Brian Kipling Myers

Brian Myers represented me in a divorce case that was extraordinarily contentious and difficult. Not only did Brian have to confront an opposing party that was unwilling to compromise on any matter great or small, but he also had to cope with my peculiar circumstances--when I first retained him I was living and working in Southeast Asia--and with the chaos and uncertainty that the pandemic brought to legal processes and the court. I am forever in his debt for his exceptional perseverance in surmounting these many challenges, for his stout advocacy, good judgment, his compassion, and for the deployment of his extraordinary legal capabilities on my behalf. Brian is among the most impressive people I have met in any field. Compassionate and non-judgmental, with an abundance of optimism and an unflappable disposition, Brian always responded quickly and trenchantly to the many emails I sent him. During these dark days that, as days do, accumulated to years, I had a tendency to write long, sprawling messages, only portions of which were legally relevant. Had Brian responded in full to every facet of these emails, I would have quickly been bankrupted. Instead, with an unerring capacity to separate the tangential from the essential, Brian unfailingly got to the legal heart of my messages, keeping us on task and saving me thousands of dollars. This is one small example among many of his superb judgment, his devotion to serving the best interests of his client even when the client in question (me!) could not see the forest for the trees. Brian has a real gift for explaining complex legal mechanisms and terms in a way that clarifies them to the uninitiated. He is generous, patient, and thoroughly decent. One of the reasons I chose to work with Brian has precisely to do with his decency and moral discernment. On occasion, what the law sanctions and what decency requires are at odds. Brian immediately understood--and I believe respected--my decision not to pursue a course of financial remedy that would have been in my self interest. And on other occasions, when I would ask about pursuing avenues that were legally legitimate but, under the circumstances, morally dubious, Brian would push back, and in so doing, made me a better person and a better parent. In short, Brian Myers possesses all of the traits that an outstanding attorney should have: he is decent, incredibly hardworking and responsive, compassionate, a wonderful communicator, with an incredibly sharp legal mind. It is my pleasure to recommend him wholeheartedly.

Brian Myers is the best attorney anyone can hire in Santa Cruz County. He has been my attorney for six years. This man knows the law and will fight for you with honesty and integrity. That may not be important to everyone, but it was, and still is, important to me. There is a reason why he is the Santa Cruz County Family Law Bar Association President. They chose well. I met with Brian for a consultation 3 months before filing for divorce. I explained my dire circumstances and he listened. He didn't set a timer or watch the clock (like the others) and went well over the allotted time. Unlike some of the bottom feeders I met with, he showed compassion and I sensed this was a man who took his code of ethics seriously, which is very hard to come by with divorce attorneys. Let's face it, there's a special place in Hell for most of them. I told him I wasn't looking to hurt my soon-to-be ex-husband and he was okay with that. I thanked him for his time and left his office to consider what I would do. Three months later, I knew I had no choice but to file for divorce. I called and asked to speak with him. He was surprised I was calling him at that time; not because he thought it would work it out, but because it took me 3 more months before I finally walked away from an impossible situation. His compassion was palpable. He asked for a very reasonable retainer and had my divorce filed and served within a week. There wasn't one hiccup. My case inevitably became horribly ugly a few months later when an emergency custody request was necessary. He took care of everything and it was seamless. I then needed a Domestic Violence Restraining Order, which he secured for me for three years and then renewed for another five. I endured years of a custody/visitation battle with drug & alcohol testing, multiple reunification therapists, a move to a different county, etc. He's done it all for me. The bottom line: My kids are safe and I have Brian to thank for that. The one thing that was (and still is) most important to me while fighting this fight is this: I want to be able to come out of this someday with my head held high. I want my kids to know, someday when they're old enough, that I did everything right. I never lied. I never stooped to the lows the other side did. That's important to me. Kids figure out on their own at some point what's going on, so don't play dirty. That's my first bit of advice to anyone reading this. My second bit of advice is this: Hire Brian. He will be there for you every step of the way. He'll get the job done and he'll do it right. If you want an attorney who will represent you effectively, ethically and efficiently, Brian Myers is your guy.