Elainie Honjas

I had a terrible experience with this attorney and actually can not believe that she is still practicing law. She initially led me on to believe that she was capable of representing me for an important evidentiary hearing the following week. As soon as she took the retainer of $5000, her games began.... She would say anything just to do the least amount of work and to drag things on. Numerous times she made appointments with me and would never show up while I sat outside of a closed office and attempted to reach her. One of the biggest initial damages to my case was when she eventually told me I should not even go to the evidentiary hearing which I hired her for, because the opposing counsel threatened to put me in jail if I do not agree to his terms. She did admit that his making a criminal action threat in order to leverage a civil case was against professional conduct and that if she calls the state bar in the morning they would likely revoke his license. When my Witness in the room asked why don’t you reveal this fact to the state bar so he won’t use this illegal tactic with others in the community, Elainie said it’s basically because she didn’t want to lose social status with the other attorney. I now had a 5K retainer remaining with her and still needed representation so unfortunately continued on with her. For the next significant court date I contacted her many times to assure we were fully prepared. When we finally met she assured me we were fully prepared. Shockingly, she showed up (late) to court and was completely unprepared and my case was further significantly and irreversibly damaged. If you care about the outcome of your case, research your lawyer and hire someone professional who is not in it just to collect a retainer and drag things on with lease care or actual work.

After four years and two separate attorneys, I began representing myself, and became a victim of endless court dates that were unresolved and continued. I realized that I needed an attorney to join the politics of this process or risk an eternity of being a pawn. Elaine was recommended by a dear ...friend, and I reluctantly met with Elaine-desperate to finalize a four+ year old "active" divorce case and be done with it. I came to Elaine with a minuscule amount of faith in this process and even less money. I walked in thinking, "Make an impression upon me, or I will just keep looking." The impression she made was profound and genuine. In fact, it still holds true to this day. Specifically, Elaine is very strong in the following areas: • She knows family law- I know that sounds funny, but it's accurate. She did not just rattle the sections and laws to me, but she actually backed that knowledge with *real life*, modern rulings around the law. Amazing. • Elaine is experienced enough to know when something was worth fighting about, and when I shouldn't sweat the small stuff. •She's a talented, straight -forward yet diplomatic, attorney. What she does is an art. I was amazed at how she easily handled people, as well as emotionally charged issues. •She will fight for you-and do so with firmness and finesse. Enough said. •I never felt ignored, or that my case is unimportant, and she's consistently respectful. •She was always prepared. The end. •She has genuine confidence due to her broad knowledge base. I strongly recommend Elaine for any family law issue because you will be in good hands - and also get expedient resolve.

Two thumbs up for Elainie. She's experienced and easy to work with, and I've used her services for over a decade now on a variety of issues. Her strengths are: 1. Works in a collaborative way with opposing counsel, so you don't have to appear in court unnecessarily. Saves money and ...reduces stress. In the 10+ years I've worked with her, we've been able to resolve almost every issue without having to appear in court. 2. Is able to push forcefully when the need arises. She's gotten a number of court orders in place that have provided resolution and security on important issues for me. 3. Flexible in adapting to the style you need, i.e. she's happy to run the case, or to let you get involved, if you want to be very active in your own case. I work closely on my case with Elainie, and she has facilitated that so I can get very specific outcomes. 4. She's volunteers as a judge pro tem, so she's knowledgeable about the process and well known amongst the judges. Her weakness is (if you think it's a weakness): She will not push hard to get what you want if you are being unreasonable, as she wants her cases to have solid justification. Overall, a very good attorney, and especially good if you want to have a more harmonious resolution to your case.