Tracey Rangel Cruz

Tracey and her team are extremely dedicated, compassionate and professional! I feel like a struck the jackpot when I hired her! She and her assistant, Channy, took on my case when I was in a dire and desperate situation and showed so much understanding, patience and competence. Through a long process... with many hearings, they navigated through a complex family law case and a restraining order with multiple witnesses and evidence. Tracey’s demeanor, professionalism and expertise in court were phenomenal and she instantly earned credibility in front of the judge. She knows her job so well and is incredibly in tune with the intricacies and nuances of the laws and the California judicial system. She was always honest with me and laid our realistic expectations without sugar coating anything. She and her team often worked late nights and weekends to prepare for my case and were there for me professionally and personally. We won the case and through her commitment and hard work I was able to keep my children safe. I couldn’t recommend her enough!!!

I was dreading the legal process and fighting my husband over our money and our children. He had threatened to take custody away and leave me in the worst place he possibly could, financially. I didn’t care about our material things but I did care about our children. Tracey sat down with me and ex...plained the court process, the laws, and the realities of what to expect. She worked to get my case ready for court and she knew just what I needed to do. She advised me about a fair settlement and not to give up more than I wanted to simply out of fear. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t because I deserved my fair share of our assets and I am glad that I stood firm. Tracey writes beautifully and expressed my points in court perfectly. When we were in court, she was confident and polished. She is definitely the epitome of a professional and experienced lady lawyer. She’s a fighter dressed up in a suit and pearls and all, but she will fight for you. I could not be happier with how she handled my case — give her a try you won’t be sorry!

Last summer I was forcefully being escorted out of a party in Santa Barbara on the basis of not knowing anyone there. I took self defense and woke up in the hospital with 5 stitches after someone smashed a bottle over my head. The witnesses and "victims" were intoxicated, surrounded me and used physi...cal force against me. To my utter disbelief a month later I was mailed a notice that I was being charged with 242 PC M Assault and Battery. I hired Tracey on 10/21/13 and received a confirmation email notifying me of my payment, I did not hear from her again until almost 2 months later until 12/9/13 the day before my final hearing. Within that time period I sent her personal emails, called her several times, spoke with her assistants and asked for her to get back to me, she never did. I received a call from Tracey at around 6:00 PM on 12/9/13, she was calling to tell me about a settlement she wanted me to agree to. When I inquired why she had not responded to any emails, phone calls or messages left for her with her assistants, she responded simply with "I thought we were trying to get a hold of you", then she proceeded to tell me the "good news." She had received a settlement offer from the DA which was "my best option." The settlement was that I would admit to a crime I was wrongfully accused for, I would have 3 years probation, up to $2,000 in fines and I could no longer visit Isla Vista; to my "benefit" the DA would not pursue jail time. My short conversation with Tracey revolved around me asking her why I would ever agree to this and how this was even considered a settlement. She responded several times with this statement: "the DA will not pursue jail time, although they probably couldn't anyway because there were no serious injuries done to the victims." Then she proceeded to accuse me of the crime I was being charged with "well you did punch them,you battered them. There is no defense for that" (Tracey R. Cruz). I told her I needed time to think about the settlement, she replied by saying that the hearing was at 8:30 AM the next morning and I needed to make a decision. I could not believe that she had disappeared for more than 1&1/2 months and decided to call me the night before my hearing. I told her to ask the judge for more time, so that I could think about it and do some research. I was then informed that, without notifying me, she had asked for more continuances "I have asked for several extensions and I do not think the Judge will grant another continuance." At that moment I decided to cut my losses, fire Tracey and hire myself a new attorney. I told her to tell the judge she was being replaced and to please give me more time to find a new attorney. At the time I was a UC Engineering student (now graduated) with no previous criminal record, had hundreds of community service hours and had worked as a tutor/mentor for underrepresented Sr. & Jr. high students in Santa Barbara; it was almost 100% guarantee that the judge would not give me any jail time. Unfortunately it dawned on me that I could have gone into my own hearing weeks earlier, explained the situation, shown my $10,000 in medical bills, and at the very least gotten the exact same sentence if not a way more lenient one or even have gotten the judge to dismiss the case. Tracey had been absolutely useless. I was granted the extension and found an expert lawyer with 100% positive reviews on yelp and avvo. My new attorney felt for my situation and explained to me that Tracey had not helped at all and actually made my situation worse. He said he usually did not comment on his fellow professionals but he did not have high regards for her work, reputation and in this case she had wasted my time and money. Have a clue. Say no to Cruz!!

I first et Tracy in 2010, needing a lawyer to help me out with my divorce. At the time I was looking for legal advice and she told me everything I needed to do. Shortly after that my ex-wife continued to accuse me of some pretty awful things that had to do with my children so I asked her what my opti...ons were. She didn't hesitate to help me. During that time I was only seeking advice. It wasn't until 2011 that I called Tracy back to let her know that my was dragging her feet with the divorce and I just needed it over as soon as possible. Tracy didn't waste anytime. When I said "as soon as possible" she took that to heart and less than a month later my divorce was final. Over a year and a half later while on my second deployment I found out my ex-wife had been doing some pretty unimaginable things and putting my children in the middle of it. We talked about the case on a weekly basis for about 2 months. One day Tracy called me and said "Shawn I want more than anything for you to win this case, but because I'm based out of Santa Barbara and the judge you it will be hard because he doesn't really care for Santa Barbara lawyers". Let's stop there for a second. (1)Tracy thought enough of me and my kids that she would refer to a local lawyer. (2) That took money out of her pocket and put it in someone elses. (That's pretty SELFLESS if you ask me). Tracy then asked me if I would be ok with her drafting all the paperwork up for my new lawyer, of course I told her yes. The hours she spent working on my case by herself aswell as assisting my new lawyer was awesome. Because of the paperwork she drafted up and the countless hours she put in I now a single FATHER have 100% custody of my children. Tracy was there for me anytime I needed anything and when I hadn't spoken to her in over a year and a half she remembered everything about me my children and my case. When you hire Tracy you aren't just getting a lawyer you are getting someone who truly loves their job and someone who take every case personally and to heart. I would 100% recommend her to anyone.

I have worked with Tracey through a contentious child custody divorce proceeding. She has remained steadfast in attention, knowledge and truly concerned in what goes on with me and my child's life. After firing my first attorney, who was inept, I went to court with her and as a team we prevailed ...so that I was able to become an equal parent in what had appeared to be a lopsided victory before I took action and replaced my first attorney. An attorney is someone that works for you, but you must make some hard decisions and give them guidance. Some people don't get that, especially if it is your first run in the legal/court world. I believe that while she gave me sound advice she never directed me to settle for anything less than I truly wanted which was to be an equal parent. She is a former DA and a parent. Very savvy in the court room.