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Stephen Michael Fatula

Family Attorney at Roseville, CA

4.5   10 reviews
  • Licensed for 12 years
    State CA
    Acquired 2011
    Status
    Active No misconduct found

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

About Stephen

Learn Stephen’s areas of practice.

Stephen M. Fatula, Jr. came to California after years of visiting family in the Silicon Valley and Bay areas. As a Pennsylvania native, he spent his childhood immersed in the local community through the Boy Scouts of America and local sports teams where he developed strong leadership skills and the importance of trust and honor.  Having a sense of civic responsibility, he enrolled at Wesley College, Delaware’s oldest private college, with an unprecedented eagerness to get involved and help people. While pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in environmental studies, Mr. Fatula selflessly tutored hundreds of students, founded multiple organizations focused on giving back to the community and published a scholastic article, all while graduating magna cum laude, with minors in chemistry and biology.

Mr. Fatula graduated and immediately began working for W.L. Gore & Associates, a $3 billion annual company and 14-year-acknowledged “100 Best Companies to Work For" in the U.S. by FORTUNE magazine.  Before accepting a full-time position with W.L. Gore & Associates, Mr. Fatula was approached by Rutgers University School of Law and invited to attend. Mr. Fatula understood law school would provide a direct avenue to helping others and quickly leveraged the education into a dual MBA degree from Rutgers School of Business, recognizing the necessity to understand business when practicing law.

While earning his Juris Doctorate degree from Rutgers School of Law, Mr. Fatula was selected to participate in two esteemed programs, the Children's Justice Clinic and the Mediation Pro Bono Project, where he spent countless hours advocating and protecting children in Camden, New Jersey, during the day and mediating simple and complex disputes after court hours.​  Upon graduating from Rutgers School of Law, Mr. Fatula promptly applied his new education and helped establish an educational products company out of San Jose, California, The Lumenaris Group, Inc. After being appointed as legal counsel in 2009, Mr. Fatula continued to hone his legal and business skills.

In 2012, Mr. Fatula moved from New Jersey, where he was providing legal and non-legal services to multiple companies, including small- and medium-sized law firms and a Fortune 500 Company, Campbell Soup Company, to Sacramento, California. Within weeks, Mr. Fatula was hired at a small law firm and began representing clients’ interests in family law matters in Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties, where he worked with Miles McCoy.  

The two instantly recognized their legal and business approach were perfectly complementary, and within months entered into a successful partnership. The partnership transitioned into a corporation and the core team expanded. In 2016, Mr. McCoy found his calling with the U.S. Airforce.  Mr. Fatula and the McCoy Fatula team reassembled and refocused, and over the years built the reputation for strong, sensible advocacy.  Their efforts have earned the praise and respect of their clients, their colleagues and the community as whole, and has also earned them numerous awards and communal recognition.  They continue to fight vigorously for those that need help.

Awards

Client's Choice 2014
Client's Choice
2014

Photos and videos

Contact Stephen

McCoy Fatula, APC

Reviews

4.5 / 5.0
  10 customer reviews
Client's Choice 2014
Client's Choice
Client's Choice is an Avvo award granted to attorneys with a significant number of client reviews over 4 stars in a given year.
Posted by Shea | July 18, 2014
Professional, Friendly, Caring and Non-Judging. The Best Attorney I have EVER worked with.
Stephen was very attentive to my case and my individual needs. My specific situation was very sensitive and complicated, I was worried that because of this, any law firm would have difficulty with assisting me properly. However, Stephen and his colleges went above and beyond with the difficult circumstances that were included in my case, doing extra research and so much more. They always made sure that my son and his safety, happiness and well-being, were the number one focus. My results have been outstanding and more than I even thought possible.
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Posted by anonymous | April 15, 2021
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Logical, Reasonable, Thorough
Steve took my case after a previous attorney failed me miserably. He immediately started getting things resolved and while my divorce took over a year, in the end he got me exactly what I was legally entitled to. After receiving emails in the middle of the night I realized he was burning the midnight oil on my case. After seeing him in action during hearings I saw how passionate he was that the law be upheld. He was very knowledgeable about the law and my case. I was quite amazed at how familiar he was with my case even though I know he had many other clients. If you are looking for someone that will go to bat for you and represent you to the end I would recommend Stephen Fatula. This guy truly is an amazing attorney. His expertise in family law is without equal. Warning he is all about Evidence and like any lawyer he is only as strong as the evidence you are able to provide for your case. He will search for the evidence but always make sure you have evidence to back what you say. I would also say if you are going through Divorce and dont know what to do STAY CALM give Stephen a call and see what he can do to help you as he has helped me.
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Posted by Shawn | October 16, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Professional, helpful and appreciated
The law offices of McCoy Fatula gave me peace of mind, relief and much needed support throughout the entire process that I needed their services. Being able to reopen my family law case and help resolve the issues at hand from beginning to end. Their professionalism and compassion helped me get through the process with my head held up and able to move forward. Thank you McCoy Fatula and Mrs. Baum for all your hard work.
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Posted by John | March 26, 2019
This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.
| Consulted Attorney
Professional and personable
I found Steve online and was able to meet with him for coffee. We talked for about an hour and I got to know Steve and more about what he does. I was extremely impressed with his knowledge of the legal process and how that relates to family law and property. His approach is to be direct and get results. He tells you what you need to know and lays out all your options and let’s you make that decision. He’ll guide you through the four phases of divorce. He’s a family man so he understands and is sensitive to the negative effects of divorce. I highly recommend Steve to anybody who is looking for somebody who has just the right balance of emotion and professionalism to help you through a truly difficult divorce process.
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Posted by fred | July 8, 2014
proven results
Had a child support issue for my brother in jail.. I needed help in trying to resolve a major over-payment of child support to his ex-wife. After a lengthy consultation we decided to write a very influential letter that stated our case. The other party never responded and we were able to be successful in blocking any future child support payments. We accomplished our objectives.
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Posted by J | July 7, 2014
Better than other options because he is the best option, here is why...
I shopped around and interviewed various lawyers before deciding to go with Stephen. Stephen listened longer over the phone and conveyed an understanding of my case with me. I decided to meet in person. Stephen met with me for what i would consider to be a long time, considering that he is a busy attorney. Although he encouraged me to take his contract home and think over where I want to go from here and which attorney to hire, i had already learned what i needed to know in order to make the decision to retain Stephen. Something happened in my case that was out of our control and unexpected Stephen dropped every, so to speak, and tended to my case. Along the way, he kept in communication with me and at some points required me to come into his office. I was okay with that as he was doing an excellent job at managing my expectations. Managing customer expectations is important in any business. I find it important that he is conscientious of my budget while providing me with expedient results that I can count, while keeping me informed all along the way. If i have to hire an attorney in outside of Stephen´s practice, i feel sorry for the future attorney because Stephen has set my expectations for attorneys very high. As you can imagine, I appreciate that of him.
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Posted by Deborah | July 1, 2014
Supportive , Understanding & Knowledgable
Stephen Fatula was supportive, understanding, accurately assessed the situation & He responded quickly and professionally to my needs. My husband are back together again so I did not need to go through with my divorce. I will have to say that I am happy with the service they have provided me. I will be back if I am need of his services again. I highly recommend Mr. Stephen Fatula!
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Posted by Carlos | June 28, 2014
This is someone you want on your side!
Let's face it, dealing with attorneys is rarely a fun experience, however when I met the folks at McCoy Fatula it made everything so much easier. My experience was very pleasant and the team was so professional. Steve Fatula dealt with my case personally, he kept me in the loop and updated me on a daily basis. It's rare to that kind of one-on-one service at large firms, it was such a great relief to know I had them on my side.
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Posted by anonymous | July 7, 2014
Breath of fresh air
It was a breath of fresh air to see a law firm that is more concerned for best outcome of all parties than combat in the courtroom. Finances were tough but they worked with me.
Posted by Marilyn | March 5, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Do Not Recommend
Mr. Fatula represented me in a family law matter in 2013. That ended successfully and I felt confident enough in Mr. Fatula's work to begin referring friends and family members to him for their family law needs. People began coming back to me saying they were surprised by the cost or they had lost their case for reasons they didn't understand. I hadn't experienced that with this office. In 2017, I had to retain Mr. Fatula for another family law matter. This time, it was impossible for me to communicate with Mr. Fatula directly. I tried to be understanding of the fact that his practice had grown, but his lack of availability was frustrating. My matter was set for trial last fall. Everything went as planned, but when it was time to get the final order... nothing. Radio silence. Dead air. When I attempted to call the office to find out where my final order was and why it was delayed, I was charged every single time, which is ordinarily acceptable, however, I felt given the circumstances that I was being taken advantage of. I wasn't allowed to speak to either Mr. Fatula or the senior paralegal, both of whom were the only ones I trusted in the office to have accurate information and give me straight answers. This only made things worse. As the months ticked by, I grew more and more frustrated. Finally, much to my dismay and disappointment and after being snapped at by the legal secretary, Imanee, for asking questions about my situation, I asked for a third time to sub Mr. Fatula out my case. At this point, my final order had been missing for 3 months. Once I subbed Mr. Fatula out, I began calling the court in Sacramento CA. Within a week, my order was found and a few days later, in my hand. Where was it, you ask? According to the courthouse, it was put in Mr. Fatula's attorneys box at the courthouse in November. He claims he never received it. To be fair, the attorneys box is in a public area in the court house and can be accessed by anybody walking by. It is possible that somebody else grabbed it by accident, but another attorney would have returned it. I believe it was stolen in an attempt to delay settlement in the case, but I'll never know for sure. What I do know, is that I WAS loyal to McCoy Fatula. Mr. Fatula literally saved my life helping me get away from CA, and I will always be eternally grateful for that. But when push came to shove, I trusted Mr. Fatula and his staff and they let me down in a big way. I went back and forth about writing this review, but yesterday, after receiving an email where I was essentially spoken to like I was stupid, (Rachel received the same email and simply did what I asked!) I made the decision to review McCoy Fatula, quite honestly, in various platforms. In the future, I will take my business elsewhere. I suggest you do the same. If you do move forward with this firm, make sure Rachel (senior paralegal) is in the office while your case is being handled. I feel if she hadn't been on leave when my trial happened, none of this would have occurred.
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Response from Stephen Fatula March 5, 2019
Marilyn, You are blaming us for something outside of our control. We represented you vigorously and secured every item you desired through multiple hearings and trial. You won everything. Yes, it took time, but you won everything. Everything you wanted, we delivered. And you never even had to come to California once for this. You are frustrated because we could not collect a single document from the court, and I understand that, but it was outside of our control. We could not access your file at court because the court said it was not available. We could not give you a document we never received. We tried to get it. We called weekly. We sent emails. We sent numerous staff persons to court, including myself at no charge, to try and track down and collect this document and each time the court clerks stated they could not find it and kept saying it did not exist. We spent dozens of hours trying to track it down because it mattered to us. It is unfortunate that this happened and it is unfortunate you have reviewed us so poorly after being such a loyal client for the better part of 6 years. Regardless, we appreciate the opportunity to have worked with you and to have secured you so many great outcomes and wish you the best moving forward.
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Cost

Rates
  • Hourly Rates $ 165-375 per hour
  • Retainer Sometimes
Payment methods
Cash, Credit Card

Resume

AVVO RATING 7.4 (Very Good)

Work Experience

  • Owner
  • McCoy Fatula, APC
  • 2014 - Present
  • Partner
  • Mccoy / Fatula LLP
  • 2012 - 2014
  • Attorney
  • Lumenaris Group Inc
  • 2011 - 2012

Education

  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey School of Law - Camden
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • 2009
  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey School of Law - Camden
  • MA - Masters
  • 2009
  • Wesley College
  • BS - Bachelor of Science
  • 2005

Legal Cases

  • Move Away
  • Move Away Granted

Associations

  • State Bar of California
  • Member
  • 2011 - Present

Languages Spoken

  • English

Honors and Awards

  • Best of the Best Law Firm in Roseville
  • Press Tribune
  • 2019

Speaking Engagements

Attorney endorsements

Received (7)
Given (9)
Endorse Stephen
Family Attorney | Oct 19
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer."
Family Attorney | Oct 16
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer."
Estate planning Attorney | Oct 11
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer."
Unknown Attorney | Oct 11
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer."
Unknown Attorney | Oct 11
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer."
Family Attorney | Oct 10
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"I endorse this lawyer."
Family Attorney | Jul 18
Relationship: Friend
"Mr. Fatula has the rare combination of a sharp legal mind, tireless work ethic, and unwavering commitment to representing his clients creatively, zealously and ethically. Anyone with a legal matter in Northern California would be well advised to speak to Stephen."
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