Gary Alan Cornwall

I hired Gary to handle my divorce case after attempts at mediation broke down. Much of my case revolved around a pre-nup and contesting the house which I bought pre-marriage. (My initial consult was about the validity of the pre-nup, which Gary assured me there was case law to support, though he also... said one never knew what would happen in court) He initially charged me a substantial retainer, told me he would work everything out "in a few phone calls" with opposing attorney. He had a new graduate working in his office (literally weeks out of law school): first red flag i should have picked up on. A few weeks go by, he tells me the retainer is gone but zero progress. I ask for an accounting of his time, which is never produced. We agree to a flat fee for the litigation, then begin the filings; I soon gather his young green intern is doing the legwork. The first and only hearing of our case, in which gary promised me I would see 30 minutes of serious argument, was a done deal before he opened his mouth. The judge opened the proceedings by throwing out the pre-nup, awarding the house to community property. Game over. This was all decided on a poorly written (by the intern) statement that did not include all the relevant facts. I did not know my entire case would rely on this statement. Gary seemed taken aback, but the judge didnt let him argue anything, offer any statement or evidence, literally not a word. it was over before it began. He told me we should settle now (in the halls of the courthouse, literally) because the judge clearly had gone against us and would continue to do so. So I sat in the courthouse hallway with my ex across the hall while the 2 attorneys hashed things out. It sucked. I think his lack of knowledge of the judge (Alameda County, Gary is Contra Costa) cost us this case, not to mention the cavalier handling of the critical statement relevant to this hearing. He billed his intern at $300/hr, and himself at $400. I was a fool to hire him. I was cleaned out. it was an awful experience.

I have know Gary for over 7 years. He helped me through a messy divorce with compassion and fairness. He always had the best interest of my son and I at the forefront of everything he did. He’s a great communicator. I was very pleased with the outcome of my divorce. It felt very fair to both me and ...my now ex-spouse. Throughout the past 7 years, he has helped me navigate other family issues and has always been very responsive and thorough in his communication. He truly cares about his clients. I highly recommend Gary as an attorney for family matters. He remains my “go to” person when I am questioning a custody or other family matter. I trust him very much and I know he will always be there for me when I need advice. He is a great attorney and I’m very comforted to know he is there for me when I need him. Thank you, Gary!

I hired him to finish my divorce and mainly child support and custody. Gave him a $5,000.00 retainer of which he depleted and was still in the same place 1 1/2 years later. He is not trustworthy as he told the court I was reconciling with my ex-husband and told the court that I requested him to do n...o more work. NOT TRUE, this man is a clown and not worthy of practicing law at all. I took him to arbitration and won, got almost every bit of my retainer back and enjoyed that the arbitrator repremanded him! This man is a Joke, no lie. I represented myself and did a 100% better.

I have known Gary for over 15 years. I have referred him no less than 20 clients. Why? Simply put, he is nothing short of the best. He is knowledgeable. He is trustworthy. He is accessible. Most importantly, he listens and respects his clients. Legal issues bring anxiety; there is no way aroun...d that. He actually wants to work with opposing attorneys to ease situations rather than further fuel the fire. Yet, if needed he will protect you as his client and act as an umbrella shielding you from unnecessary stress. Without a doubt, I will always turn to Gary for anything first. If you are looking for a true "team" member, then you have found him in Gary.