Deborah Lynn Reece

do not hire this woman. she treated our case terribly and ended up making a decision that ruined everything. she assumed and was obviously not looking at the facts or the truth, and making fast moves that ended up with devastating results. she abandoned our case at its highest conflict point and in t...he end, formed an inappropriate attachment to our daughter. she ignored blantant lies by my ex husband that were right in front of her, and punished me for not harming our daughter or doing anything remotely wrong. i moved out of county and she would not come see my new home the multiple times that i invited her to see the environment that is more than safe for our daughter. i have not seen my daughter in 6 months. i have been given only supervised visits, which my ex will not cooperate to schedule. i work with children for a living. i truly hope she closed her practice because she destroyed my life.. she should not be allowed to have the power to do what she did to us.

Retained Debb for a juvenile dependency case where CPS wrongfully took custody of our children. While Debb seemed very confident and knowledgeable about the process over multiple phone calls, what ultimately matters in an attorney is their ability to deliver in court and this is where Debb failed us ...in a way that could have had terrible consequences for our family. On the very first court hearing, Debb agreed to back out of the case altogether based on a judge's suggestion that each of the parents have their own attorneys in case there is conflict. Having never set foot in court before, we were already nervous about the day, when Debb's decision to back out at the outset left us to the mercy of state/county appointed attorneys on the very first hearing, which was very stressful. This jeopardized the fate of our children (possibly having them stay in foster homes for additional days/weeks). In speaking with other attorneys this could have been avoided if the attorney was confident and believed in the clients. Debb also delayed the related criminal investigation (which was crucial to the child custody case) to suit her availability. In the final invoice we were charged for some research activities that we got no output/reports about and when asked we were told to shell out more for the report. People seek attorneys for their judgment and quick and decisive/confident action and their ability to represent and talk on your behalf in court. After spending a couple grand plus, we got none of it. Juvenile dependency cases are sensitive and urgent cases specially if children were taken away from their homes. A client-attorney relationship relies heavily on trust and we feel Debb betrayed that trust by abandoning us during a crucial time of the case.

With this being my first ever experience dealing with the legal process, such as choosing the correct lawyer, court and all of the paperwork involved, I was super nervous. Living in Florida, Deborah Reece, has made everything as easy as possible. From the initial phone call, she has made it clear... that she represents me and has really listened to me, whether I need clarification or have any type of question. Ms. Reece really takes the time to explain everything that is currently ongoing before, during and post court appearances. Ms. Reece is very timely in returning emails and phone calls along with really taking the time to prepare me for important appearances. For example, prior to mediation, instead of attempting to prep me over the phone, the morning after flying in, she had me stop by her office for preparation in person. An example of going a little further, in my opinion. I’ve had one court appearance so far and I can say, Ms. Reece was prepared and excelled in court. She delivered in court and I came away very excited, joyful and relieved! It’s been over a year since I have been able to see my child and I can tell she really cares about that. I came into the process with short term and long term goals and she never deters from those. Also, her assistant, Nichole is really essential as well. Nichole is very supportive and knowledgeable of my case as well. When Ms. Reece is unavailable, she also takes the time to explain certain details and will answer any questions she can. I highly recommend Ms. Reece and I can say, outside of the outcome, you will not be disappointed by her representation and services available to you.