Elyse Peck Margolin

I hired Elyse Margolin for a case that was scheduled for court. Two days before the hearing, she abruptly withdrew from the case, leaving me without representation at a critical time. After quitting, she charged me for additional services I don't believe were justified, especially given the sudden dr...op. This experience caused a lot of stress and financial strain. I would not recommend this attorney based on my experience.

Ms. Margolin was hired to represent me and my brother on a civil harassment restraining order case. She won the case. The request of a TRO was one among other actions by a future neighbor that is trying to stop construction of our retirement home. I was served in Lincoln, NE where I live and work, a...nd given almost no time to respond or come to LA for the hearing. I contacted Ms. Margolin's office and they were back to me within 30 minutes. Ms. Margolin attended the first hearing for me and requested a continuation so that we could argue the case and so that I could arrange my schedule and fly to LA to participate. We communicated without any delays during four months until the hearing date. During this time she prepared the case, requested all documentation necessary, and continuously communicated with us. She was very realistic at requesting the necessary court time for the case given all the material and witnesses, which was not easy given that the plaintiff's counsel was pressing for the contrary. We met a number of times in her office to discuss and support her in preparing the case but these discussions pale relative to her preparation in court, her quickness and her ability to synthesize, structure and connect all information while on her feet (literally) in court. Her assertiveness in court is based on solid legal foundations as was evidenced by the times the judge sustained her objections. Her instincts and manners in court are also evident in the way she adjusted her cross examination tone to the different witnesses and in her exchanges with the judge and the opposite counsel. She is able to change strategies on the moment and in fact requested dismissal of our case at the end of the first day of hearing (she had requested 3 days) that is when the plaintiff presentation finished and before the defense presented our case. Even though she was prepared for 3 days of hearing, she saw an opportunity to finish this earlier and requested dismissal. The judge dismissed the cases with a reprimand to the plaintiff for misuse of public funds. Ms. Margolin is a superb lawyer and she does it all with professionalism and a high dose of humanity.

Elyse Margolin is simply amazing. I WILL NOT go to court without her by my side. She is worth every penny. This woman is a shark in the courtroom, but a sweetheart to her clients. She advises me truthfully, even if it's not going looking good for me. She'll tell me what I can TRULY expect as the... outcome. She comes up with strategies that blindside my ex and his attorney. I had a bad prior experience with another attorney and Elyse had to pick up the pieces and still won in court for me. This was 10 years ago. I've been out of the courtroom for many years now, but she still picked up the phone when I called her just recently for advice on something current. Trust me, you NEED Elyse Margolin in the courtroom on your side!!

I hired Elyse because she told me what I wanted to hear. Her sales job sounded great. But it was just a sales job. While I do believe she has great ideas, she cannot seem to focus on your case. She never follows through on her ideas because she's either too busy or just doesn't care. As a result, yo...u are constantly disappointed until you've had enough. She doesn't have time to work on your case herself so she hands off the work to various junior attorneys in her office that are not up to speed on the details of your case. It was so frustrating to spend an obnoxious amount of money for Elyse's time and knowledge but then have the output written so poorly and weakly by the other attorneys. I would have to spend hours working and rewriting documents with the attorneys just to get basic facts correct. All the knowledge she has about your case was wasted because the info never got put in the papers. If Elyse had just written the documents herself, they would have been more accurate, would have been done quickly and I wouldn't have been double billed for all the rework. Elyse would always push an issue to go to court instead of just compromising. It wasn't until another lawyer friend of mine pointed out that this is what lawyers do to bill more. If the divorce was amicable or settled quickly, she couldn't bill as much. When Elyse started saying we will have to go to trial when we were just in the discovery phase, I knew something was wrong. She was pushing us to trial instead of settlement so she could bill more. My ex's attorney, was only $55 per hour less but his bill was significantly less than mine, about 20% of my monthly bill! The difference in the amount of the monthly bill was shocking. I would get invoices months late yet I would be bullied by her office manager for payment even though I never got an invoice! No matter how many large checks I would write her, I always seemed to be $80,000 behind. When I ask how this is possible, they don't give you invoices or details, just a comment about how charges are constantly being incurred. I guess the fact they never gave me invoices meant they don't want me to check those charges. She is very nice and charismatic but beware. She will make sure your divorce will cost not less than $350,000. She charges top dollar but gives you junior level work. You will be frustrated and annoyed when you realize how much money you wasted when you go to another firm. I have a new lawyer now and my mind is finally relaxed. The best decision I've ever made in my divorce was firing her firm.

Elyse has been my lawyer for 4 or so years. She has supported and navigated me through a nasty, complicated divorce and custody battle. She was a blessing to find. She has been very effective and achieved what I wanted. She is so kind and is always available to me!! This has been the hardest fight... of my life and she has really been there for me to ease the pain. She explains everything and is very proactive. Her team is very nice and has welcomed me in and handled my case very well. They look out for me like family and have helped me out so much not only legally , but mentally and emotionally. They are intelligent and will fight for you!