Dawn M. Saenz

Dawn's office was very helpful in making sure that years long issues were addressed and resolved. Though we were not able to completely stop all the issues we have had great relief from the years long issues that were going on. They helped my family regain balance in our household by eliminating the ...stress caused by worrying about what would happen next. Great job!!!

I hired the Law Office of Dawn M. Saenz to represent me for one day in court on 8/12/24 and was charged $7,500 for that single appearance. After the matter concluded, I was unexpectedly billed an additional $679.27, which was never clearly explained or anticipated. The office has now sent this amount... to collections, which I find completely unacceptable given the fee already paid. Equally troubling was Ms. Saenz’s behavior toward me as a client. She was unprofessional, condescending, and judgmental, and her attitude felt entitled rather than client-focused. Instead of feeling supported during a stressful legal situation, I felt disrespected. Between the excessive and unclear billing and the lack of professionalism, this was a deeply disappointing experience. I would not recommend this law office.

I hired Ms. Saenz in January 2017 to handle my spousal support case (I was seeking to have support reduced to my ex-wife). I cannot overstate the degree to which she mishandled my case. I read the reviews below and I am shocked to read so many positive outcomes and skeptical as well and here is why. ...When I retained Ms. Saenz she was quick to make lofty promises about my case. But the first red flag came soon after when she missed, as in failed to appear, for my first court date. I was very upset after this since I lived out of state and so it appeared to the judge that nobody bothered to appear for an important hearing. When I contacted her she apologized profusely and even gave me a monetary credit on my case. So, I stuck with her thinking that it was an honest mistake and figured that she would really stay on top of my case after such an obvious error. If only I had fired her at that point! I filed my initial paperwork to have my case heard in November of 2016. I retained Ms. Saenz in January of 2017 and fired her in May of 2017. During this time, her "work" on my case entailed missing a hearing in Feb., insisting I was wrong when I informed her that a garnishment order had been issued against me in March (I found out through checking the online court minutes myself), chiding me for wasting her time pursuing that matter, and sending adversarial letters to Opposing Counsel over trivial issues. The final straw came in May when she did show up for the trial setting appearance and agreed to allow my case to be placed OFF CALENDAR when I was very clear that I needed to have my case heard before the judge. When I called her office to ask what happened, she was extremely rude and defensive. She even told me that she had worked out an agreement with Opposing Counsel off the record/in chambers that was favorable to me but due to my attitude she was not going to bother writing it up or seeing it enforced. At this point I realized Ms. Saenz was simply covering her own mistakes and lying to me and I had had enough. Firing Ms. Saenz was the best decision I could have made. I quickly retained another lawyer who had to clean up the mess Ms. Saenz created. I later confirmed through new counsel that Ms. Saenz was completely misrepresenting the "deal" she worked out for me because in fact, she had accomplished nothing other than falling for Opposing Counsel's strategy and getting my case placed off calendar. At this point my case was an absolute disaster. I am so thankful that I retained a new attorney who had an actual LEGAL strategy other than talking tough to OP and scolding her own client at every turn. I waited to post this review until my case concluded with a positive result, all thanks to my new attorney who replaced Ms. Saenz. I do not want to dwell on the damage and additional arrears I accumulated due to Ms. Saenz's unprofessional, misguided, and unskilled approach. Suffice it to say, Ms. Saenz cost me over $10,000 due to her errors. As I stated, I waited to post this until I could confirm that her strategy was completely ridiculous. On top of everything, Ms. Saenz lied to me and treated me like I was the idiot. The only truly stupid thing I did was hire Ms. Saenz. Please, do not hire this lawyer. She definitely talks a good talk out of the gate, but once she gets your money her attitude changes and you will be left in a bigger hole than you started in. If you want an excellent attorney, please see the review I posted on the lawyer I hired after working with Ms. Saenz.

Revised Review: I am VERY dissatisfied in the way Attorney Dawn Saenz handled MY divorce filing, and MY response to my husband's bogus TRO. He filed the TRO in an attempt to hold on to my RV and truck, and discredit my nursing license. Attorney Saenz insisted on an hourly rate, promising to save c...osts through using her "office staff." She made an appearance in court charging for an unnecessary continuance for the TRO, unnecessary preparations, and inflamed the issues to extend her billable hours. She charging for phone calls she created, and responses on her "My Case" email that were unproductive. Attorney Saenz withheld critical documents, and charged when I repeatedly asked that they be provided. She quickly exhausted my $4,000.00 retainer before she actually started working on my divorce settlement! I filed my own response to the TRO, and filed my own divorce petition and motion to obtain my RV and truck back after attending a class with the free self help center in Riverside. I filed these documents all BEFORE retaining Attorney Saenz. She never amended any of my filings, or provided my husband's response to my divorce petition. When we did go to court on the TRO, we were there all day because of Attorney Saenz's "Aggressive" attitude towards my husband. For my motion to get my RV and truck back, Attorney Saenz wrote a stipulated agreement that both my husband and I signed, yet after court she refused to provide me with a copy claiming the court only provided two. One for her, and one for my husband. I did not agree with this as there are copy centers everywhere around the court. Not having a copy of the stipulated agreement created avoidable problems when I went to retrieve these items without the court order. Attorney Saenz did not ask for a continuance when we needed one, to keep my divorce on calendar after I was awarded my RV and truck back. She knew my husband had damaged my property, this was the very reason for my motion! My husband had exclusive use during this time, and had an obligation not to vandalize or strip my property! When I terminated Attorney Saenz, she refused to sign a substitution of attorney form tearing it up in her office on my third attempt! She then advised me that she would file a motion to be relieved and charge me $90.00 to file it, charge me at her hourly rate ($325.00) to prepare it, and charge me for a court appearance ($650.00) to present it! I did my own motion to have her removed, and it cost me nothing since I have a fee waver! She then filed her own motion after mine in yet another attempt to pile on the fees! I have asked repeatedly for my file and a complete itemized billing statement, yet after almost two months I have still not received either. I have now had to file for mediation to resolve my billing dispute, and file a complaint with the Bar regarding her conduct to get my file! It is a shame when going through something as painful as a divorce to have an attorney act this way creating even more problems. I am not out to get my husband, and just want to reach an equatable resolution. Attorney Saenz knew I had limited resources yet quickly ran through my retainer and demanded more money, or "No more work." My advice? Pick someone else that has a proficiency in family law and will listen to what you want instead of running the show to increase their billable hours. I am VERY disappointed that a lawyer claiming to "care" and "specialize in family law" would stoop to this level with no consideration of the client she was hired to represent.