing me. He brushed it right off and stayed focused on my case. He gave me the straight scoop whether I was going t...o like it or not. James is part of the Shapiro Law Firm and he is one of the latest additions to the team of outstanding people there. I highly recommend James; he is a solid asset in anyone's corner.

Being a client in a divorce case is never a fun experience. However, James made the experience as painless as possible. He was always willing to discuss my case with me, even when it was the second or third time we discussed something. The other important thing to note was that I was happy with th...e how the case ended. I would recommend James to anyone.