Skip to main content

Elizabeth Diane Fondren

Family Attorney at Huntington Beach, CA

4.5   15 reviews
  • Licensed for 21 years
    State CA
    Acquired 2001
    Status
    Active No misconduct found

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

About Elizabeth

Learn Elizabeth’s areas of practice.

2
Practice areas
  1. Family
    90%
    Family Law services include: Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce) Legal Separation Nullity of Marriage (Annulment) Paternity Child Custody, Visitation & Support Spousal Support Dividing Assets & Assigning Debt Modifying Orders Pre/Postnuptial Agreements

    21 years

  2. Estate planning
    10%
    Comprehensive estate planning ​packages include: Living Trust Pour-Over Will Powers of Attorney Health Care Directive Transfer Deed and PCOR

    14 years

Contact Elizabeth

Similar lawyers nearby

Law Office of Elizabeth D. Fondren
One Pacific Plaza
7755 Center Avenue, 11th Floor
Huntington Beach, CA, 92647

Reviews

4.5 / 5.0
  15 customer reviews
5 Star
 
87%
4 Star
 
0%
3 Star
 
0%
2 Star
 
0%
1 Star
 
13%
Posted by Tim | March 20, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Divorce
Elizabeth was fantastic! She represented me getting me through my divorce. Her expertise helping me to deal with my ex helped me get through a tough part of my life. I found the best person to do the job! Thank you Elizabeth!
Posted by irene | March 16, 2016
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Excellent Sharp Smart Attorney With A Heart
Elizabeth represented me in my contested divorce more than 10 years ago and renewed my faith in attorneys. We didn't hv any assets to fight about and my ex was fighting for the sake of fighting and hired some scum attorneys, whom he paid with our joint account money which were in dispute for that matter, they wrote about splitting assets such as rubber bands and such, it was a disgrace. Then my father died suddenly. it was the worst time in my life. Elizabeth was light in the dark. She stood up for me when I couldn't even stand up straight. She wrote her letters succinctly and was the sharpest knife in the drawer. She put those scum in their place. Not only that she has a heart of gold and compassion. She truly believes in JUSTICE. i was a mess she saved me. True Godsend. I'm truly always grateful to her. I even broght her flowers!! Who buys their lawyers flowers? Thats how special she is. I do not always give reviews but she is 10 stars all the way. I see some disgruntled reviews of her and I do want to set things straight. They are wrong about her. I highly recommend her as an excellent attorney with integrity, shes intelligent wins cases and a real person with a heart of gold, a Godsend
Read less
Response from Elizabeth Fondren March 23, 2016
Thank you, Irene! Your words touched me, and I appreciate the time you took to post this review. It means a lot to me. You know, I still have that wonderful, soft pashmina you brought me from Singapore. I think of you every time I wear it! I hope you and your family are well. So good to hear from you.
Posted by Leslie | October 26, 2010
Post Nuptial
Attorney Elizabeth made my experience simple and painless. After dealing with very evasive lawyers in the past, I found Attorney Elizabeth to be the most honest and straightforward person in her field. My Post Nuptial was completed in record time. Attorney Elizabeth gave me legal advice and even put my agreement in electronic pdf format for safe keeping should I ever lose the original. I highly recommend her for any of your matrimonial documents or family post nuptials. Yours Truly, Leslie Flynn
Read less
Posted by Jennifer | September 24, 2009
Review of Attny Elizabeth Fondren
This attorney handled my child abuse,child custody and my divorce case and was incredibly successful in all 3.
Posted by Steve | September 21, 2009
Elizabeth Fondren
I would highly recommend Elizabeth Fondren. She handled my divorce. She fully explained the process and what to expect, as well as offering suggestions on our best course of action. I was completely satisfied with the results of my case, and I would retain Ms. Fondren again if the need were to arise.
Posted by natalie | September 19, 2009
review for Elizabeth Diane Fondren
Very knowledgeble and excelent lawyer. I changed 2 lawyers before I found Elizabeth. She did really good job and helped me finalaized my divorce. She kept me informed about my case.It was very easy to worked with her.
Posted by Rodney D. | September 13, 2009
GREAT ATTORNEY!
I received the results I expected. Mrs. Fondren succeeded in resolving matters that took me years to try and resolve. She was very professional, available and devoted to resolving my case. My family & I will always remain grateful. ~Thanks Mrs. Fondren
Posted by Yamile | September 10, 2009
EXCELLENT ATTORNEY!!! Knowledgeable, Professional, Available and Effective.
If you want the concise, bottom line, what are my options - call Elizabeth.. Experienced - many years, sharp, knows the answers and the pitfalls. Elizabeth came as a referral from a friend and she was just wonderful from the first meeting. She made me feel secure in my situation and comfortable about the entire process. I had a wonderful experience with her. She was always available..imagine that from an attorney!! Her knowledge, compassion and understanding are limitless beyond measure. I cannot say enough good things about her. Elizabeth has far exceeded my expectations! Her knowledge in divorce law is unequaled in California. I am from another state and filed in OC because I thought it was going to be an uncontested divorce. Little did I know I was being played by my ex and it turned into a contested divorce. Now I am glad it did with the help of someone like Elizabeth. She truly made a difference. Eliabeth made what could have been the worst experience in my life into a very simple process and I am extremely grateful. I HIGHLY recommend her services!! First class, highly professional, and very imformative. It was truly an honor and the greatest benefit to work with someone with her knowledge. She is the best attorney I've ever dealt with. I would, and will, recommmend her to everyone I know. Thank you, Elizabeth!
Read less
Posted by Sommer | September 10, 2009
Would recommend again and again
She made me feel very comfortable dealing with a uncomfortable situation.
Posted by Sharon | September 10, 2009
Sharon Ann Skasick
Elizabeth was very supportive during my divorce. She kept me apprised every step of the way and I felt safe in her hands. I never once felt I was being brushed off or ignored. The fact that she was always there, either phone, fax or email was a comfort to me. I knew I could reach her any time, any way.
Posted by Jessica | September 9, 2009
Best lawyer ever!!! Very supportive and helpful.
My son's father and I were in a very uncomfortable situation when we started our custody case and I really felt that he was doing everything in his power to make it more difficult and uncomfortable for everyone involved. Elizabeth was able to take my case on short notice and deal with my son's father's attorney for me so we could reach a fair agreement that would allow my son to have a relationship with both parents. Throughout the case she was extremely informative and helpful. It is really nice to have a knowledgeable attorney that you also feel comfortable sharing details of your life and the case with . Thank you so mcuh for everything you did Elizabeth!
Read less
Posted by Chris F. | September 9, 2009
Elizabeth Fondren did a great job for me!!!
Elizabeth Fondren was very professional. Her rates were very fair and she did not gauge me even though my x-wife delayed us time and time again. She was very up front and explained all the various stages of the process in a way I could understand. She listened to what I thought and worked an effective game plan using my input as well. When I was headed down the worng way with an idea she showed me the corrct path. I got the settlement I wanted and she stayed through with me until all the i were dotted and the t's crossed. She was great. I would highy recommned her to anyone that was in a contentous battle with a spouse in thier divorce..
Read less
Posted by Lisa | September 9, 2009
Awesome Attorney!
Elizabeth is an excellent, caring lawyer who handled my case very well. She was available for questions and took her time speaking with me. I would recommend her services.
Posted by John | February 7, 2013
About my experience
I am currently working with Elizabeth. She was recommended to me by my marriage counselor. Unfortunately things did not work out there and we ended up working with Elizabeth. I recommended her to a friend in the beginning. That friend later questioned why i recommended her. Now i am encountering the same concerns he had. I should have known better to recommend someone i had little experience with to date. I expected a mediator who would lay out the facts accurately. Be fair, knowledgeable and responsive, and help us negotiate a reasonable final outcome. After several meetings with Elizabeth i learned from a friend about the Morse Marsden rule. Elizabeth had never shared this rule with us. In my case this makes a substantial difference in my financial outcome. I’m already dealing with onerous asset splits and alimony expense, at least relative to me. So this is when I firstcame to question whether Elizabeth was truly fair. Nevertheless, I was willing to look past this in an effort to reach a reasonable settlement. In fact, I was willing to leave out this calculation for now. Next, we learned she went on vacation for 6 weeks while we were hoping to finalize our divorce. Everyone is entitled to their vacation. And I'm sure Elizabeth's job is very taxing. So we were certainly understanding. Then following her vacation we were informed that in order to complete the status-only filing for divorce she needed to receive back a Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt form from my employer. Although, she forgot i no longer worked for that company so she sent it to my previous employer's address. 45 days later she informed me she never heard back. So she had to send it again. Ok, mistakes happen. We can forgive and move on... Now it is into the new year. Costs continue to rise with Elizabeth as i'm trying to pay temporary alimony and child support with little left to cover my expenses. Now we're told that the procedure to get a stipulation status-only judgement through is "a little bit more complicated in that it requires the filing of a noticed motion". So therefore, my costs and time. Then there was a problem with Elizabeth’s notary license. I won't go into that... But it boils down to even more delays and challenges. Now I'm trying to deal with getting everything finalized once and for all. It’s an exhausting process. I’m sure hoping there are no further “technical difficulties” in getting this done. Elizabeth has run my final dissomaster numbers and they got worse... She forgot that she’s already been told that we no longer have child care costs since she is now in public school and no longer goes to Montessori school. She also is leaving it to me to “work it out” with my soon-to-be-ex on how we’ll handle the fact that I pay for alimony and child support and she also lives in a house for free that I pay half the mortgage on, but don’t live in. I’ve read that in such situations I should get credit for such a thing. But Elizabeth won’t say anything about it. She picks and chooses the topics to respond to... I could go on and on about my challenges with Elizabeth. My guess is that she has lots of clients and can barely give the proper attention to any of them. I’m sure it is a very stressful job. And I’m sure she deals with lots of unreasonable people. But to sum up my experience, I definitely do not feel she was fair with me. She takes a long time to respond, which is very difficult when you are faced with trying to figure out how you will make ends meet and can’t sleep as a result. And she either isn’t very knowledgeable or she simply decides things like Morse Marsden aren’t worth mentioning. In general, my experience has not been good. I could not recommend Elizabeth to anyone else.
Read less
Response from Elizabeth Fondren March 23, 2013
I find it extremely disconcerting to read such a negative review when our interaction was so positive, John. I actually feel rather betrayed. You came to my office a broken man, deeply saddened by the circumstances of your failed marriage. You were at all times a gentleman, though, and you quickly earned my utmost respect for how you handled yourself. You are an astute business man with vast experience in real estate and finance and in short order laid out your goals for the mediation, including a proposed property settlement which clearly excluded any Moore/Marsden calculations. You demonstrated a firm understanding of your rights and duties, and the pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, of your proposal. You did become a bit beleaguered during our negotiations at a couple points and expressed some upset, but later apologized profusely, explaining that sometimes your emotions did get the better of you, and we moved forward. Your case took longer than most, yes, but largely because you yourself asked for everything to be put on hold for an extended period of time. It was for a legitimate reason and was stipulated to by both parties. The delay ultimately allowed you the time and tools to effect a plan that saved you a tremendous amount of money. We recently finished your case and are currently awaiting the return of your full stipulated judgment from the court. I call that a success. The case you referred to me also resulted in a full settlement some time ago so I'm not sure why you mentioned that in a negative context. Avvo does not notify me when a review - good or bad - is posted on my profile. I wish they did because it appears yours was submitted about a month ago, a bit before we finalized the terms of your settlement. So perhaps this is all a matter of timing. Perhaps now you wouldn't have chosen to post this kind of review. I don't know, and perhaps never will. Family Law, my dedicated area of practice and something I feel very passionately about, can be tricky at times, full of differing perspectives and flaring tempers (after all, we are dealing with those things nearest and dearest to our hearts - kids and money!) But there remains one constant for me: I get to help really good people (like you!) through one of the most difficult times in their life. I love that and am very fulfilled by what I do. So, John, I wish you health, happiness, and good fortune in all your future endeavors. Godspeed!
Read less
Posted by anonymous | June 22, 2007
Accomplished nothing for $2300 Lawyer Fees
Ms, Fondren, I can understand why you are confused about how I feel at this point in time. When you first started representing me. I was appreciative, because it's very hard to find anyone that has any kind of empathy or understanding of my situation and because of my extreme frustration. Anyone expressing an understanding of my situation I would naturally be appreciative even though it was misplaced. I also thought at one point that you understood very well what I was dealing with. In that Miss House is simply wicked and evil, and willing to perjurer herself in court to further her own goals. With no grasp of morality or ethics on her part and again, I was mistaken in placing my trust in you on my part. The fact that for almost a year, you were unable to accomplish much of anything in furthering my desire and goal to see my daughters for the first time had nothing to do with my finances. Unfortunately for me, and this is my opinion, you were more concerned about the process in court, rather than the result and on more than one occasion. I asked you to challenge the court and the opposing counsel. in regards to Miss House perjury and their blatant lies, and you did nothing, to prove that the other side is dishonest. in any court case, that is critical, and you ignored that opportunity, even when I asked you to challenge them. you refused. I also felt that you were to subdued or passive in the courtroom and way to friendly with the opposing counsel in effect. you let a legal aid lawyer beat you and us. I find that remarkable. In the long run under your counsel and guidance, I never got to see either daughter not until I hired another attorney, and on the very first appearance in court with a new attorney. we obtained a court order for visitation and you couldn't accomplish that in a year's time. I find that remarkable also. I paid you in excess of $2300 and accomplished nothing. However, you did accomplish in collecting the monies. and obviously that was your first priority. I understand and appreciate this is the way you make your living and ultimately you are removed in terms of what your clients are feeling and experiencing, but at one point or another, you have to put yourself in their shoes and in my case you should have tried to understand that I have been jerked around by the mothers and the court system for years and since day one, all I have wanted to do is have visitation with my daughters without being harassed, attacked or intimidated by anyone. And again under your counsel we never even got close to accomplishing that. You asked the questions and this has been my response, the statements made by me in this response were in no way intended to insult you, and ultimately. I'm sure it will not make much of a difference to you, in what I have expressed to you in this correspondence. But I can always hope it may make a small difference in the future. Robert A
Read less
Response from Elizabeth Fondren October 2, 2009
Robert, even after reading your review, which appears to be an amended version of an email you sent me long ago, I remain confused as to why you became dissatisfied with my performance. Since I am still bound by the attorney-client privilege, my response here must be brief and without the level of detail I provided to you in prior emails. Suffice it to say that during my very brief tenure as your attorney there was no substantive hearing, no opportunity to challenge Ms. House's "lies". And I am always cordial with my opposing counsel, until there is reason to be otherwise. Robert, I believe you were confused about what was happening and remain so, despite my best efforts to guide you through the serious legal issues with which you were presented. I pray that you find peace and understanding, and that your children remain safe and happy.
Read less
View less reviews

Cost

Rates
  • Free Consultation 30 minutes
Payment methods
Cash, Check, Credit Card

Resume

AVVO RATING 7.9 (Very Good)

Work Experience

  • Attorney
  • Law Office of Elizabeth D. Fondren
  • 2004 - Present
  • Law Clerk/Attorney
  • Charton, Broker & Rovenger
  • 2001 - 2004
  • Court Clerk
  • Orange County Superior Court
  • 1995 - 2000

Education

  • Trinity Law School
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • N/A

Associations

  • State Bar of California
  • Member Attorney
  • 2001 - Present

Languages Spoken

  • English

Honors and Awards

  • Outstanding Attorney Volunteer Mentor
  • VIP Mentors (a grassroots non-profit that pairs attorneys with parolees in an effort to curb the rate of recidivism)
  • 2005
  • Outstanding Attorney Volunteer Mentor
  • VIP Mentors
  • 2004

Attorney endorsements

Received (3)
Given (2)
Endorse Elizabeth
Family Attorney | Jun 04
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"I endorse this lawyer, and recommend her for all family law matters. She is a pleasure to work with, friendly, diligent, professional and pays attention to detail. She is really a great family law attorney."
Family Attorney | Apr 02
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Elizabeth is very knowledgeable in the area of family law. I endorse this lawyer."
Family Attorney | May 30
Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter
"Elizabeth and I worked on opposites sides of a case. I found her to be professional and knowledgeable. We have since worked together on a couple of cases, and routinely call each other to bounce ideas off of each other. I would refer Elizabeth a family law case that I could not take without any concern and with the knowledge that the client would be handled with the utmost respect, professional courtesy and knowledge. I endorse this lawyer's work."
Huntington Beach Family Lawyer Elizabeth Diane Fondren
Elizabeth Diane Fondren
Family Attorney
Huntington Beach, CA
Licensed for 21 years
Free Consultation