Jane Howard Jacobs

I hired her as my attorney for a family law case. While she clearly has a solid understanding of family law, her handling of my case fell far below expectations. Communication was a major issue—I often had to call and leave messages for two or three days just to receive a brief or incomplete response.... When I needed legal advice for specific situations, I never received clear or direct answers, leaving me uncertain about the next steps. Additionally, she never adequately prepared me for hearings and failed to organize or prepare the necessary paperwork in advance. I sent her documents with important questions that needed to be filled out and reviewed before sending them to the other party, but she never took the time to review them. Instead, she sent them as they were, without any consideration. This was, in my opinion, highly incompetent, especially since these documents contained personal questions with various scenarios that needed careful attention to ensure the best possible outcome. Her lack of preparation and attention to detail added unnecessary stress and confusion throughout the process.

Ms. Jacobs served as my legal representation in family court proceedings involving my daughter being taken from her custodial parent by the state. She was honest and realistic in her evaluation and consistently provided practical and concise advice. I should also point out that she was the ONLY perso...n involved in the situation who I never had difficulty keeping in contact with. Getting the attention of the state's overloaded case manager was often impossible, but Ms. Jacobs never failed to respond in a timely manner. Although I had to reduce my expectations for gaining custody simply as a result of Arizona's legislative disregard for what I would interpret as "common sense" (specifically, returning a child to a parent who has a history of multiple dependencies stemming from their illegal drug usage), Ms. Jacobs empowered me to go as far as the system is designed to allow. I'm left in a highly advantageous position if the other parent ever steps out of line again. She is reliable, pragmatic and an effective communicator.