Grace A Jamra

Grace was on time, direct and offered so much information about child custody in our consul station. I appreciate that she doesn’t tell you what you want to hear but rather talks to you about the process and the different outcomes depending on all the variables. Most attorneys are all false hope an...d promises of victory or so full of their reputation that they inflate themselves to be aggressive pit bulls rather than being sensibly knowledgeable about family law and best interest of the child. I had only wished her offices were located closer to Pasadena.

Grace Jamra, along with support from associate Michael Hanasab, saved my father/daughter relationship with my toddler. When my ex and I separated almost a year ago, my daughter's mother kept her from me and would not allow me access to see her. In addition, she filed for full physical and legal cu...stody. I went with an inexpensive attorney and the results were simply awful. I had two overnights per month, and two afternoons per week. I work from home so I can be with my daughter, and this was a devastating blow. I searched online, made phone calls and finally got the name of one of the top firms in Los Angeles. When speaking to one of the partners, it was clear that although I needed their help, I could not quite afford them. He told me that off the record, there is only one person he would recommend outside his firm, and that person was Grace Jamra. I called Grace, and immediately knew she would fight for what was best for my daughter, and for my relationship with her. When my ex's attorney found out who I hired, he told her she was in deep trouble, that Grace was a seriously formidable opponent. My ex and her attorney never knew what hit them. Within two months, she got me 50% legal AND physical custody, reduced child support and put many safeguards in place my previous attorney never asked for. Since then, my ex hired not one but TWO new attorney's to try to undo what Grace got for me, to no avail. After months of legal wrangling, Grace was able to lock down a permanent 'global settlement' that has since been signed by a judge and filed with the court. I am writing this review to tell you, if you are a parent and need someone to protect the relationship you have with you kid(s), Grace Jamra is the BEST ATTORNEY for the job. Don't take my word for it, ask around. Any good family law attorney will know who she is, and will say the same about her. She's smart, she's aggressive when necessary but always tries to meet in the middle and settle when possible and/or appropriate.

In early 2010 I was in search of a new attorney to take on my ongoing custody case. I left a very high profile firm after a horrendous 4 months where I was charged over 200 grand and was left with disastrous results. Grace Jamra and her associate at the time, Michael Hanasab were recommended to me, a...long with 4 other various attorneys. I interviewed all of them carefully and decided to go with Grace not only because of her reputation in matters of custody but she seemed very honest, direct and gave me a realistic picture of what I could expect. Upon hiring Grace I coincidentally had a conversation with a friend of a friend who also used Grace as one of her lawyers in a long drawn out custody case and she reassured me that I was in fantastic hands and could not have picked a better attorney to handle what was coming. My case was very litigious when I was with my former firm and what impressed me immediately upon starting with Grace was how she was able to de-escalate the situation and actually communicate with opposing counsel. I found this to be invaluable in actually being able to stay out of court as much as possible (something my former lawyers were not able to do). My case was also complex and involved jurisdictional issues, a requested move away and a full custody evaluation. Grace and Michael (who is now a partner) helped me tremendously to navigate through these very stressful, time consuming and often confusing issues of family law. It is somewhat perplexing and baffling to read the other reviews here because my experience with Grace was completely opposite. I had no issues with contacting Grace, she was available if I really needed her and responded to any emails I sent her directly or calls I made to her. Watching her in depositions and in court was unbelievable. She is very tough when she needs to be yet is able to also use her negotiating skills to foster the best possible outcome. She turned the case around for me completely from where I was when I started and did so at a tremendously lower financial cost than my former attorneys. As for billing, the old firm I was with not only padded their billing, but double and triple billed, often times not even listing specifics of what they were charging me for. I have never had this experience with Grace Jamra and her firm. The billing went down considerably after I went with her and I have not once been harassed about payment or bills. I have felt that the billing is fair given the fact that family law by nature is expensive and one has to expect to pay a certain amount for proper guidance and help (especially if the case is litigious and goes on for a while).

I've been working with Grace and Michael for almost two years on a custody case, and these guys are stellar. I interviewed many of the top family law attorneys in Los Angeles before I hired Grace, and I have now had the experience of being exposed to many more during the last two years (the mother, ...on the other side, has gone through 6 different attorneys)...and Grace is by far the best attorney I've come across. She is incredibly smart, savvy, and strategic. Our case has been a difficult one (i.e. it wasn't cut and dry), and Grace's knowledge and expertise has been invaluable. We had what can only be described as a 'bad hand', and Grace and Michael have won every step of the way (and it wasn't luck, it was all strategy). Best of all, they've been honest, and fair. At every juncture that our case should have been settled, they've encouraged me to settle (and not keep fighting...which would have been in their best financial interests). Unfortunately, it takes two to tango and the mother hasn't been willing to settle, even though she's lost every step of the way. That is hopefully about to change (we have our final settlement conference coming up), but I can't say enough about how impressed I've been with Grace (and Michael, her partner). They are some of the best in the business, if not THE best, and I would highly recommend them to any one who wants to work with consummate professionals. I just read some of the other reviews, and I honestly could not disagree more. The business they are in is a highly charged business, emotionally, so I would take all criticism with a grain of salt. My experience with Grace and her firm has been nothing but exceptional.

My experience with Grace Jamra was, without a doubt, the worst experience of my life. Divorce and child custody are difficult experiences and Grace will only make them more excruciating while bleeding you dry in the process. She delegates her work to others and has absolutely no moral standards. P...rotect yourself and your family and steer clear of this lawyer.