Fredrick S Cohen

Fredrick (Rick) Cohen is a highly experienced family law attorney. He's been a licensed attorney for almost 30 years, and is also a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was referred to me by another family law attorney who thought that Mr. Cohen could better manage my difficult divorce against my ex-h...usband. My ex was relentless on almost every issue throughout the entire divorce proceeding. Mr. Cohen's profound knowledge of the law helped me survived this very stressful period of my life. He's a competent attorney with proven litigation skills in and out of the courtroom. (Unfortunately for me, my case went to trial so I got to witness Mr. Cohen's trial skills and abilities.) He can be an aggressive litigator when it is appropriate to do so, but will also advise you when he believes it is best to compromise on certain issues. He is mindful of your intentions and how you wish to settle your legal matter. He is honest and upfront, and will not sugar coat your matter if he believes otherwise. As such, he may come across at times as being unsympathetic, but it is his role to provide legal guidance, not therapy. I would recommend Rick Cohen if you are seeking a strong attorney to represent you on your family law matter.

A close friend recommended Attorney Rick Cohen to represent me in an ugly divorce and Rick was absolutely awesome! My ex and I couldn't agree on anything -- yet Rick helped me stay focused on what was important for me and my kids. Rick handled a very difficult opposing defense attorney incredibly ...well. I felt that he was the only family law attorney who wasn't in this business to make money off of my bad situation. He and his staff were immediately responsive to my calls and need to talk to them. I can't say enough good things about this guy. He really is a diamond in the rough -- and stands out as a top notch family law attorney! I would recommend him to anyone looking for a great family law attorney!

Rick Cohen's office got the job done. In our first meeting my attorney quickly picked up on a key item which was pertinent and beneficial to my cause. The marriage dissolution took 31 months from the time my wife filed -- including the final 9 months we waited for the court, encumbered by a formida...ble case backlog, to review and approve the judgement. All of Rick's staff members were courteous, professional, and provided the timely help I needed throughout the prolonged and often-frustrating process.

I used Rick in 2017 to draft the MSA (Marital Settlement Agreement) in my uncontested divorce - specifically to assist with disclosures and filing. Unfortunately, he did such a terrible job the judge threw my entire MSA out in June of 2020 after 3 more years in court battling my ex-wife. In his fin...al ruling the judge identified a number of inconsistencies specific to disclosures, so rather than boring you with my story I’ll let the judge’s words from his final ruling speak for themselves: 1. There is no evidence that he supplied a statement of all material facts as to assets and obligations, nor did it include his last two years income tax returns (Family Code Section 2105 b) 2. His schedule of assets and debts contains no statements for the various accounts identified therein. 3. The personal loan from Christopher’s mother, is identified as being incurred during the marriage with a balance of $XX,XXX; no promissory note was attached, although one existed (exhibit 7). 4. Because he did not provide a statement of all material facts as required under Section 2105 b 3 there are no factual contentions provided to wife that would allow her to ascertain if the credit card could be her separate liability. 5. The court looks with suspicion at the conflation of the preliminary and final declarations of disclosure, which was done in this case; especially here given the very short time frame from the filing of the petition to the presentation of the disclosures in full marital settlement agreement. Add to this, that the disclosure itself was woefully inadequate. 6. Based upon the evidence addressed herein, the court finds that Christopher’s declaration of disclosure, which he identified as his “final declaration of disclosure”, fails to comply with Section 2105e. The court would set aside the MASA and judgement based upon this failure alone. While I provided Rick with all of the documentation required it is apparent from the quotes above especially numbers 5 & 6 that said documentation was not included resulting in my disclosures being insufficient. Rick did not advise me on the incompleteness of my disclosures per our agreement and he also used a form in which my ex-wife adopted my disclosures. It was only later that I discovered this form is acceptable in Sacramento County, but Rick failed to make sure it would also be acceptable in Placer County and it wasn’t. As a result, I now need to pay my ex-wife money I do not have because I’ve spent all my money on attorney’s fees over the last 3 years to fight the motion to set aside my MSA which I thought was a solid case with solid disclosures. I asked Rick for his money back and gave him 30 days to do so before I wrote this review and filed an official complaint with the California State Bar and he refused. Not sure why he made that decision based on the information above, but either way spare yourself the frustration and find another attorney.