Paul Frederic Donsbach

PRO

Paul Frederic Donsbach

4.8
Rating: 9.8

Licensed for 33 years

Divorce and separation Lawyer at Palo Alto, CA
Practice Areas: Divorce & Separation, Child Custody, Family ... +6 more

2100 Geng Rd., Suite 210, Palo Alto, CA

Virtual Consultation Available

Free Consultation

About Paul

Biography

Practice Areas

9

Practice Areas

Divorce and Separation 30%

30%
Child Custody 25%

25%
Family 10%

10%
Mediation 10%

10%
Alimony 5%

5%
Child Support 5%

5%
Domestic Violence 5%

5%
Marriage and Prenuptials 5%

5%
Uncontested Divorce 5%

5%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

Licenses

Licensed in Hawaii for 27 years

State: Hawaii

Acquired: 1998

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in California for 31 years

State: California

Acquired: 1994

Active

No misconduct found

Licensed in Pennsylvania for 17 years

State: Pennsylvania

Acquired: 2008

Inactive

No misconduct found

Licensed in Alabama for 32 years

State: Alabama

Acquired: 1993

Special Member

No misconduct found

Licensed in Texas for 33 years

State: Texas

Acquired: 1992

MCLE Non-Practicing

No misconduct found

Location

Next Legal

2100 Geng Rd., Suite 210, Palo Alto, CA, 94303

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Next Legal

1470 Maria Ln, Suite 380, Walnut Creek, CA, 94596

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Paul Frederic Donsbach's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.8 /5.0

70 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (70) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 1 of 1 review | Punctuality

Posted by John | December 02, 2022 | Hired Attorney | Lawsuits & Disputes

Grossly negligent attorney

Please do not use this attorney. He cost me my case and I'd hate to see him do this to others. Despite repeatedly telling me we would do trial prep, he never did. Even up to the day before the trial I was asking to do trial prep. He went into court completely unprepared. The judge ignored every singl...e one of his facts that he failed to establish. He forgot to submit the deposition before court. He tried to impeach the witness and the judge looked at him dumbfounded as she cannot impeach the witness if there is no deposition. He still charged me for the deposition. No only was the deposition worthless, it actually prepared my ex for trial. He kept advising me that the judgment could be appealed. However, it cannot. Every lawyer knows it cannot be appealed if there is no court reporter. He might have been a good lawyer once but now he just appears not to care. I think he writes fantasy novels now so he might be leaving his lawyer career behind. He didn't show up for some meetings. He left early at others. For the ones he did attend he didn't bother to listen. He needs to be disbarred immediately before he destroys other people that trust and count on him.

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Paul Frederic Donsbach's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Paul
Matthew Thomas Matejcek headshot
Matthew Matejcek

Family lawyer | May 11

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

William S. Cizmadia headshot
William Cizmadia

Litigation lawyer | Feb 04

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"Mr. Donsbach was a tough adversary in a highly contentious dissolution case. Although tough, he was always professional and courteous. I look forward to working with him again in the future."

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Matthew Thomas Matejcek headshot
Matthew Matejcek

Family lawyer

William S. Cizmadia headshot
William Cizmadia

Divorce and separation lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.8 (Superb)

Honors

2020

Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

2019

Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

2018

Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

2017

Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

1989

Legal Writing, American Jurisprudence

Associations

2017 - Present

Bar Association of San Francisco, Family Law Section

Member

2017 - Present

Los Angeles County Bar Association, Family Law Section

Member

1994 - Present

State Bar of California

Member

1994 - Present

California Lawyers Association

Member

1992 - Present

American Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section

Board Member, Officer

1992 - Present

American Bar Association, Arbitration and Mediation Committees

Member

1992 - Present

American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Alternative Dispute Resolution

Member

1992 - Present

American Bar Association, Family Law Section, Alimony and Spousal Support and Marital Property Committees

Member

1992 - Present

American Bar Association, Litigation Section

Member

1992 - Present

State Bar of Texas, Family Law Section

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Marriage of Jolly

Judgment

Marriage of Amster

Settlement

Marriage of Kessler

Trial

Windsor v. Amchem Products, Inc.

Victory in the United States Supreme Court

Celotex Corporation v. Edwards

United States Supreme Court decision

In re Exxon Valdez

Trial court judgment and appeal

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Education

1992

Southern Methodist Univ SOL

JD - Juris Doctor

1989

University of Texas System, Dallas

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Languages

English

Spanish

Avvo Rating

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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