Nicole Michelle Stednitz

To begin, our first court appearance at 8:30, she came in at nearly 12 noon. It was embarrasing - the deputy had to go up and down court rooms looking for her. Never said sorry. My ex husband was able to get 100% legal and physical of our son despite his domestic violence record and Nicole did not... even ask why. My divorce ended up taking 2 and half years - time during which my ex husband's criminal defense attorney mopped the floor with Nicole. It always felt like we were at their mercy - She'd ask for discovery papers, he would say he mailed them when he didn't and then blame her because "her office must have lost them". She LOVES to charge for faxing, mailing, reading emails or talking on the phone. Also, she charged me for drive time - $250 per hour while she sat in LA traffic. Court dates would take 6-7 hrs, plus 3 hrs of drive @ $250 - you do the math. I dug out tons of land titles, real state deeds, violations, police reports etc etc and we still lost. Also, I was jobless, and with my ex working, she did not ask for spousal support. The worst - She pressured me, while I cried in the courthouse to sign the final settlement which included FORGERY which we had tons of proof for. Also, in the agreement, she agreed that ex husband would have complete control of who he hired to sell our home giving me no say at all of how, when or why. She just looked like she wanted to give up and go home. For our last court appearance, Nicole was late again, never saying sorry, again. It cost me $16,000.00 of money it took me years to earn, and she got them in months sitting behind her desk, screaming at me in the courthouse and leaving me homeless. Do not hire.

Nicole is an intelligent,kind, and fierce advocate for you especially in dealing with domestic matters in a divorce setting. She has a heart of gold as well as a mind for the law and was always a phone call, email away. When I consulted for my divorce she listened and allowed me to grieve the loss an...d comforted me with the next steps. When my parents needed to come in she accommodated their last minute and short visit from out of town by meeting with us on a Saturday. She helped guide us through the process and expedite the paperwork and needed documents to file. During the duration of it she fought for my best interest and when respondent didn’t comply she called out and let court know associated behaviors of other party were unacceptable. She was able to get a court order for payment of my legal fees an individual who wouldn’t let me get a divorce and stall it eventually settling and signing an agreement as their were consequences for his inaction of not showing up to court and stalling wasting time/fees. I got a good outcome no alimony or retirement accounts access and split most everything else 50-50. I would recommend her as she has a lot of experience but more than that she has heart and will fight especially if their is injustice and domestic matters in the divorce process.

When I met with Nicole for an initial free consult, I knew she understood a parents frustration while dealing with the family courts. She explains the best way she feels the case should be handled and does her best for faster resolutions vs. a drag out in the court system. Which shows she is not out ...just to get the most money out of clients but rather actually help them. She was able to get the other parent to agree to Stipulation of visitation schedule (including holidays) which is what I wanted. Then handled my child support case and got me a better outcome then I anticipated.

Nicole Stednitz is remarkably efficient which is reflected in her performance as an attorney and in her productivity. Nicole is VERY effective at handling the opposing counsel during mediation and I noticed she wrote over 80% of the global settlement right there in the courthouse. She tactfully ...shut down opposing counsel each time he made ridiculous settlement offers. Nicole has 3 years experience yet she did more for my case in less time than my original attorney who had decades of experience. Nicole had to do damage control on a very messy case. It was the best decision I made to find another attorney who provided me with outstanding work and immeasurable peace of mind. She genuinely cares for the safety and well being of children. I foresee Nicole becoming very prominent in this field.

Working with Nicole made our lives so much easier during this trying time trying to get a clear custody order for my husband's daughter. Nicole was very professional and sensitive to our family. She was a great listener and was very clear and straight forward. I would definitely hire her if needed in... the future and would highly recommend her to others!