Patricia Ann Hendrickson

Hendrickson represented me in a child custody and divorce case. I went to a deposition and not only had she failed to prepare me (at all) she let me answer completely irrelevant questions, all while running up her bill. I switched lawyers. After that, her husband called with made-up charges which I r...efused to pay, leading him to call me a "deadbeat". If that's the kind of lawyer you want, choose Patricia. Everyone else, beware: this is the worst kind of fee churning bottom feeding attorney who will take you for everything you've got at a time in your life that you need competent representation.

Firms with lawyers that are not engaging with their clients and use their "staff" to drive their cases are called Paper-Pushing Firms. Hiring Patricia Hendrickson was one of the worst decisions I've made in my life. Besides Patricia Hendrickson lost over $10,000 of my back child support, she was not ...able to keep up with the details of my case, she was rarely available to speak on the phone or return an email to discuss the case, she was often late to the hearings and would cater to more than one client at a time while at court, she did not represent me to the best of her abilities, she did not negotiate assertively with the opposing counsel, she did not ensure the opposing party followed the court orders, and to add salt to injury, she dropped my case just days before I had a hearing on 4 separate issues. I begged her not to drop my case at least until the 4 issues were heard, but she never responded. When I contacted Patricia seeking a refund for the attorney fees I paid her, she would not discuss it with me and advised arbitration. Sadly, arbitration is a waste of time since the arbitrator is a voluntary family law lawyer/Peer and does not deal with Malpractice matters. (Lawyers stick together.) If your case falls anywhere outside of the typical family law "box”, Mrs. Hendrickson does not have the time or knowledge to represent your case. I expect Mrs. Hendrickson will respond to my review with dismissive, dishonest and manipulative words. There are countless family law attorneys, but to find one who is your advocate is difficult. Take the time to research, interview, talk to people who have gone through the family law system, and don't bother reading "scores" on any lawyer websites, since most lawyers pay or donate to be on the lawyer website. The only parties who win in the family law system are the lawyers, not the Petitioner or Respondent. If I can save families from hiring Patricia Hendrickson on any family law matter, I feel I have served as an advocate for people who are in need of good representation. I have filed a complaint with the State Bar. Update since Patricia Ann Hendrickson’s response: The OC Bar is for fee disputes. I was warned by other lawyers and even the State Bar that it is very hard to win a case since the mediators are also family law lawyers and even though lawyers mess up, that does not mean they cannot charge for their time. The State Bar is reinvestigating my claim. Please note, the SB does not investigate malpractice, but they do investigate fraud, breach of contracts, neglect and other unethical/unprofessional behaviors. The SB needs enough clear evidence to bring charges against a lawyer. It’s very tricky and often cases are closed due to the convoluted dynamic of the legal system, especially Family Law. Obviously, if there was not enough proof and cause, the SB would not have opened and reopened my claim. Ms. Hendrickson did not handle my child support case correctly and because of that my child support case was closed. This has nothing to do with unclear communication between Ms. Hendrickson and her client, but everything to do with a lawyer who dropped the ball due to being too busy, lazy and unprofessional. Remember, your lawyer should be your advocate. They should fight for you and your rights. If they make a mistake, as your advocate, they should try everything in their power to make it right.

How can I possibly convey what this woman has meant to me in my life in just 4000 words?! Patricia is one of those VERY rare attorneys that actually has a human heart. I came in to see her a little over 1 1/2 years ago, desperate and in need of someone to point and guide me into the right direction. ...Pat made me feel very comfortable and safe, and not in the 'just telling you what you want to hear' kind of way. She was real, she was honest and I knew that she was the woman I wanted to represent me in court. I'm not sure how much in detail I'm able to go with these types of reviews, but I will say that my case was one of those ultra sensitive termination cases. It was muddy and had lots of history attached to it, needless to say, as cut and dry as it may have seemed to me, there was a lot more proving that had to be done to solidify a ruling. This picture depicts her very well. Always smiling, always positive. It was obvious that she was very well known by her peers as she was always having to say hi or give advice to others when asked. She did her job and then some. We were hit with several curve balls during the actual 4 day trial, and Pat was able to adjust and redirect her focus unscathed. Her closing argument was long and thorough, she most definitely did not skip a beat, she left no stone unturned. And in the end, the judge ruled in our favor, not on only one account but on all three accounts. It felt to me like this was just as much of a win for Pat as it was for me. I know she lost sleep over this case, and was fighting this battle with everything she had. She is just an amazing woman, with amazing talent and I am forever indebted to her for what she was able to achieve for us (me and my child). Not enough thank yous' in the entire world to truly express the gratitude I feel in my heart.

Patricia A. Hendricson is not just an amazing attorney with vast knowledge of divorce and custody law, she is an icon of her profession. I say this because of her ability to literally control the pace and direction of a trial, while rendering all efforts of opposing counsel as futile folly. She's a...mazing to watch in action. Every time I went to court with her, other lawyers would scurry to her and ask for advice or legal precedent—much like a professor walking across campus. Another atribute of Pat's (a rare one at that) is that she truly CARES for her clients… as if she's taken you in like family. You can't buy that kind of sincere connection and level of attention. If you are in need of an attorney for a divorce, custody battle or for an adoption issue, you'll find no better champion of your cause than Patricia A. Hendrickson!

Ms. Hendrickson will rob you. It seemed as if she worked for the opposition. She did not advocate for me whatsoever and had me running around with busy work that had nothing to do with what I hired her to do. I provided her with witnesses and declarations that obsolved me from false allegations. ...She never called the witnesses or addressed the issue. It was a complete "Wag the Dog" maneauver that was transparent to a first year law student. She kept me in court all day and left me in a counsel room. It seems she went to lunch and left me in the counsel room with no lunch. They were barbaric, third world tactics to keep me compromised and susceptible to manipulations. Moreover, to use up my monies. She did not exercise her expertise in my case. I look forward to other counsel seeing the work she has done. Ms. Hendrickson can not be proud of herself. She is completely unethical, lacks integrity, and will sell her soul and sell you out for her professional relationships with judges and other attorneys, hence, the numerous lawyer endorsements. If you have hundreds of thousands of dollars in disposable income to possibly get moderate representation, Ms. Hendrickson might be appropriate for you. Be aware, you are nothing to Ms. Hendrickson. Ms. Henderson's representation was deficient to say the least. She was unresponsive, ineffective, and did not copy valuable, essential communications. Very disappointing. Expensive does not equate to good in this circumstance.