Andrea Lynn Mersel

Like another user stated, steer clear. I was charged over $40,000 without having anything filed on my behalf over a course of 10 months. They even threatened to drop me 2 days before my first hearing in front of a judge for not being full on my bill. This conversation could have happened sooner th...an this and I saw this as a power move right before a very important date, which added unneeded stress. Like another user stated, lots of money, charges and time for no progress. I wound up in the same position I was in when I started after 10 months of working with them. Absolutely horrible service and what seemed like a complete lack of knowledge in general by other attorneys and people in the office in general. I hired someone else to get me through my divorce and he did it in a fraction of the time, guiding me to the end the whole way. Hiring this firm was a colossal mistake I hope you do not make.

There are too many positive things for me to possibly say in one review. However, I will try my best to do Andrea and her office justice in this post the best I can. When I was looking for a lawyer, these reviews helped me so if I can help someone out there who is looking for a good lawyer who is al...so a good person, then I hope this review helps you. I saw the one bad review from one client, but all I can say to that is- well you can't please everyone. This review is for Andrea Mersel, Brooke Archbold, Jackie Smith, Debora Brawley, Dustin Stokes (and anyone I may have forgotten). If there were a 10 star option on Avvo that is what I would give Andrea! First of all, if you just do a little research on Andrea, she is well educated, more than most family law attorneys. She went to Berkeley Law School and attended Wharton at U of Penn- which is top in the nation. So she is smart and knows the law! My case was not a big money case but Andrea and her team never made me feel like my case did not matter to them. It actually was the opposite. They knew they would not receive a lot from me, but fought for me and my children anyways. I truly feel they defended my case as long as they did because they felt it was the right thing to do. They do business honestly which is so rare these days with lawyers, especially divorce lawyers! They never once over-charged me, worked with my finances, and represented me in a financially conscience way- ie they tried their hardest to settle things out of court and if we did have to go to court, then they tried to address several items at once so as not to drag things out and make their fees higher. They were always honest with me in what they felt was worth fighting and what wasn’t. Also, their communication is superb and you will never feel “left out of the loop” on your own divorce. I have heard horror stories of other attorneys over billing and taking weeks to get back to their clients. With Andrea and her team, there was rarely a time that if I emailed or called her office that I did not get a call or email back the same day. I would say more than anything I felt RELIEF when I met Andrea and Brooke. They fought for me in ways that I could not do by myself, and also showed compassion and understanding. I have told them this and it is 110% true- they are RARE lawyers because they truly CARE. They care about their cases, no matter how big or small your case may be. They care more about what is right and fair than any money they will make from you. I mean honestly, how often can you say that about lawyers?! They saw me through the hardest storm of my life and I would not be in the place I am in now to be able move on without them. I am forever grateful for the unwavering effort they put into my case and cannot thank them enough.

After my ex-wife tried to get me to hit her and was thrown in jail for two felonies…. I was convinced the vindictive plan was over…. especially, since I was the one who helped the mother of my kids get all these charges dropped!!!! …. NOPE!!! … the dummy (persuaded by one of her many dumb attorneys) ...marched straight over to the police station and falsely accused the father of her children of, “hitting and choking” her. Of course, all of this was part of the “big plan” to obtain FULL CUSTODY=$. As a Fire Captain, with everything on the line I was forced to hire some help. I had no clue where to look so started with the brothers at the fire department. Ironically, Andrea had represented two firemen who I have met in the past. Both firemen told me stories of how Andrea “saved their lives”. I hired her. She didn’t just protect my kids and me from a pack of child abusing actions and false allegations …. but, also helped me hold my ex-wife accountable for her actions resulting in ZERO spousal support awards. I love telling the whole story. It’s a great one, and if it wasn’t for a genius like Andrea my kids and I would be screwed. Fire Captain Tim

We trusted Andrea Mersel and the OC FAMILY law group with everything, our heart poured into this case to achieve more time with our daughter for years only to be net with incompetence and misinformation, trial after trial. We had her represent us for years and never had a win. We had every opportunit...y to have things go our way if only we would have had the right person represent us. Thousands of dollars wasted and plenty of heartache. Her office nickel and dimes you for absolutely everything and her paralegals are useless. They constantly made mistakes in filings and Andrea lacks fierceness in court trials.