Jennifer Skolnick

My story is probably nothing new and will sound very familiar. Phil and I met and married in Dallas. I worked during our marriage and my husband was the primary source of income with consideration to our lifestyle. I also helped with his financial problems early in our relationship, before and afte...r marriage. I had more in savings, a steady job, and an A rating credit report. After three years of marriage he wanted to move back to Los Angeles, where he was working in the entertainment field, and restart his career that collapsed due to a substance abuse problem. With reluctance, I quit job and career path and moved from Dallas to Los Angeles for my husband’s career, which increased his income substantially. My career however faltered in Los Angeles and I had to start over again in a different field and work my way up. After 12 years of marriage we divorced. Two years after the divorce was final, my ex came back requesting to stop support claiming health issues was causing him to work less. I contacted my original attorney and he could not take the case due to his workload and traveling and he sent me several referrals. After contacting all of them I felt confident with Jennifer Skolnick. She returned my calls, was communicative of the process and gave me realistic expectations of possible outcomes. She didn’t sugar coat the realities of court proceedings which I appreciated. Part of the legal process required financial disclosure on both parties, and this is what scared me most. I was diligent about saving my money for the future and I thought a judge would side with my ex-husband and say that I didn’t need his support any longer. With a fine-tooth comb, Jennifer reviewed my financials and my ex-husband’s and determined that there were no significant changes in either of our income’s and he did not work less or make less since his visits to his doctor. But still noted that a judge will make the final decision. She then reviewed his medical reports and tests and found a statement buried in the reports that Phil admitted that he did not believe that his health was affecting his work and was able to work full time-even though he claimed his health was the reason he was requesting to stop spousal support. I believe it was Ms. Skolnick’s diligence in reviewing years of financials and medical reports that helped our case for spousal support to continue. In writing my declarations and memos of opposition Jennifer wrote with a logical and concise flow, had facts to back up statements of Phil’s financial stability, my contribution to my marriage, giving up my career for his, and his ability to continue to work and that his health improved with medication. There was no comparison with Ms. Skolnick’s declarations and memos of opposition and my ex’s attorney’s. My documents were factual and well written whereas his attorney had no facts to back up any of their grievances. Ms. Skolnick’s attention to detail was valuable. She asked several questions about my marriage, asking about subjects and details I never thought would make a difference in defending my case. Her questions made me think about what I did for my husband financially before and during our marriage, where he was in his life before we met and when we met, our lifestyle habits, his spending habits and mine, and the responsibility of taking care of our home. It was an emotional 5 months of gathering documents and remembering the beginning, middle, and ending of a relationship but Ms. Skolnick was able to help and keep me on track with her “to do lists” for me that helped me get through this process. Ms. Skolnick is an exemplary attorney and I would strongly recommend her.