Dennis Otto Seymour Jr

Mr. Seymour has been a saving grace in a very hectic time for our family. Though my spouse and I parted on fairly good terms, there was still so much to sort out for our children, finances, etc. It was a huge headache, especially since we'd been married for quite a while. Mr. Seymour mediated our sep...aration with clear, thorough, and honest communication (which is a lot more than I can say about other attorneys we interviewed.) Not only was the process relatively quick, he encouraged us to be respectful and conscientious even when our emotions ran strong a few times. He also settled our case for less than we'd expected, and far less than our friends have paid having to go to court or trial. I am very grateful to Attorney Seymour's services and have recommended him to other friends who also have been his satisfied clients. I have read the negative reviews about Attorney Seymour, and would like to let the public know that their unkind words simply are lies. He and his whole staff have been very professional, decent, and wonderful, especially in our time of need! Hopefully you don't need a family law attorney, but if you do, call Mr. Seymour's office for help and kindness.

Based on a recommendation from a friend, I hired Mr. Seymour to: 1) get a continuance on a court date; 2) secure financial records for my ex-husband. His retainer was $1500.00 which he assured me should be sufficient for the 2 tasks requested. His services were retained in early February, 2006 and it... wasn't until May of that year that he requested financial records. Specific instructions were provided to Mr. Seymour. He did not follow my requests and did everything and anything to prolong the process. We communicated for the most part by e-mail and I still have the records that clearly show my requests and verify that he did not attempt to resolve my issues. I advised him that my divorce attorney had already filed the paper to remove herself as my attorney of record, once the divorce was completed (1998). He went ahead and filed in court to name himself as my attorney. After 3 long months, when he made no progress to resolve the issue and reach an agreement with my ex's attorney, I requested he file the paperwork to remove himself as my attorney. He asked if I wanted another continuance and I advised him I did not. I also advised him that I would be dealing with my ex's attorney directly. Mr. Seymour still filed a continuance. I resolved the issue with two calls to my ex's attorney. It took approximately 20 minutes total. A few months after removing himself as my attorney, Mr. Seymour sent me a bill for $500 for additional "services". The court filing required to remove him as my attorney was caused by the fact that he continually prolonged the process with no valid reason and the continuance was an action that I had specifically advised him I did not want. I paid the additional bill just to close the books and be rid of Mr. Seymour. I would not recommend Mr. Seymour as he failed to complete one of the two simple tasks I requested, after months had passed, took action that was unnecessary or duplicated effort, was difficult to deal with.

Even recognizing that Family Law is near the bottom of the "legal food chain" this guy is subpar. He (and his wife assistant) are focused on optimized billing and not solving problems. He charged me $600 to write a 1 ½ page letter (after we agreed it would be a $300 project) that he researched and o...rally drafted during my free 30 minute initial interview. The (delayed) final letter was weak and added nothing from the initial interview. Okay, so that makes him an ineffective lawyer -- plenty of those around. But the real topper is when he charges $100 an hour for his wife to mail a letter and manufactures research work to pad his bill. The San Diego Bar should be ashamed referring people to this guy. There are far better family law attorneys in San Diego.