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Mende Lauren Romaniak
About Mende
Practice Areas
2
Practice Areas
Fees and Rates
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Chat withLicenses
Licensed in California for 13 years
State: California
Acquired: 2012
No misconduct found
Location
Bartholomew & Wasznicky LLP
4740 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, CA, 95819
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Mende Lauren Romaniak's Reviews
Showing 1 - 5 of 14 client reviews from Avvo
Posted by Britney Johnson | July 2, 2025 | Consulted Attorney
This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.
One Star – Unprofessional and Disrespectful Behavior
I’m writing this review to warn others about a deeply disappointing experience with Mende. I reached out to her in hopes of finding legal representation for a family member and had her set up a consultation. What we expected to be a professional and productive meeting quickly turned into an uncomfort...
Mende Romaniak
Replied last July 8, 2025Thank you for your review Ms. Johnson. I would point out that, as your review makes clear, you were not present in the consultation so you are simply hearing one-sided information from your family member. If you had been in said consultation, I presume you would have seen the actuality of the situation - which was that your family member was rude and dismissive from the first moment of the consultation, had unrealistic expectations as to not only what would be provided in a consultation but also what a Court would do given the circumstances, and was either unable to or unwilling to accept any responsibility for your family member's own actions and inactions which led her to the situation she finds herself in. During her consultation she repeatedly was extremely rude and argumentative. When she complained that everything I was telling her about her situation was "obvious" and demanding I provide her case strategy I tried to explain to her that case strategy would vary wildly based on further review of the case (pleadings, prior orders, etc.), what the opposing party presented to the Court in response to her motion, and what her children expressed. I expressed to her that what she was asking was an impossibility in a one-hour consultation provided at a reduced hourly rate. This type of service would generally be provided after retention, a full review of the relevant case file, and may change throughout the process as evidence evolves. It is not something that can be adequately considered and provided in a very limited consultation which is meant to simply provide baseline information and make a determination as to if further representation is necessary and a good fit. After explaining this, she stated that she would not need the full hour of time and demanded to know how much she would be charged. I expressed that the cost of the consultation was $200.00 for up to an hour of time. She continued to argue this cost - despite being made aware of it up front during the booking process. She then began rudely and argumentatively questioning my experience and berating me. She mentioned being "off-put" by my body language, which our consultation was via Zoom so she could not see my body language. To today I have no idea what she meant other than wanting to complain and not pay the cost of the consultation. At that point, after dealing with her unacceptable behavior for over 30 minutes, I terminated the consultation and kindly told her I would not be charging her for my time. This was a benefit to her so it is odd that she complained about it to you. This decision was made because it was clear to me that under no circumstances was I willing to represent her and I had no desire to engage in an argument with her. It was further clear to me that the reason she is in the position she is in is because of her own behaviors and actions and that she will likely remain in that position as she very evidently is unable or unwilling to take accountability for her actions for which she has already faced both Criminal and Family Law consequences. As it seems that you are close with said family member, I would urge you to advise your family member that should she present in mediation or in Court the way she presented at the consultation that it is extremely unlikely she will be well received. I would also urge you to advise her that attorneys - even through we are paid for our services - do not have to tolerate rude, berating, entitled, and belligerent clients. I stand by my termination of the consultation and did so forgoing funds which were rightfully earned so as to not have to deal with your family member any further. I truly hope she gets the help she so clearly needs so that her litigation goals may be met in the future. I would also urge you - as someone who was not present for this consultation and as someone who has NO personal knowledge of what occurred - to refrain from posting reviews for a service you had no part in. Thank you.
Posted by Greg | November 3, 2024 | Hired Attorney
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
Great service
Mende and her firm were great during a Jerry Springer divorce. I would strongly recommend her. She keeps you focused and doesn’t waste resources on stupidity. She always shot me straight and I never felt taken advantage of. It was always a pleasure to visit with her.
Posted by Andrea | July 1, 2022 | Hired Attorney
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
So happy I found Mende
When I Had my consult with Mende, I instantly felt comfortable and a bit more knowledgeable about how to go about my case with court. I was fluster about everything that had already been going on before meeting Mende, because I had two previous attorney’s who did not improve/help my situation with co...
Posted by anonymous | November 27, 2019 | Hired Attorney
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
Contracted, consulted and paid about $11K
There were possibly serious issues of how the case was managed. The day before my trial I was asking Mende to prepare me for my trial. The day before trial I was having conversation with Mende where she was informing me we needed evidence we did not have for trial, and that we had a possible proced...
Mende Romaniak
Replied last May 20, 2021It is not uncommon in family law for a client to demand a refund or to not have to pay their bill. We deal with one of the most emotional areas of law there is and we are dealing with people that are often going through the most traumatic points in their life. Generally speaking, when a client demands certain sums of money or they will take threatening action against me as an attorney or the firm, I nor the firm will agree to honor the demands for money no matter how much they threaten to raise the stakes. I stand behind my work and my ethics and my professional responsibilities as governed by the State Bar of California. Any legitimate complaint will always be looked into and if there were ever a reasonable dispute and or concern it is an attorneys responsibility to fall on their sword. In fact, this particular client filed complaints both with the Better Business Bureau and the California State Bar. Both agencies dismissed the client's complaint with no action taken after receipt and review of the relevant information. We do not hide when there is a valid issue however we will not be threatened or extorted because a client makes unethical or unwanted demands.
Posted by Lori | December 3, 2018 | Hired Attorney
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
Lucky to have found Mende
Mende helped me through the divorce process every step of the way. She answered all of my questions and was always so professional. I would definitely refer anyone who needed an attorney to Mende.
Mende Lauren Romaniak's Lawyer Endorsements
"Mende is a thorough and conscientious family law attorney who really makes her clients the priority. She is extremely knowledgeable and will always go the extra mile to make sure her clients know all possible outcomes of any given scenario so they can make informed decisions. I highly recommend her!"
"I endorse Mende wholeheartedly. She is smart, kind, and an effective advocate for her clients."
"I endorse this lawyer."
"Mende is a knowledgeable family law attorney. She cares deeply about her clients and works hard to help them achieve positive outcomes."
"I have known Mende for only a little while, however, she has been a breath of fresh air for my law office. She is experienced, a hard worker, cares about her clients, is a team player, fun and energetic to be around and, more importantly, the clients have loved working with her. In less than only a few months with our office she hit the ground running taking on two trials, a full caseload from a prior attorney and still is actively meeting with prospective clients. She cares about ethics and about learning. She will be a CFLS without doubt in the near future. I endorse this lawyer and encourage her to work to complete her task requirements to become a specialist so we can add some alphabet soup behind her name."
"I endorse this lawyer."
"It has been a pleasure working with Ms. Romaniak on several cases. Although we were on opposing sides, I found Ms. Romaniak to be highly professional and ethical. I would not hesitate to refer clients to her."
"I had the opportunity to work with Mende and see her in action in the courtroom. She is an aggressive and competent litigator who is not afraid to advocate for her clients. I’m pleased to provide my endorsement for Mende for litigated family law matters."
"In my opinion, Ms. Romaniak is very knowledgeable and personable. She adds a great deal of professionalism to the practice of family law."
Richard Abdallah
Family lawyer
Joshua Aldrich
Family lawyer
Experience
Work Experience
2016 - Present
Associate Attorney, The Law Office of Tiffany L. Andrews
2013 - 2013
Associate Attorney, The Law Offices of Bowman & Associates
2013 - 2016
Associate Attorney, Cordell & Cordell
Education
2012
McGeorge SOL Univ of the Pacific
JD - Juris Doctor
2009
Univ of Redlands
BA - Bachelor of Arts
Languages
English