Constantin Zhukovsky

I highly recommend Constantine Zhukovsky as one of the best family law attorneys in the San Francisco Bay Area. I had a very long, painful, and ugly divorce with my abusive ex with a Restraining order and a minor child on my hands. At first, I had a different attorney and felt so confused and helples...s, and the divorce proceedings were going south. When I met Constantine he spent hours explaining my rights, laws, and proceedings. The most important part, he laid out the strategies for my case and let me think about it before I made any decision. From the start, I got the support and clarity I needed. I knew what would happen next, and what I should expect from each hearing. It was through divorce, but I am very happy I had Constantine on my side. I felt safe and protected. The proceedings were going very slow: lots of rescheduling from the opposing side, attorney substitutions, and the most annoying was that if you think you have an agreement with the opposing side, it doesn’t mean anything unless it is all put into paper and signed. My ex played this game a dozen times, and it cost both of us lots of money and time. Finally, after the years of divorce, I can put it all behind me, and I am very grateful to Constantine for his hard work and support.

Soon after my separation nearly two years ago, I was in the desperate situation of not being able to see my daughter (my ex-wife restricted visitation more and more, to the point where she only allowed me rare, supervised visits with our daughter, and only at her home). A friend referred me to Co...nstantine, and I am glad that I went with his recommendation. Constantine is an effective, hard-working and extremely knowledgeable attorney, but also (and this is the part which seems especially difficult to find) a remarkably decent, honest man. I hired Constantine immediately after our first meeting -- but it was also obvious from the start that he does not take on just *any* client. Our initial interview seemed unusual because he wanted to make sure that everything I say is the truth. He warned me that he doesn't represent people who are just trying to take advantage of the legal system to get money, custody (or worse) from their ex-spouses. Almost immediately after our first meeting, Constantine got to work. He said that minimizing litigation should always be a priority for all cooperatively-inclined divorcees; so, the first thing he did was to propose a settlement conference (it should also be noted that thereafter, this was offered to my ex-wife and her legal teams on countless occasions). However, it soon became clear that my ex has no inclination of ever agreeing to any kind of joint legal or physical custody arrangements. So, Constantine set up a neutral, court-appointed mediation session (this action was also contested fiercely in court by my ex-wife and her counsel). During the many nights we spent together working on my case, I found out (through Constantine's actions) that he would never do anything to compromise his integrity. He only took on my case when he was sure that my number one priority was to be a father to my daughter. While my ex-wife interviewed countless attorneys, and switched three during the course of the divorce proceedings (each preceding one was not "aggressive" enough, as I later found out), Constantine remained my counsel ever since our first meeting. His determination and efforts to help me were consistent during this entire time, as he worked tirelessly (often, nights and weekends) on my case. Finally, after many delays, the court appointed mediator issued her report, in which she outlined her recommendations for joint legal and physical custody. Unfortunately, after receiving these mediator's recommendations, my ex-wife instead immediately filed a restraining order against me, citing false allegations of domestic violence and abuse. During the eventual three-day trial, her entire family testified against me in this regard. Constantine remained by my side and defended my fiercely against these false allegations. When everything was said and done, the court dismissed ALL charges against me, removed the restraining order AND issued an order adopting the mediator's recommendations for joint legal and physical custody of our daughter. Thanks to Constantine's constant efforts to fight for the best interests of my daughter and me, I now have joint legal custody and two visits each week, including one overnight. The mediator's recommendations have been adopted by the court, and I can expect the visitation times to expand even more in the months to come. Since the beginning, my number one goal has always been to be a father to my little girl. Constantine made that happen - and I will always be grateful to him.