Kelly Marie Shaffer

My wife’s children were removed per an emergency order resulting from a baseless claim of child abuse. Despite us having video and audio evidence that contradicted the allegations, Kelly’s advice was to wait 6-8 months for DCS to investigate. She told us that we were not able to fight the allegations... or the removal of custody of the kids. We sought several outside opinions and all were in agreement that our evidence was very strong and that *not* fighting the allegations would imply guilt on our part. Even worse: The day that the kids were taken away, I called and the office to beg them to contact my wife by phone that day as she was very distraught. Blake Binion-Holliday told me (verbatim), “We are not a crisis line. You are entitled to legal advice and you will receive that in writing by the end of the day.” I cannot believe the lack of empathy afforded to a client in the field of family law… In our opinion, Kelly’s office is fine for handling simple run-of-the-mill family cases. But if you have a complex case or one that goes before a judge, you need an attorney that exudes confidence and can get the judge’s attention and make your side of the case heard. Kelly proved utterly incapable of doing so - to the point that we wish we had hired the opposing attorney. Her lack of ability in front of a judge, her obvious inexperience in cases involving false allegations of abuse where DCS has become involved, and her unwillingness to admit that she was in over her head lead us to strongly recommend against representation from her office for all but the simplest of cases.

I had the pleasure of working with the Shaffer & Associates Group during my divorce. Though everyone in the organization was professional, kind, and helpful; I was especially fortunate to have Kelli Satterly assigned as my lawyer. In fact, she was the main reason I was able to survive the divorce; ...she was not only my lawyer, but also my councilor. She led me through the process with tremendous skill, patience, and kindness. Ms. Satterly was a warrior in the courtroom, fighting until our goals were reached. She became my lifeline and provided me with a sense of stability through the toughest time in my life. If you need a lawyer who genuinely listens to your wants and needs and will not quit until the job is done, Kelli Satterly is for you. I would highly recommend Ms. Satterly and Shaffer @ Associates to anyone.

Although personable and prominent in downtown San Diego, I found my experience with this firm less than satisfactory. Half way through my simple enforcement of settlement case Kelly Shaffer raised her rate on me and on multiple occasions made mistakes on my invoices in her favor. My settlement was le...ss than she originally claimed I deserved and her bill was more than double. I do not recommend this firm.