Swati Sumit Desai

Swati Sumit Desai

also known as Family Law Attorney, Desai Camino, APC

4.6
Rating: 8.1

Licensed for 24 years

Family Lawyer at Anaheim, CA
Practice Areas: Family, Divorce & Separation

4887 E. La Palma Ave., Suite 708, Anaheim, CA

About Swati

Biography

Practice Areas

2

Practice Areas

Divorce and Separation 50%

25 years | 1,000 cases

50%
Family 50%

25 years | 1,000 cases

50%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Hourly Rates

$ 405-505 per hour


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check

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Licenses

Licensed in California for 24 years

State: California

Acquired: 2001

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in Missouri for 24 years

State: Missouri

Acquired: 2002

Inactive

No misconduct found

Location

Desai Camino, APC

4887 E. La Palma Ave., Suite 708, Anaheim, CA, 92807

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Swati Sumit Desai's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.6 /5.0

18 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (18) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 12 reviews | Child Custody

Posted by Nathaniel | June 11, 2019 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

Forever Grateful!

Swati... Hard for me to explain my gratitude towards you. I would not know my sons the way I do today if it were not for you. Brings tears to my eyes even writing this... You were so calculated, calm and supportive. My sons and I owe our relationship to you and the work you put in for us. You a...re a wonderful person. Thank you so much!

Posted by Jason | May 19, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

Was forced to replace Swati 1 week prior to my court date. Careless, Unprofessional, and Unorganized.

If you do decide to use Desai Family Law as your counsel, do NOT have Malori handle any of your documents or case. She is careless with her work and not detailed oriented. I should have known this in the beginning, when she had emailed me requesting my signed retainer agreement. I notified her tha...t the signed agreement was faxed couple days prior, then receive an email stating she had found my signed retainer agreement. This is not a big issue and a simple mistake that is understandable. However, during the negotiations of my case, I had instructed Malori to change my custody schedule to the Settlement Proposal Letter. I, of course, wanted more time with my child and attached a picture of the changes I was requesting. I even told Malori to see the attached picture. Apparently, Malori did not see the attached picture and emailed me the Proposal several times without the changes I requested. I was also billed for the wasted time and work spent because of Malori's negligence. I eventually had to call Malori and tell her which email to open and what needed to be done. If you decide to use Desai Family Law Group, I would NOT recommend using Swati Desai. Any parent going through a custody case, goes through a lot of stress and needs an attorney to help them feel confident. I can honestly say, I did not feel confident having Swati represent me as my counsel, and I had to fire her 1 week prior to my court date. Several months prior to my court date during a phone call, Swati was aggressive with me on the phone and telling me my court date is coming up. I had to remind her that my court date was postponed and rescheduled to a later date by the courts. Her reply, "Hold on. Oh yeah, you're right". Also, during this conversation, Swati had given me incorrect legal advise. I questioned Swati's legal advice, so I emailed Malori if what Swati had said was correct. Malori's email contradicted Swati's legal advise; and in fact, Swati's legal advise was incorrect. During another important phone call, Swati proceeded to put me on hold twice. I was billed for the entire length of the phone call and her pricing is not cheap! One week prior to my court date during a phone call, Swati asked me "wait, when is your court date again"? Also during this phone call, I had asked Swati if she saw my important email from 2 days before. Her response, "What email? Oh yeah, that email. What was that email regarding again"? It was after this phone call, I decided to seek new counsel and fire Swati as my attorney. I understand that most attorneys do not memorize all their clients' court dates, but at least wait until the phone call is over and check your schedule for the court date. Do not ask your client, "wait, when is your court date again". (Take this as constructive criticism). The amount of stress and paranoia I endured having to fire Swati one week prior to my court date, I do not wish upon any parent. Shortly after replacing Swati, I was emailed a ridiculous bill. I tried to call Swati from my work phone to discuss the charges, only to realize that she had blocked that number. If Swati was familiar with my case/file she would have blocked the only number I had put on my contact information (which was my personal phone number). I called her from my personal number and she refused to discuss the charges. For the price they charge, I expected a certain level of professionalism and experience, which was not met. I would not recommend this firm and would suggest looking elsewhere.

Posted by anonymous | August 26, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

EXCELLENT!!!!

We just concluded our 3 month long child custody case and couldn't of asked for better results. I am a father that just received full legal and physical custody. My case was extremely complicated with many different aspects however, Swati and her team, with dedication, took the time it needed. Our ca...se has been on going for 3 years in out of court when we decided to hire Swati with hopes to finally end the turmoil and she delivered! I would recommend her to anyone.

Posted by anonymous | August 12, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

Cheated and misled me

Swati charged me SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS to read my emails and print/file the attachments even AFTER I FIRED HER. And worse, she never gave any indication that she had absolutely no intention of using the extensive documentation I've accumulated about my ex-wife's undisclosed assets and income. In...stead, Swati effectively colluded with my ex by bullying me into a stipulated "settlement agreement" with an unwarranted "equalization payment" from debt-ridden me (I just want an equal share of my son's life) to my allegedly "poor" ex-wife (whose corporations hide her profitable real estate empire).

Swati Desai

Replied last August 12, 2016

In my 15+ years practicing law, this is my 1st negative review. I have no idea who wrote this review, as the facts do not sound remotely familiar to me. With that being said, once a client executes a substitution of attorney all work on the case ceases. If we enter into a settlement agreement, then the client is advised thoroughly about the terms and we never "bully" our clients into executing anything against their own free will. We ensure all settlement agreements are knowingly and voluntarily entered into after an explanation of the terms and the risks of going to trial. I work diligently for all my clients and advocate for them in every way possible. My team and I pride ourselves in working collaboratively with our clients and opposing counsel in trying to reach an amicable resolution. However, oftentimes that is not possible and having an evidentiary hearing or trial is necessary to ensure the best outcome for our client. We don't gain anything from entering into settlement agreements that make our clients unhappy. We charge a reasonable hourly rate for our time which varies depending on which attorney is handling the case, including reviewing emails. This is the standard practice for all family lawyers.

Posted by anonymous | April 11, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

Child custody

Swati Desai is the best in her field. She is thorough, straight forward, doesn't beat around the bush and gets work done. She handled my case very practically and got my daughter's passport renewed in no time. I highly recommend her to anyone in need of child custody or any divorce related issues.

See All Client Reviews

Swati Sumit Desai's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Swati
Paula Ann Clarkson headshot
Paula Clarkson

Divorce and separation lawyer | Jun 28

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Swati is an excellent family law attorney. We have collaborated on matters and my firm has referred her several cases. Swati is always responsive and makes us looks good to those we refer because she takes such good care of her clients."

Marla Merhab Robinson headshot
Marla Robinson

Family lawyer | Jan 17

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I highly endorse Swati Desai. I have referred several clients to Swati,and all have been highly satisfied. She is aggressive in representing her clients, while always professional, and compassionate."

Steven Francis Schroeder headshot
Steven Schroeder

Unknown lawyer | Jan 17

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have referred over several clients the past couple of years, and in each case Swati and her team have exceeded mine and the clients expectations."

Shyneisha L Rous'e headshot
Shyneisha Rous'e

Family lawyer | Jun 07

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer."

Laurence Brock headshot
Laurence Brock

Family lawyer | Feb 06

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"Ms. Desai is extremely knowledgeable in all areas of family law. She maintains high ethical standards while providing her clients aggressive representation in the courtroom."

Alysha Park Choi headshot
Alysha Choi

Family lawyer | Jan 30

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I have known Swati for many years. She is a great attorney. I endorse this lawyer without reservations."

Cindy Lee Cannon headshot
Cindy Cannon

Family lawyer | Oct 29

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Ms. Desai impressed me with both her keen intellect and dedication to the practice of law. She stands for the highest traditions of the bar."

Carolina C Gomez headshot
Carolina Gomez

Family lawyer | Apr 21

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Mike Singh Sethi headshot
Mike Sethi

Family lawyer | Apr 03

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer's work. She is very experienced and professionally knows who to handle each case. I call her Guru of Family law practice. Highly recommend her."

View All Endorsements
Kashif Haque headshot
Kashif Haque

Employment and labor lawyer

Rita Liu headshot
Rita Liu

Family lawyer

Shyneisha L Rous'e headshot
Shyneisha Rous'e

Family lawyer

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Carolina Gomez

Immigration lawyer

Heena Hemender Patel headshot
Heena Patel

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Laurence Brock headshot
Laurence Brock

Child custody lawyer

Experience

Rating:  8.1 (Excellent)

Honors

2000

American Jurisprudence Award, American Jurisprudence

Work Experience

2001 - Present

Managing Partner, Desai Family Law Group

Associations

American Bar Association

Member

Orange County Bar Association

Member

South Asian Bar Association

Member

OC ProVisors

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Move-Away or Relocation

Father successfully opposed the move-away

See More Legal Cases

Education

2000

Saint Louis University School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1997

University of California - Irvine

Criminology

Speaking Engagements

2015

Women's Conference

The Art of Forgiveness

Languages

Gujarati

Spanish

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

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  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
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  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
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Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution