Samantha L. Hughes

I initially tried to do my divorce case without a lawyer. I filed my paperwork on November 18, 2019. With three kids, school, and work - it quickly became too much for me to handle. In March 2020, I contacted Samantha Hughes, who was very upfront about her costs and what she could do for me. I had al...ready been to court and was ordered to submit a judgement by the next court-date (July 31, 2019) or we'd go to trial. I felt confident with her as my choice from that initial call - even though my case was in LA County, she is based in Orange County AND I was about 1/3 the way through my divorce proceedings. I signed a retainer and that was that! Samantha was not my attorney on record with the court, but helped me "behind the scenes" as I continued "In Pro Per" or representing myself. Samantha asked me to scan all of the court documents I already had, then she carefully reviewed them and got to work creating a case plan by March 13, 2020. She also noted that the ex forgot and needed to file a certain document before we could proceed. She tried to contact the ex and the ex refused to cooperate with her. Samantha continued to clarify things as she worked on the judgement. I received monthly statements (both in my email and at my house) as to what was being billed - and it all added up perfectly. Samantha presented a beautiful global settlement proposal to me in June 2020 and I showed it to the ex. Of course, in the interest of being difficult, the ex wanted a lot of things added or removed. The ex told me those changes one at a time - but Samantha was patient and got all the changes in with no issues. Samantha heard me out and helped me make the changes in ways I felt comfortable with. When our original court date of July 31, 2020 was pushed back to September 25, 2020 due to COVID-19 and court closures, we had more time to get the ex to sign the proposed judgment. The ex was still slowly "reviewing" the latest copy of the proposed judgement. Our court date was pushed back AGAIN to October 19, 2020 - but luckily the ex decided to sign paperwork on September 14, 2020. Samantha communicated amazingly quickly and professionally, even as I grew frustrated with the changes the ex was making and court delays due to COVID-19. She also answered all of my questions and helped me feel more secure in the entire process. Samantha handled the judgement filing as I sat at home comfortably. The paperwork was received by the courts and a judge accepted our proposal. I was just decreed as divorced on October 7, 2020! I couldn't have done this without Samantha Hughes. Lifesaver!

I had been looking for a good divorce attorney for the last couple of years. I called and talked to many, many attorneys before deciding to hire Samantha. Prior to hiring Samantha the attorneys I talked to either did not understand the circumstances of my case or looked at my case in too simplistic o...f a matter. On the other hand, I also talked to lawyers who tried to complicate my case and bring in variables that were not there before. Other attorneys either did not quote me a price for the type of divorce I was requesting or charged exorbitant fees and retainers that were unreasonable and which I could not afford. Samantha was a breath of fresh air when I first had a chance to talk to her during our first consultation. At the end of the consultation I knew, without hesitation, that she was the perfect attorney to handle my case. She quoted me a fair retainer fee to handle my divorce. Also, her hourly fee is reasonable as well. As for those contemplating or going through a divorce knows the process is very upsetting, stressful, and depressing. That is why it is so important to have an attorney that makes you feel comfortable, secure, and confident about going down the divorce road and Samantha did all that for me. Samantha is very easy to talk to both via the phone and email. She explains matters in a straight forward manner so that those without a legal background like myself can understand. Do not let her calm demeanor fool you, however, she is a tough, skilled, experienced and knowledge attorney who will fight long and hard till you get what you deserve.

Samantha is a wonderful person and fantastic attorney. She was available to talk to me when I needed, responded quickly to my emails, handled the less glamorous parts of my divorce with compassion, empathy, and expertise. She is stern but fair, maintaining the utmost integrity. Samantha works effic...iently, fights to move your case along quickly, and upholds communication and transparency. This is who you want handling your case.