Sami Malek Haddad

I retained attorney Sami Haddad to represent me in a California family law matter in June 2025 and had a very negative experience. I paid a flat fee of $3,650 in advance. I am a 20-year U.S. Navy veteran, 100% VA disabled, and at the time was the primary caregiver of two children under three years ol...d. During Mr. Haddad’s representation, his lack of timely communication, calendaring errors, and failure to properly serve dissolution of marriage and DV Temporarily Restraining Orders pleadings jeopardized my case and my parenting time. Although he initially stated he wanted to keep costs low, he later characterized the matter as “high conflict” without being upfront or responsive. I made clear I was willing to discuss additional costs if needed, but instead critical procedural issues were missed. One of many significant issue involved a missed Family Court Services (FCS) Child Custody Recommending Counseling session. I was not provided clear instructions regarding the hearing location or preparation, despite following up. By the time I was directed to the correct location, the session had already concluded. Opposing counsel later documented this as a failure to appear, which negatively impacted my custody case. Additionally, while Mr. Haddad was counsel of record, a Temporary Restraining Order matter was mishandled. He assured me service would be completed through opposing counsel, but service never occurred. I later learned directly from the San Diego Sheriff’s Department Detective that the order had been signed but not served. I ultimately had to return to court myself to arrange proper service through the Sheriff’s Department. After terminating Mr. Haddad’s representation on September 7, 2025, I immediately corrected these issues on my own. Despite this, the same service and mediation failures originating during his representation were later repeated by an opposing counsel in subsequent court filings under different counsel in December 2025, and were used against me procedurally. Because of the seriousness and ongoing impact of these failures, I filed a formal complaint with the California State Bar. I later submitted a supplemental filing with additional court documents demonstrating that the procedural harm caused during Mr. Haddad’s representation continued to materially affect my custody and domestic violence proceedings even after his services ended. I requested a full refund of the flat fee, he never responded. Ultimately, I lost confidence in the representation and was forced to proceed in pro per to protect my parental rights. In my opinion, Mr. Haddad took on more cases than he could adequately manage, and my case was neglected as a result. I strongly encourage anyone—especially parents and veterans in high-stakes family law matters—to proceed with caution and ensure their attorney is actively managing deadlines, service requirements, and client communication. The consequences of these failures can be long-lasting.

He's a fraud!!! After your money. He will not look into your case. He won't do basic work before court. He illegally charged me $1000 an hour total $3000 for 3 hours court appearance and never does anything before court although he got paid 3 months before court. I had to reach out 1 week before cour...t to ask when is he going to review my case. He didn't look into opposing council pleadings before court. He got there late, wrinkled shirt and agreed with everything the other party asked and said their brief looks good and correct right there during the session. He didn't want me to say a word to the judge. They also lied about stuff in the court minutes that has become available 2 weeks after hearing. These people know themselves including the judges. It's their community and they screw your case if you don't do enough research and stay vigilant. Don't think the court system is a logical system with sound people. They all frauds. Even if you have a lawyer, still talk, say what's in mind and insist that it's recorded in the court minutes. Don't leave without getting your court minutes in hands, read through and that everything is correct. All the over 1 stars are paid actors!!!

I really tried to be nice but I'm over it. I paid Sami to do NOTHING. HE COMPLAINS for being paid to do his job. He doesn't understand basic tasks you ask him to do even if it related to your case. He only cares about getting paid then after that whatever happens with your case oh well. His communica...tion sucks and he's cocky. He does not complete his job as your attorney. I really could've gone without having him as my attorney fr. Go to someone else and definitely believe the older reviews where it states he's about MONEY. What a waste. Worthless.

I had the privilege of working with Mr. Haddad during a challenging family court matter, where my ex-husband sought to move our children across the country, potentially reducing my parenting time. From the outset, Mr. Haddad demonstrated a high level of professionalism and expertise. As a certified f...amily law attorney, he thoroughly understood the intricacies of the court's requirements and was strategic in his approach to my case. Throughout the process, he was not only a skilled advocate but also compassionate and understanding, knowing how emotionally difficult such matters can be. His responsiveness was remarkable, always available to answer my questions, even after hours. Thanks to his guidance, the judge ruled in my favor, keeping the children in California for the school year and denying the move-away order. Mr. Haddad gave me the confidence to advocate for myself and the kids, and I am immensely grateful for his support. I highly recommend him to anyone in need of an experienced, dedicated, and caring family law attorney.

I hired Sami in 2020 & thought he was doing something for my custody case/restraining order because I did achieve overnights with my son, however, when it came time to file my response, a different person's name was on my paperwork and it was not submitted which is what the 2,000 was for . I had a st...range feeling when he began giving advice to opposing party behind my back as well as in front of me at my own hearing. He took our last 2,000 as my father was dying. Then when I told Sami my ex invited me inside his house, he tried twisting it like I did something wrong by accepting (being polite) to my ex. He failed to file my response, put the wrong client's name on the paperwork he DID prepare, and in the end my ex was granted a fraudulent and frivolous restraining order based on hearsay. & I lost my overnights. Save your time, money, and sanity.