Karen A Schoenau

I know we're directed by Avvo not to be too specific with our cases. I will respect this requirement, but I have to be somewhat specific in order for you to understand the full impact of what Karen Schoenau has done for me and my family. I'm a disabled father who has to use pain medication just to get around from day to day. Once a year I have spinal blocks/injections to keep the pain at bay. Karen told me that I have to release all of my medical records to the courts. I knew the court would scrutinize them and the stigma that comes with pain control. It looked bleak to me, but I did what Karen instructed me to do and she upheld my rights as a father. I ended up getting joint custody/primary residence with final decision making and a whole lot of stuff in between. That was huge! I was so grateful! Karen was everything she was cracked up to be! But, this is where the story gets nasty! If I didn't have Mrs. Schoenau I don't know what I would've done! About a year later I ended up in the hospital due to physical complications with my kidneys. This happened on the day of a hearing where my ex was asking for restoration of some of her parental rights. Mrs. Schoenau explained my situation to the judge and why I was absent. My ex wife contradicted Karen and informed the judge that I was being guarded by police at the hospital. She continued to explain that they were nursing me back to health so they could put me in jail for being a drug courier. The hearing, mind you was about restoring some of her rights that she lost because of her issues. Well, instead of verifying any of this information my ex was giving, the judge took ALL CUSTODY away from me and gave my ex wife sole custody of the children. I practically lost all of my parental rights. All the while I was unconscious in a hospital bed! Mrs. Schoenau assured me that she was strenuously objecting to the judge’s decision. She attempted to calm me down while I was in the hospital, reassuring me that there was nothing that we couldn’t fix. She said to me, “Don’t worry about it, I’ve got it!” Ha, ha, ha! I pretended like I believed her and I promised I’d rest up. All I could think was, “How could this happen!” My youngest son says to me that night on the phone (7 years old), “Daddy, when can we come home?” That was the most painful thing I had ever experienced in my life. Now, here is why I view Karen as not only an outstanding lawyer but a phenomenal human being! I went into a depression, the likes of nothing I had ever experienced before. I did not know what depression felt like and I had no idea how debilitating it could be. I could barely move because my body was wracked with physical and emotional pain! Was that an overreaction? I don’t know, but that’s what happened. Immediately Karen responded by filing a plea or motion claiming a violation of my constitutional rights. She cited cases, codes, laws, and just the plain immorality of the whole situation. It was a masterpiece. It brought tears to my eyes because I saw hope. To our surprise her pleas in my behalf fell on deaf ears. Two judges ignored her. It just so happened due to a misstep by mother, another judge had to hear our case and make some adjustments to the parenting time. It was at this time that Karen was able to present the facts in my defense and I ended up with joint custody again! That was a relief. To make a long story short, we had to go back before the court again and I NOW I HAVE BEEN AWARDED SOLE LEGAL/PRIMARY CUSTODY. The lies that were told were eventually disproved. My random urine/hair testing came always came up negative for drugs. I remember a few years ago having a big disagreement with Karen about volunteering to undergo random drug testing twice a month. It was a great idea because it cleared my name. Karen Schoenau's approach: NO MATTER HOW BAD IT IS, TELL HER EVERYTHING SO SHE CAN PUT THE PIECES BACK TOGETHER. Thank you Karen just doesn't seem to cut it, but thank you Karen!

Karen was extremely helpful setting up my petition for conciliation. She is by far the most knowledgeable attorney regarding the necessary paperwork, how to file the petition and where it has to be submitted. She listened intently when I was describing my situation and intentions. She was very responsive to my questions and request. She is trustworthy and diligent . I would recommend her to anyone having marital issues.

Very high customer/client considerate. We found Karen when we were forced to leave another Phx lawyer due to his bad advice and lack of interest to help us. We were in Phx for six days from Mich. with nothing happening but a high wasted expense. Karen and her firm took us in and solved our issue with the courts etc. in two and a half days. Karens professionalism with us was very cost effective/productive. If we would have found her first, we would have saved thousands of dollars. Her interest for us was very high. She returned every call. She new every answer to our questions. She did this for us with a death in her family. She left for a funeral and made sure we were treated with the same professionalism from her firm to finish up. I recommend Karen and her firm with very high satisfaction. Our case is custody with one parent in prison. We will return to Phx someday with interests for the child and his parent. If needed. Karen will be our top choice.

Karen and Bonita are wonderful!! I know that the word "wonderful" is used a lot, but the team they make and the work they did for me can only be described as WONDERFUL!! Yes there where ups and downs in my case, but that is the system and Karen along with Bonita guided and tought me as "WE" went through it togeather. Karens easy going manor and her knowledge really helped me with the emotional part of my Divorce. I used the team of Karen and Bonita both times I needed to go to court with my Ex and had results that were best for my little girl. Some times I did not get what I wanted, but it was what my daughter needed. looking back at my case, I made the right choice and would do it again in a heart beat!!

When I hired Karen to represent my family there was a significant legal mess that required attention. After a difficult divorce and custody battle, I lost my job and could not locate one within the state. Due to my specific industry and skills, I was offered a position with a Fortune organization 2,000 miles away. Neither the kids’ mother nor the presiding judge wanted to allow me to leave with the kids and suggested that I take the job and leave my babies behind. The attorney I originally had representing me did not do me any favors, but expected full payment for his “services”. When I approached Karen she reviewed the case and, although so much damage was already done from previous counsel, she approached it optimistically. Many lawyers would not have taken my case under the circumstances. Needless to say, I relocated across country with my kids and have been enjoying my new position for the last year. Karen is an amazing and caring attorney. After I settled into my new home she contacted me to ensure everything was working out well. I recommend Karen to anyone, but don’t repeat my mistakes; make her office your first stop when you need competent legal counsel.

Karen and her firm represented me for 18 months during an interstate custody dispute, she was not only an awsome attorney, she was also my life counselor, and kept me from going crazy as I sat in Florida while my lovely xwife attemped to destroy my charactor. She kept my Son out of harms way and fought my case from her heart, in fact she fought like a Bulldog and kicked butt in Court against 2 attorneys. She and her firm never gave up for the entire 18 months, and without Karen I would have lost my mind, and my Son. Thanks again for everything Karen, I LOVE YOU, Jim

Karen was extremely supportive during a very trying time in our lives. She helped me to put things in perspective and think positive when I was overwhelmed. She is very knowledgeable about the laws pertaining to grandparents rights and the rights of the parents and knew how to provide the appropriate laws pertaining to the situation we were in. I am so grateful for her expertise and guidance. She proved to be very aggressive when she needed to be but was also supportive to my and my children. I would recommend her to anyone in a similar situation.

Hired to help end child support payments, she’s exactly what was needed. Karen is close to the “right” people, not afraid to make remarks that are less than pleasing, or true, so it can sound worse than it is, but they sure do grab the attention of the judge. Small tasks like mailing services too late to the opposing party so they are short of time to respond, filing incorrect dob on their end to make records request impossible for them. This kind of lawyer is the right one if you need fast, used-car-sales tactics….For lack of a better phrase, it’s all about being real and playing dirty in the court room. Aside from filing our court papers with a completely diff case “by accident”, and trying to expose the other sides mental health records just to push extra buttons, on top of dragging it out even longer to extend that $bill, Karen is just the right lawyer to win your case so you do not have to ever actually pay for your kids but still sound like a hero.

I WENT INTO HER OFFICE FOR SOME CLARIFICATION ON MY SPOUSAL MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT. SHE GAVE ME SUCH WRONG INFO THAT IT COST ME 40K. SHE DID NOT KNOW THAT AZ HAS A STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ON SPOUSAL SUPPORT. WHAT A HACK

Karen seemed like a good lawyer initially, but what a mistake it was to hire her. She did not an advocate for me like she said she would. Karen agreed with me that the other lawyer lied and insulted me many many times, however she did not stick up for me. Karen told me she could be aggressive if she had to, but she just rolled over and barely fought for me at all. In addition, Karen talks and talks and rambles about her personal life, things completely unrelated to my case, which wastes time and increases her bill. I wish I could have fired her and hired another attorney, but I had no money to start over. Of course, now I see that I lost so much more money by staying with Karen.