Debra R Schoenberg

I retained Debra after realizing that my initial attorney was too inexperienced and had done nothing but lose give me bad advice for almost two years of litigation. I had gone from primary custody with over 90% custody to 50% to get agreement to a move-away and my lawyer had later advised me to agree... to a custody evaluation that was going poorly. My ex had married and had virtually unlimited funds for litigation while I was a full-time student. Debra evaluated the situation and told me what my options were. She was clear on what the possible outcomes would be and that my case was in a bad position due to all concessions I had given initially based on the previous lawyer's advice. I didn't like everything she had to say but she was brutally honest with what I could expect from the court. At our first court appearance, I was impressed with her preparation and her command during the appearance. It was obvious to me that this woman knew what she was talking about and that the other professionals at court knew and respected her, including our judge. When the custody evaluation came back against me, Debra gave me invaluable advice, which I took. She told me what she thought was the best course of action but said that the choice was mine and she would take the case forward however I chose. After reflection, I agreed that her assessment was accurate. In court, I watched as Debra argued the judge into ordering a second custody evaluation, possible because I followed Debra's advice and agreed to relocate back to the county where my ex lived. This was at great personal cost, both financially and professionally. But it was worth it in the end. Because Debra got me back to 50% custody, which was critical to my child's emotional well-being, and I do not believe that would have happened without her advice or her skills in the courtroom. Debra was always honest and upfront about the slim chance I had at success in my case but delivered a successful outcome. She remained focused on the best interest of my child at all times. When I became frustrated with my ex over a minor issue involving a vacation dispute, she bluntly set me straight, telling me that she didn't play tit for tat and helping me focus on my child's experience rather than my own annoyance. I was kept informed about her availability and her staff was helpful, caring, and above all, competent. I joked with friends that I was Debra's poorest client. As a student, I borrowed every penny that I paid Debra with and she was careful with it. Did it go faster than I hoped? Of course. But she changed procedures in her practice to save clients money while I was a client when she found a way to have lower billing staff perform tasks. I appreciated that. Debra has great knowledge, experience and integrity. I do not exaggerate when I say that she saved me and my child. Without her, I would have ended up with three weekends a month, simply because my ex had more money and a lawyer who would tell any story to win. For the first time in the court process, I felt defended. I highly recommend Debra Schoenberg.

I found Debra during an extremely difficult time in my life. She was both sympathetic and also focused. She is efficient and some may see her mannerism as brusque, but I always felt like she was fighting for me, and continually looking out for my best interests. I worked with both her and an associ...ate, who was always available and extremely knowledgeable, but I could tell that Debra and her 25 years of experience were guiding the work. The paralegal I worked with was efficient and friendly. I wouldn't wish a custody battle on anyone, but I was pleased with the outcome and feel like the professional services I received were absolutely worth the high financial cost.

Please do not hire this law firm. My late fiancé and I hired this firm to Set Aside his divorce in CA and to keep his son but ended up losing both. The firm was expensive and sloppy. We started with Debra, transferred to Joanne funke then Eric Glasser, each time we had to repeat the process of explai...ning our situation and providing numerous documents over again. A complete waste of money and time. Finally, despite the fact that I reminded Eric to File the Motion to Set Aside Judgement 13 times, he refused and we missed our Statute of Limitations and ultimately lost case because of it. When we finally went to trial with a different law firm, the judge agreed we had a solid case but could not hear our argument because Schoenberg, the first law firm we hired, did not file the motion to set aside judgement for us and we missed our statute of limitation.

My review is not specific to Debra herself but to the attention and service I have received from the staff assigned to my case. I had to register an out of state co parenting plan with the state of California. I was told that a 5K retainer would be enough to execute this, from 5K we went to 6.5K an...d finally to 8.5K. Still today I do not know if the plan is officially registered or not but the accounting group keeps asking for money. Throughout the process I think the communication was scarce and the paralegal assist was poor as the documentation was prepared wrongly the first time and my counterpart was served without me being able to give them the heads up causing unnecessary stress. I would not recommend.