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Joan Marie Grimes

Estate planning Attorney at Walnut Creek, CA

4.5   20 reviews
  • Licensed for 38 years
    State CA
    Acquired 1985
    Status
    Active No misconduct found

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

About Joan

Learn Joan’s areas of practice.

I help people with financial issues whether Estate Planning or Bankruptcy. I believe one of the most important things I do with all clients is education. I will teach you the law as it applies to your circumstances and options available to you. After 25 years in this industry, I have the knowledge and experience to help guide you through this process. 

Our offices are located in Walnut Creek, Brentwood and Antioch. Please call to schedule a free 30 minute consultation at (888)77BK-LAW.  We are here to help.

  • Estate Planning
  • Trust Administration
  • Bankruptcy

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Contact Joan

Similar lawyers nearby

Law Office of Joan Grimes
1600 S. Main St
Suite 100
Walnut Creek, CA, 94596
Law Office of Joan Grimes
191 Sandcreek Road, Suite 220
Brentwood, CA, 94513
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Reviews

4.5 / 5.0
  20 customer reviews
Posted by Diana | April 9, 2017
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
A woman of compassion
Joan Grimes helped me through a very difficult time in my life, divorce and bankruptcy. I always felt that she cared about me as an individual. I would highly recommend her to anyone needing legal advice and/or service.
Posted by Carlos | August 19, 2015
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
A wonderful person that happens to be a very knowledgeable Attorney.
She was referred to me at a very critical point in my life. I had a big problem and was headed to surgery. It felt she took a brick house of of my and my families shoulders. She will always be in our prayers and we can't thank her enough. Will recommend her highly.
Posted by Thary | November 24, 2014
Joan Grimes - is a Miracles lawyer for me and my family
Mrs. Grimes, Thank you so much for your excellent expertise and you can make miracles happend with your hard and determined work for us. We felt so warm and trust you 100%. We had a BK lawyer before you but he screwed us. Thanks to your team and your great works we are all good now. I would recommend you to anyone that's out there looking for a trusted/warm hearted person to represent you and your family.
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Posted by anonymous | September 1, 2014
5 Star Rating for Joan !
Joan is spot on with her legal advise. If you want an attorney who tells you how it is--she speaks her mind and does not hold back. I interviewed several BK Attorneys until I found Joan. Her best interest is the client, not her fat paycheck. Most attorneys don't provide any extra info unless you ask. Joan tells you everything, including the questions you would more than likely forget to ask. You cannot go wrong with choosing Joan as your BK Attorney.
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Posted by Joan | December 2, 2013
Fantastic lawyer, wonderful person
Joan was recommended to me by another attorney that I trust. I came to her after having a less than satisfactory brief encounter with another bankruptcy attorney who advised me to incur more debt, saying I would not qualify without it. I didn't want to take bankruptcy but I felt I had no choice. Still, I was very ashamed at the mess I had gotten myself into. From the first meeting with Joan she gave me hope that I could soon be out this nightmare, and she gave me back my self-respect. I found her knowledgeable and easy to work with. She walked every step of this ordeal with me. I'm still sorry that I had to go that route, but meeting and working with Joan was the best experience of my life. If you're like me and have too much pride to accept help, take my advice, swallow that pride and run, don't walk, to see Joan. It is obvious she cares about the welfare of every client and I will always be grateful for what she did for me. I am now debt-free and more aware of the pitfalls that go along with credit cards. Never again.
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Posted by Ray | March 16, 2013
Best there is !
Joan is a fantastic attorney with a wonderfully knowledgeable staff----I recommend her highly.
Posted by Bob | February 29, 2012
Recommendation for an excellent attorney
Found Joan and her staff to be very professional and compassionate. It was a pleasure for my wife and I to have them representing us and our case. Words could never justify our thanks for the work and guidance by Joan and her staff.
Posted by anonymous | April 2, 2011
Just What We Needed!
We are your typical people who were worried and unsure about anything to do with debt counseling or bankruptcy. We wanted to do what was right, but we needed a professional to help us make tough choices. Joan was so much more than we expected, she was thorough and informative, and her confidence and expertise was so encouraging that she transformed our fear into relief. We highly recommend Joan and her fantastic staff to anyone who is dealing with the difficulties of debt counseling or the possibility of bankruptcy.
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Posted by Tammy | March 29, 2011
Very professional, knowledgeable, and caring!
Nobody wants to go through a bankruptcy - she made us feel less anxious with her vast amount of knowledge, professionalism and caring. She answered all of our questions upfront. We were referred to Joan by an awesome real estate agent. I definately recommend Joan Grimes services to anyone that is unfortunate enough to have to go through a bankruptcy. Thank you, Joan, for being so awesome at what you do. YOU DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
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Posted by Tony | March 29, 2011
Would use her again. LOL
Joan was wonderful. We were reluctant to call her because we didn't want to file for bankruptcy! After we met with Joan we felt very relieved. She was patient, made us feel comfortable and assured us that everything would be okay after reviewing our case and deciding to move forward. We highly recommend Joan and have referred others to her with no hesitation.
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Posted by anonymous | November 13, 2010
Professionalism At Its Best
Professional woman with excellent skills, experience and knowledge in her profession. Compassionate and understanding. Takes the time to listen and responds with professional and caring advice. A person feels the immediate relief they need regarding their fears and concerns about bankruptcy. Joan wrties articles every week in the Brentwood Times Newspaper which I could hardly wait for each week to come so I read the next article. I do not know of any attorney in my 30 years of paralegal experience that offers the professionalism that I received when I made my call for help. I highly endorse this attorney.
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Posted by Ronald | July 15, 2010
Good lawyer
I came to the Joan Grimes law office's to file for bankruptcy and Joan Grimes was the first person I meant at that office, I was given a full explanation of what I had to do as the client and what fees were involved and I was also told that I could pay as I went, and if I had any question they were answered at that time and not I'll get back to you. I highly recommend Joan Grimes for a Bankruptcy attoney.
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Posted by Stacy & Robert | May 27, 2010
Compassionate Lawyer
I was referred to Joan by a friend. Joan was very professional and caring about our situation and made us feel that we were not alone in this time of stress. She took the worry off our shoulders which made it easier for us to go through.Even though she's paid for her expertise she showed true humanly compassion which is not often you see in people. Everytime we met up with her she always gave us a hug and took time to talk about other subjects not pertaining to our Bankruptcy which showed she cared.We need more people like her in this world to care more about one another. I will definitely use her for future services. Thanks Joan for being YOU! :)
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Posted by Michael | April 9, 2010
Lifesaver!
When I started the process of Bankruptcy and having my world turned upside down I had know idea what I was going to do. I was lucky to have been referred to Joan, She eased my stress, pain and vaunerability. Her performance was excellant and I feel I can confide in her today with full confidence. Thank You Joan you far exceeded my expectations, Michael
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Posted by Kim | April 1, 2010
Great Lady
About two years ago everything started falling apart. My husband and I were pretty much at our wits end when we over heard a conversation about Bankruptcy and Joan's name was mentioned. After talking about it together we gave her office a call and set up a free initial consultation with her. The advice she gave was excellent and we hired her to file our case. Through out the four months we worked with her we found her to be pleasant, upbeat and possessed of a genuine sense of concern for us. We would definitely recommend Joan's services to anyone who is considering bankruptcy. Thank you, Joan, for a fresh start and being the great lady that you are.
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Posted by Amy | March 29, 2010
Best Attorney Ever
We met with 3 attorneys before we decided to hire Joan. After we left her office the 1st time we knew we made the right choice. Going through a BK is rough and she made the process alot easier. We always felt like we were talking to a family friend. We had quick responses to our questions and were able to come in as often as we needed to. I have referred Joan to several friends and they have all been happy. She is an excellent attorney and I would recommend her to anyone.
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Posted by Abe | January 28, 2010
The best service ever!
Joan, took the time to walk me thru this process and take care of my filing with such great professional skill!
Posted by anonymous | February 7, 2012
Ch 13 client
She did a good job getting us through the bankruptcy. She was somewhat disorganized, and would tell us something during a meeting, then when we met again, it would be something completely different. We did get confused a lot, because the specifics of our case kept changing. She played hardball with our creditors, which may have made a couple of them dig their heels in and not compromise. In that respect, she could have done a better job. Her secretary is not a nice person, and puts us on the defensive a lot. She will not communicate by e-mail, which makes it difficult to communicate with her office.
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Posted by anonymous | March 8, 2010
The Most Unprofessioanl Person I Have EVER MET
The most unprofessional person I have ever met. Looks like another untrustworthy lawyer just out for money and doesn't care one bit about her clients. Allows her assistants who have NO LEGAL training answer questions and give personal opinions on legal matters, which i believe is illegal. If you have a question and make an attempt to call her, you can forget about that. She does not take her clients phone calls you have to play "relay" with her. What am I paying her for? I thought I hired her not her secretaries. When you do make an appointment to see her she is the most unprofessional person. Complains about her personal life, family, work etc. I don't want to know this stuff, I don't need to know this stuff, I have my own issues to deal with. That's why I needed and attorney in the first place. I felt that she was worse off than I was. Needless to say I had enough of her drama and moved on.
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Posted by anonymous | December 31, 2009
previous client
Horrible, Horrible, Horrible. Not professional. Did not give correct information. Made very costly mistakes Ended up costing me much more than should have and I ended up needing ANOTHER attorney to clean up her mistakes.
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Cost

Rates
  • Free Consultation 30 minutes
Payment methods
Cash, Check

Resume

AVVO RATING 7.5 (Very Good)

Work Experience

  • Attorney
  • Law Office Of Joan Grimes
  • 2007 - Present

Education

  • California Western SOL
  • law
  • 1984
  • Univ of California Berkeley
  • undergraduate
  • 1981

Associations

  • National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys
  • Member
  • 2007 - Present
  • California Association of Realtors
  • Member
  • 2006 - Present
  • Bay Area Bankruptcy Forum
  • Member
  • 1995 - Present

Languages Spoken

  • English

Publications

Speaking Engagements

  • Law School Course
  • Bankruptcy Law Course
  • 2011
  • Legal Issues Facing Homeowners
  • Foreclosures and Short Sales
  • 2010
  • The Law You Need to Know in the Mortgage Crisis
  • Short Sales, Foreclosures and Bankruptcy
  • 2009
View all speaking engagements

Attorney endorsements

Received (4)
Given (1)
Endorse Joan
Estate planning Attorney | Sep 04
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Joan is extremely sharp and knowledgable about estate planning and bankruptcy. She is a nice person to boot! I wholeheartedly endorse this lawyer."
Bankruptcy and debt Attorney | Oct 28
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. Bankruptcy attorneys can appear to be "a dime a dozen." Simply search for 'bankruptcy lawyers' online, and see how many hits you get. Mrs. Grimes, however, is not just another 'dime a dozen' attorney. Mrs. Grimes understands bankruptcy, real estate, and tax issues, and I have consulted with her when I needed to do some 'brain storming.' Highly recommended."
Bankruptcy and debt Attorney | May 18
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. Joan is one of the most caring people you'll meet. More than that she knows the law including every nuance and twist. Bankruptcy often involves real estate issues, tax issues and credit issues - she knows it all. A SOLID veteran to be trusted."
Chapter 13 bankruptcy Attorney | May 11
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer. Whenever I have a client with bankruptcy issues, I feel confident in referring that client to Joan. She is knowledgeable, and skilled in both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies. She is attentive to clients needs and concerns. My clients deserve no less."
Bankruptcy and debt

Avvo Contributions

This attorney hasn't created any legal answers in Q&A or legal guides recently on Avvo.

Walnut Creek Estate planning Lawyer Joan Marie Grimes
Joan Marie Grimes
Estate planning Attorney
Walnut Creek, CA
Licensed for 38 years
Free Consultation