Melissa Faye Benson

I recently had the privilege of being represented by Melissa in my divorce case, and I am exceedingly pleased with the outcome. From our initial consultation to the final resolution, Melissa demonstrated unparalleled intelligence, strategic acumen, and legal expertise. Melissa's profound understan...ding of family law, coupled with her ability to navigate complex legal issues, was evident at every stage of my case. She consistently provided clear, concise, and thorough explanations of the legal process, ensuring that I was well-informed and confident in the decisions we made together. Her proactive approach in anticipating and addressing potential challenges was instrumental in achieving a favorable resolution. Melissa's sharp intellect and exceptional problem-solving skills were key factors in the successful closure of my case. Beyond her legal prowess, Melissa exhibited a high degree of professionalism and empathy. She understood the emotional intricacies involved and provided not only expert legal counsel but also genuine support throughout the process. I am profoundly grateful for Melissa's dedication and commitment to my case. Her remarkable intelligence, strategic insight, and compassionate approach distinguish her as an outstanding lawyer. I would highly recommend Melissa to anyone seeking exemplary legal representation in family law matters.

Melissa was able to help me navigate a very difficult case. This is a case I definitely would not have made it through on my own, or with a state appointed attorney. She was knowledgeable and attentive throughout the whole process. Melissa made sure to constantly update me and explain what was next i...n an easy-to-understand way. In the end we got a final ruling in my favor and now I have my family back together!

After my narcissistic husband pushed me over and over to divorce him, I finally my did! Kicked him out, he moved to Phoenix while I stayed in Flagstaff. Even though Melissa is in Mesa, she was so helpful with planning phone calls, communicating through email, had things mailed to and from wherever th...e papers needed to go. He was a bit erratic to deal with. Didn’t want to get his own lawyer. Wanted to do everything non contested.. but loved to fight and bicker. He would be sweet one day and gladly work with me towards divorce, and the next day blow up my phone begging me to reconsider, pause the paperwork, only to have him call me the next day demanding we get divorced as soon as possible. Melissa gave me some great advice on how to legally move forward, held my hand every step of the way, and advised what’s best for me, gave some advice on this stressful time in my life. I’m so thankful it only took a few months, that we got everything filed, and I could do everything remotely! I didn’t have to travel; and I didn’t have to physically see my ex the whole time! Thank goodness!

Prior to using Melissa Benson what I was being offered was going to be the following. 1. $360 a month to her in child support payments. 2. Over the course of the year I would go from 15 to 20 hours a week with my kid up to 50/50 as long as I never got any notification of any type on a software t...o monitor my porn usage but if I ever got any notification, I would have to go back to 15-20 hrs. a week. 3. She would make legal decision-making choices in the best interest of our son 1. What I got was $100 a month in child support payments to her. 2. 50-50 custody with a week on a week off effective immediately. (The porn thing got entirely thrown out) 3. I got equal legal decision making When we got to court the judge threw out basically all of our evidence because I did not submit it in time. This was at no-fault to my attorney as I said I waited until the last possible minute to hire her because I was trying to work things out with my ex for my kid’s best interest And because of that I did not submit the information in time. Fortunately, my attorney was very good, and she remembered all of the major points of the evidence we were going to turn in, so she basically asked all the questions when I was on the stand so that the information still got to be heard before the judge. The highlight of my time on the stand was when my attorney showed me a picture, but I didn’t know she had of me holding my child during Christmas. Upon receiving that photo, I began to immediately cry, and it became very visible to everyone in court how much I loved my son along with how much I have been enduring past 2 1/2 years of relocating to the city he lived in so I could be an available dad for him. I had witnesses who came with me, and everyone said that from that moment on the judge’s attitude towards me has shifted as beforehand she looked at me with kind of disgust as if I was the bad guy but when she saw how I felt about my son her attitude changed. I was grateful that my attorney also coached me on what to say and what not to say. Let me be clear she didn’t tell me exactly what to say or what not to say but she instructed me on how to handle myself in court which was to never talk over the judge, to always speak of things that I did or didn’t do because I cared about what was in the best interest of my son, and to always be brief with what was going on or is she called it bottom line up front. When it was all said and done the court awarded me 50-50 custody effective immediately where I would have my son for a week. The court was really impressed that I had done over 80 hours of parenting education classes between the time I learned about being a dad and the court date and then I had done a lot of things to try and get involved with other single parents or co parents. I did this This because my attorney suggested It. I’m glad she suggested this, I’m glad I did it, Because the court was very impressed with that. Prior to going to court I was sending my ex about 200 bucks a month but after court they said I had already overpaid what was a reasonable amount of child support based upon our income levels and then it would not owe her any arrears and that I would only have to pay her 100 dollars a month going forward. Lastly, I get to make decisions for the best interest of my child and neither of us can come to a conclusion with what is in the kid’s best interest, we would have to consult each other. To say it bluntly every area that mattered when it came to going to court and what I wanted I got. I wish I would not have had to hire an attorney because Of how else that money could’ve been used, but without question I’m grateful that I did and more importantly that it was Melissa Benson!