Denise R Perelli-Minetti

Denise I'm coming for you, you took my hard-earned money AND did nothing with my Divorce case, then split to SoCal. Your doing nothing hurt my case, you put me in a bad situation with the Martinez Court. What a scam you're running. you said you had Covid after you ghosted me for 90 days. FIN...E, then Zelle me my $3200. You asked for more money, then removed yourself from my case without consulting me on the very next day. Shame on you!!!

Stay away from this lawyer. I paid the retainer back on June 14, 2022 although I was not ready to file for the dissolution of my marriage because we were trying to get the house sold first before my husband and I filed but Denise had told me that to be assured of her availability, I needed to pay her... the retainer fee. So I gave her my credit card and bank info, I figured, she’s a lawyer, she will not scam me right? I told her that I will let her know when I am ready for her to file. So I’ve emailed her requesting an appointment over the phone on August 17, no response. I’ve sent her another email on August 27 requesting the same and she finally told me that she was available to talk on Sunday evening at 5. I spoke with her and she had told me that she will be sending two forms for me to fill out (I remember later that I had already filled out two forms that she needed to file) but that she just had moved to a new office and will have to hook up her computer first-she was going to send me those forms later on that night. A whole week passed, and I haven’t received any form of communication from her, I’ve sent sent emails on 8/29, 8/31, and 9/1 following up on the forms that she was supposed to send but not once did she respond. I’ve left messages on her phone, sent her text messages on 9/5 & 9/8, still no response. I thought of calling her on my work cell phone on 9/8 and I’ve received a text from her saying right away stating”please text me”. On 9/16, I’ve emailed her notifying her that I wanted to opt out of my contract with her since she hasn’t done anything for me and I had not heard back from her despite many attempts of contacting her. She called me on 9/19 and told me that she was ill. I told her again that I want to cancel our contract and I want my retainer back. She said it had to go through accounting first, that was 14 days ago and I’ve still not received any reimbursement.

My ex filed an emergency ex parte order which the court holds hearings on pretty fast. He also requested child support. I was so lost in the process as things happened suddenly and had no representation during the first two hearings. I was lost as to what was happening or why it was happening. I r...equested a consult with Denise who called me back. I'd spoken with a few attorneys before getting to Denise, none of which gave me the time of day other than to say they worked in family law and what their rates were. During our consult, she took her time to explain (although I'd already been to court twice) what was happening, ask me me questions to ensure she understood specifics related to my case, and then explained what defenses we could present and what the process would be moving forward all before I paid her a dime. She was honest in that this may not be a fast process, transparent, and most importantly (especially as I have never had to deal with family court before) sympathetic. Although we are still in court, she has been able to get some pretty nice wins - legal rights such as educational and medical access, ex was interfering with my ability to communicate with our child. Denise was able to argue this and have judge order him to purchase her a cellphone so I could communicate with her directly. ALL of this was done in her 1st court appearance on my behalf! She calls prior to court hearings to make sure we are on same page with strategy, what may possibly happen/what to expect and what we're going after during the hearing. She also calls to debrief after court hearing with next steps. Denise representing me has given me hope where it felt hopeless before and helped me to understand more about the process where I had zero understanding and knowledge.

We have an issue with our Neighbors. I contacted her regarding our options. Initial call was good but once I sent the deposit for fees she did not do anything. She always says I am busy, but if you are busy why you accepted the case at the beginning? We kinda lost hope she will do anything. Do not se...nd any deposits unless you are very sure she will do what she tells.

Do yourself a favor and find someone else. Task was a Conservatorship for our disabled child. Met with Denise in Aug 2019, she agreed to handle the Conservatorship with the statement in an email from her assistant of, "This is why Denise went to law school so she could help those like your son." W...e waited for follow up, none ever came. I called and emailed and received excuses for the delays related to holidays, health and eventually the Pandemic. 8 months later (April 2020) we had finally had enough and requested that all documents be returned to us, and that she provide an update on any actions that she had taken on our behalf. We received nothing...for the simple fact that she did nothing for 8 months...well, except to delay a process that was important to our family. Do not be fooled...the term incompetent and reprehensible comes to mind, especially considering her understanding of the stresses that occur to a family when dealing with special needs related matters.