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Laura A McDermott

Divorce and separation Attorney at Florence, AZ

5.0   17 reviews
  • Licensed for 24 years
    State AZ
    Acquired 1999
    Status
    Active No misconduct found

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

About Laura

Learn Laura’s areas of practice.

5
Practice areas
  1. Divorce and separation
    45%
    Negotiate financial and family matters in divorce or legal separation, including a fair division of community assets and debt.

  2. Child custody
    35%
    Child custody matters in Arizona involve legal decision-making (legal decisions regarding healthcare, education, religion and personal care) and a schedule for shared parenting time (visitation).

  3. Child support
    10%
    Negotiate and calculate child support, either by agreement or in court, by objectively determining the most appropriate amount of child support for your situation.

  4. Trusts
    5%
    A living trust allows you to manage your property while you are alive, to direct who will manage your property if you become incapable of doing so, and to direct disposition of your estate upon your death.

  5. Wills and living wills
    5%
    A written will lets you decide what happens to your money and property after you die, while a living will lets you decide whether or not you wish to be placed on a medical life support system if you become incapacitated.

Attorney Laura McDermott concentrates her law practice on Family Law (Divorce, Child Custody, Father's Rights, Grandparents Rights), Severance of Parental Rights, Domestic Violence related matters, Protective Orders (Orders of Protection and Injunctions Against Harassment), Guardianship / Conservatorship (Minors), and  Estate Planning (Wills, Trusts, Power of Attorney). With over 23 years of legal experience in Arizona, Laura McDermott represents clients throughout Pinal County. The McDermott Law Firm offers clients an online Client Portal and convenient payment options.

Contact Laura

McDermott Law Firm, PLLC
355 N. Main St
PO Box 1799
Florence, AZ, 85132

Reviews

5.0 / 5.0
  17 customer reviews
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Posted by anonymous | December 12, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Super to work with!!
Right off, I found Laura to be very down-to-earth and compassionate as a person. She worked on my case with the utmost integrity and diligence. Laura would be my first and only recommendation for anyone needing a family law attorney.
Posted by john | February 14, 2022
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
client
Laura was the first real honest atty i have ever dealt with. she was up front on the whole divorce she was very adamant about giving her the truth about all. Laura what she said she would do. the truth ruled. Thank you for giving me my life back. And giving me a different look at the legal system. Signed one happy client
Posted by anonymous | August 26, 2021
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Exceeded expectations
Laura exceeded our expectations in the handling of our case. She won the case with ease and remained respectful and courteous to ALL parties even when the opposing lawyer was horribly unprofessional. Definitely recommend.
Posted by Jon | September 2, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
exceptional on every level!
Child and family law case. addressed all our needs explained everything clearly and professionally. Top notch Attorney. I was always able to reach her through email, phone or website.
Posted by Esperanza | February 18, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Firm, Aggressive, everything ing you want in a lawyer
For anyone who needs a lawyer for family services like custody and parenting time,... she is the lawyer to go to. We had a free consultation where she explained what she was about and what she could do for us. She let us know what the judge would look for and and consider. She was straight up from the get go and was aggressive in our case for my step son. We ended up getting everything we asked for. She made sure to cut out the nonsense and remained professional throughout the whole ordeal. She made it easy for us to place our trust and money in her hands. She was on top of everything and filed all paperwork expeditiously. She also has an online portal where you can see all paperwork all messages and made it easy to communicate with her. Honestly the best of the best!
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Posted by Dennis | February 6, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Fantastic
Always on top of things, never pushed me to decide anything. I could have likely got some kind of settlement, but I chose to quit and not drag things out. I would highly recommend Laura.
Posted by Kristina | January 25, 2020
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Would highly recommend for modification of child custody/parenting time/emergency custody
Mrs McDermott represented my family in an emergency custody situation that progressed into a modification of an existing custody order (through divorce) from 6 years prior. Starting with the consultation until I picked up my final casefile Mrs. McDermott was very thorough, professional, and No Nonsense. She ensured that we knew what to expect, without giving false hope. She worked diligently to present all evidence, facts and Witnesses in our case in the most respectful and appropriate manner. She walked us through each step of the process and insured that we were within all legal time frames, that we had all the documentation showing due diligence on our part. She was able to to take tons of information we provided and effectively put together the information that solidly proved our case without bogging it down with a bunch of extras or things that were less significant in the long run. She always made herself available either through text, email, or phone call. She was very fast and proficient with her responses and ensured her availability to appear when unexpected issues arose. She is very personable and there's definitely somebody that you want to have on your side when fighting for your loved ones. I would highly, highly recommend her, and if needed will definitely be using her in the future. Don't be scared off by the initial payment ....it goes a long way and she breaks it down so you understand exactly where your money is going and was even able to get a court order for the other party to reimburse some of my out-of-pocket costs.
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Posted by Luz | June 17, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Name change after divorce (military overseas)
I seriously can’t say enough about Laura and her firm. I would seriously recommend to anyone needing legal assistance. I am an active service member overseas who got a divorce but the divorce decree didn’t state I wanted my maiden name restored. I found Laura on google and called her up and she immediately agreed to take my case and sent up a contract so we could get everything started. She is so quick and responsive with everything and made this whole process as stress free as possible! Another plus is everything she does is she does is electronically so any documents I needed she would upload them on the portal and I would get them off there instead of having to send everything through the mail and it prolonging the case! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH LAURA!
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Posted by Dawn | February 21, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
No regrets!
My husband and I obtained Laura McDermott. We needed help getting scheduled visitations for our granddaughter. In Arizona, we do have a grandparents rights law, however, it is not cut and dried. Not only was Laura was so on top of everything. She kept us informed as every step took place, she had to remind the "other" attorney several times when they were not timely. When it came down to the trial, this is where Laura absolutely soared. She had done her homework and presented all exhibits with such confidence, really blew them out of the water! There is not one thing my husband nor I could say that would have made things go better. Before meeting with Laura for the first time, my husband and I felt pretty hopeless, feeling the loss of not being part of our granddaughters life was awful. We put all our eggs in her basket, and WON! Of coarse, we hope never to need her again, but if we do, there will be no hesitation. With pleasure, we definitely recommend Laura McDermott.
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Posted by anonymous | January 30, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Great attorney, highly recommend.
Laura did an amazing job on my extremely high conflict child custody case. I was the respondent and the party who filed the case was determined to use any method necessary to hurt me, to avoid paying his part of back child support, to avoid paying a fair amount for current child support, to get large amounts of parenting time with a child he has never had significant parenting time with and essentially to cause turmoil in our lives out of jealousy and hatred . He attempted very shifty and manipulative tactics, including false reports, a sundry of lies, dishonesty on his financial documents and the list goes on. Laura met him and his attorney at every pass, she called him out and got to the bottom of each lie. She made sure that he was held accountable for his lack of support in the past and that he was required to provide support going forward. Laura was also able to get an order for him to pay some of my attorneys fees, I was also awarded sole decision making, primary residential parenting. It is refreshing to have the other party held responsible for his actions and held accountable for helping to take care of his child in a fair way. Laura McDermott was very communicative, answered my questions and was forthright with me about what I should truly expect. She took the time and put in the energy and effort needed to make sure that the truth prevailed and that a fair judgement was gained.
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Posted by Adam | August 15, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
An amazing attorney.
Laura has accomplished so much in my case. She came in mid case on a pro se case. She took over got up to speed and fought for me. She did an amazing job and was always on top of things. Very responsive and her client portal app made sharing documents and communicating very easy.
Posted by anonymous | October 15, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
A+ Family Law Attorney
Laura McDermott is an amazing lawyer. She helped me at a time in need when I did not know how to be my own voice. From the beginning, Laura had my my best interest at heart. Laura will not sugar coat things and tell you what you want to hear, instead Laura will tell you how the law works, the truth about your case, give you options, and will work her hardest for you in ever aspect. Laura is extremely detail oriented and unlike most lawyers, Laura not only represents you but also does her own paralegal work which means she is in tune with your case the entire way. I felt so confident having Laura by my side knowing she will work her hardest for me and have my best interest at hand. Laura thank you for all that you do and for what you did for my family. I am beyond grateful to have met you.
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Posted by Margaret M. | May 9, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Best Choice for Attorney
Laura is the best imaginable Attorney a person could hire. She is friendly and smart and more experienced than most. Any question you have is always answered and explained. Unlike other Attorneys, she is never annoyed by anything you need to ask her. Laura always tells you what is going on, what you need, what will happen and how much it costs. Her fees are extremely reasonable. She also uses many on-line features that are fast and save you a lot of money. She is absolutely the best attorney I have ever had to hire, and she is worth every penny!
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Posted by anonymous | October 27, 2015
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Breath of Fresh Air
I have had an extremely difficult experience with serious criminal charges that have completely rocked my world and showed me a side of the judicial system I would have preferred to remain ignorant of. Laura was the one of the very few individuals throughout this ordeal that treated me and made me feel like a human being again, rather than a monster. Very supportive, honest, upfront and communicative. She was outspoken and to the point, yet polite in court. I am confident that without her local connections and timely communication with those involved in my case, the final results would not have been as positive. I have unfortunately spoken to and worked with more than one attorney during this ordeal and always walked away feeling worse about my situation. My experience with 'Laura' was more like having a friend help me out than hiring an attorney.
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Posted by Mr. Pink | October 15, 2014
Wow! A Lawyer that I actually trust and connected with! Who'da thunk it?
I was charged with a petty marijuana possession the late summer of 2013. The statute of limitation for a marijuana possession in AZ is 12 months. Much to my dismay (and thinking I had gotten away with it), they filed the charges after 11 months and about 15 days. Naturally, I wanted to do anything I could to prevent this bad boy from becoming a felony (AZ law states a marijuana possession is a felony, charming for a state with medical marijuana). So I hired Laura McDermott, of McDermott Law Firm, PLLC. First of all, I really liked that I was working with the lawyer who owned the firm. Second, I liked that she was a woman. Maybe that's sexist against men, but female lawyers simply work harder, in my opinion, and Ms. McDermott was definitely not an exception to that trend. Laura (first name basis, which I also liked), was very personable, helpful, and most of all, available. I never imagined that in the world of professional law, that my lawyer would not only answer all of my calls (and give me her cell phone number), but also told me that I could text message her with any questions I had about the case! That, right there, was such a nice option, I literally never once felt like I was even somewhat uninformed about my case. When she needed something from me, she would just call me, even if it was like 11 p.m. Some people may not like that, but for me, I literally couldn't have asked for anything more in the communication department. Next, the case itself. So I was given 2 charges, possession of marijuana and paraphernalia (joint-rolling papers). I live more than 1000 miles from where this happened, so I was really freaking out, and thinking that I was going to have to go back to AZ, miss a bunch of stuff, have it be really embarrassing and all that, but Laura went to my pre-trial hearing for me, which was to be expected, but still very nice because I didn't have to miss work. She applied for a "diversion" agreement for me, which means that I could get the charges dismissed if I did "some things". That freaked me out too, because there was no telling what the prosecutor could have made me do, but I was willing to do anything to get is dismissed. Large consequences if not. This is getting pretty long so I'll wrap up. Due to both Laura's personal relationship with the prosecutor, and my academic and worldliness (college, cool job, some volunteering), the case was dismissed, my only reprimands being a $100 fine, and I can't break any laws for 12 months. Laura says that I can get that down to 6 months too. If I had to hold my breath while I tried to think of something that could have gone better with Laura McDermott and my case, I surely would suffocate. If you want a lawyer that actually cares, about you, as a person, who made a mistake, and will actually help you get through some hard times, choose Laura McDermott.
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Posted by Edwin | May 6, 2014
A Friend In Need is a friend indeed!
I learned about Ms. McDermott only from the Justia website. I needed help with a traffic ticket right away; I was away from home and knew nobody in the area. She immediately responded to my inquiry, met with us, and quoted the terms of engagement clearly. She stayed with us right through a satisfactory conclusion. She is very impressive...
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Posted by Richard | April 14, 2014
A good Person to have on your side
Laura McDermott was able to negotiate a plea deal for me that reduced the complaint from criminal to civil in a unique case that the prosecutor seemed determined to hold out for a guilty plea. She was very determined and confident in her representation. I am very grateful and pleased with my association with Laura McDermott.
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Cost

Rates
  • Free Consultation 30 minutes
  • Hourly Rates $ 300-300 per hour
Payment methods
Cash, Check, Credit Card

Resume

AVVO RATING 9.0 (Superb)

Work Experience

  • Attorney/Owner
  • McDermott Law Firm, PLLC
  • 2013 - Present
  • Deputy County Attorney
  • Pinal County Attorney's Office
  • 2008 - 2013
  • Deputy County Attorney
  • Maricopa County Attorney's Office
  • 1999 - 2008
  • Family Law Clinic Student Attorney
  • Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic
  • 1998 - 1998
  • Law Clerk Intern for Chief Tribal Judge
  • Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court
  • 1996 - 1996
View all work experience

Education

  • University of Maine School of Law
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • 1998
  • University of Maine
  • BA - Bachelor of Arts
  • 1994
  • University of Maine
  • AS - Associate of Science
  • N/A

Associations

  • DNA People's Legal Services, Inc
  • Former Board Member
  • 2008 - 2009
  • Pinal County Bar Association
  • Member
  • 2008 - 2023
  • Arizona State Bar Criminal Rules & Procedures Committee
  • Former Committee Member
  • 2005 - 2006

Languages Spoken

  • English

Speaking Engagements

  • In-House Training Session - Pinal County Attorney's Office
  • Arizona Felony Prosecution Charging and Grand Jury Procedures in Pinal County
  • 2013
  • Pinal County COJET Conference (Committee on Judicial Education and Training)
  • Criminal Case Charging and Case Flow Process in Pinal County
  • 2012
  • Presented to Casa Grande District DPS Officers- Department of Public Safety
  • DUI Case Submittal and Charging Guidelines For Pinal County
  • 2012
  • Gila River Police Department Training Session
  • Criminal Case Charging Timelines and Procedure in Pinal County
  • 2011
  • Pinal County COJET Conference (Committee on Judicial Education and Training)
  • Criminal Case Charging and Case Flow Process in Pinal County
  • 2011
  • Police Officer Recruit Training Session - Central Arizona College (CARLOTA)
  • Property Crimes in Arizona - Title 13, Chapters 15 (Criminal Trespass & Burglary), 16 (Criminal Damage and Criminal Littering), 17 (Arson & Reckless Burning) and 18 (Theft, Shoplifting, Bad Checks, Vehicle Theft)
  • 2011
  • Police Recruit Training - Central Arizona College (CARLOTA)
  • Property Crimes in Arizona - Title 13, Chapters 15 (Criminal Trespass & Burglary), 16 (Criminal Damage and Criminal Littering), 17 (Arson & Reckless Burning) and 18 (Theft, Shoplifting, Bad Checks, Vehicle Theft)
  • 2010
  • Presented to Casa Grande District DPS Officers- Department of Public Safety
  • DUI Case Submittal and Charging Guidelines For Pinal County
  • 2010
  • Police Officer Recruit Training Session - Central Arizona College (CARLOTA)
  • Property Crimes in Arizona - Title 13, Chapters 15 (Criminal Trespass & Burglary), 16 (Criminal Damage and Criminal Littering), 17 (Arson & Reckless Burning) and 18 (Theft, Shoplifting, Bad Checks, Vehicle Theft)
  • 2009
View all speaking engagements

Attorney endorsements

Received (11)
Given (10)
Endorse Laura
Family Attorney | Jan 21
Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter
"I came to know Laura by practicing against her over 12 years ago. She is highly intelligent, extremely skilled and always prepared. No one will out work her. If I, a close family member or personal friend had a family law matter, I would not hesitate to engage her services, especially if the case involved high stakes custody issues or the division and preservation of significant assets. Laura is also a go to when your family law case involves peripheral criminal allegations because she was a prosecutor for a number of years."
Family Attorney | Dec 01
Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter
"Laura was very professional and courteous in the handling of a family law matter as opposing counsel. She was easy to contact and discuss the issues to reach a settlement that was in both parties interest."
Criminal defense Attorney | Apr 09
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. Laura knows how to help her clients and will aggressively defend her case. She is a lawyer to have on your side."
Speeding and traffic ticket Attorney | Jul 31
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse Laura. Excellent local endorsements and contributions. Reviews tell volumes. If you are in or near Chandler do yourself a favor and schedule a consultation."
Criminal defense Attorney | Jul 22
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Having seen many of Laura's answers to complicated questions I can attest to her extensive knowledge of criminal issues here in Arizona. I would definitely recommend her."
Unknown Attorney | Jul 20
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. An incredible reputation with peers and clients alike"
DUI and DWI Attorney | Jun 11
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Laura is a tremendous advocate for her clients. I give her my highest endorsement in the field of criminal and DUI defense."
Criminal defense Attorney | May 13
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I personally endorse Attorney McDermott for being an outstanding member of her profession and for bringing quality legal work to her clients."
Criminal defense Attorney | May 08
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. Laura is hardworking and compassionate and is a well-respected member of the legal community."
Unknown Attorney | May 08
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. Ms. McDermott is a skilled and respected member of the legal community."
Child custody Attorney | May 08
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. A brilliant and highly respected attorney in the legal community."
View more endorsements
Criminal defense
Criminal defense
Criminal defense
Personal injury
Criminal defense
Criminal defense
Criminal defense
Personal injury