Mark Steven Gouras

I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Gouras during a very difficult divorce. We unfortunately had a tough situation on the opposing side, and I felt that I had the very best representation to protect myself, my children, and my assets from before my marriage. This was a complicated case at best, ...and what I appreciated the most was Mr. Gouras's patience, knowledge of the law, presentation of real facts, and most of all, his professionalism. Every time we were in the court room, in a mediation, or with experts, I felt I had the best legal representation I could have hired, and I was proud of the manner in which Mr. Gouras chose to handle my case. We were facing opposing counsel that is known for being difficult, and in the end, it was no match for Mr. Gouras. I can only imagine what a disaster this outcome could have been had I not had Mr. Gouras on my side. I offer the highest recommendation I can give, and I am very thankful that he was my counsel during one of the toughest times in my life.

Mark was hired to help with a child custody case. Note that, this case was what I would call a more difficult case for custody. Marks communication was excellent. He was easy to get a hold of and prompt to respond when contacted. Mark did an excellent job with communication, paperwork, deadlines, ans...wering all my questions and made sure I was always informed every step of the way. He does a great job dotting I's and crossing the T's. He is also very honest and upfront which is a key quality you would want with a lawyer. However, he is not at all what I would call an "aggressive lawyer". If you are a looking for someone who can defend you aggressively with creative thinking and solutions, then I would not recommend Mark. He was very passive with the case strategy for the objective I was looking for and made little effort to deviate from the norm or come up with creative solutions to problems to help me accomplish the goals I expressed up front. I feel we could have had done better in the case and should have had a more aggressive strategy. I would recommend him for anything where you are not fighting an up-hill battle or have a hard to win case with a lot at stake. He is a very good lawyer, don't get me wrong, I just wanted to put up more of a fight for my child's life than I feel was done with Mark.

Mark Gouras was my fourth attorney in 2014. My original attorney withdrew from the case after representing me for over five years. This was due to overwhelming and repeated litigation coming from the other side. I am a Bipolar male that had a substance abuse issue in the past. In addition to that... I am disabled due to a horrible back injury suffered three years ago. Mark accepted my case knowing the challenges it presented and the importance it had in maintaining a visitation schedule so that I could spend quality time with my young son. He used his 29 years of extensive knowledge in every facet of family court to help me with my case. This was the single most difficult and stressful situation I have been in since the case was brought to family court in 2008. Mark did an outstanding job of helping me though it all. He did so with the utmost of professionalism without succumbing to the negative tactics of the opposing side. Throughout our time together he kept me updated in every aspect of the case and met with me when necessary, which included weekends. The single most difficult challenge was overcoming the court ordered parenting evaluator's report. This 59 page document told the court why I should lose my time with my son as outlined in the previous parenting plan. Mark was amazingly able to refute the PhD level forensic psychologist's report. He reviewed thousands of pages of court documents including educational, medical, personal emails and texts, financial, counseling, cps and police reports, and most importantly the parent evaluator's report itself. He knew exactly what documents were important and gave excellent advice in helping me collect and sort all of the information. In addition to that he helped prepare me for the difficult process that lie ahead. After a five day trial he was able to get me the visitation schedule that I desired but also got me an incredible outcome that I have been in need of since the process began. His staff was very helpful and understanding of my needs and were there when I needed them. Without a doubt he is the attorney and firm I will use in the future. I would wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone in need of an impressive attorney. Kevin W.

Mark is extremely knowledgeable and professional. Opposing council was very aggressive but never got far. He knew when to act and when to ignore the nonsense that was going on fighting back only when it was important and necessary. That fact that he did not play by throwing back nonsense and unnecess...ary motions at opposing council saved me a ton of cash. At the time I thought he wasn’t doing his job when all the while he was just ignoring the nonsense and saving me money. The opposing party was being super unreasonable and had me running scared but Mark shut them down and not only was the end result fair I feel like I came out ahead by quite a bit. This guy really knows his stuff and I strongly recommend him.

Mark was the fourth attorney I went to for a case I couldn't afford to lose. A loss would mean permanent alienation from the grandchild I had raised and who's safety was at risk. The other three attorneys were willing to take my case but I felt some unease. When I met with Mark he said I didn't ...have enough evidence to go forward and he would not take my case. He said the loss of this type of case could be devastating, and could make a bad situation much worse. He said he would not take a case he could not win and I had to have more evidence. I was impressed with his candor, concern, professionalism and unwillingness to take my case. I came back a few more times desperate to help this child. He told me specifically what evidence he needed in order to go forward. I was able to get this specific evidence and he initiated the custody action. I was terrified the day we had to go to court. He was there early, reviewing the case and when he presented the case I knew why he was the attorney I selected. I won temporary custody, (at a crucial time) and one year later secured permanent custody. The state has an automatic bias toward parents for custody so there is a high hurdle. Mark was willing to turn away a cash paying customer to avoid the potential harm that could result from loss. I have dealt with other attorneys and have been consistently impressed with the immediate response to my calls and the honor and professionalism of this man. I truly believe Mark Gouras was an answer to prayer and I would strongly recommend him to anyone who wants to succeed.