Donald Philip VanStry

Atty. Vanstry failed to provide even a basic level of representation on my case, and according to other attorneys I had to retain, made serious errors in how he handled my case. By failing to demand current income information, Atty. Vanstry was unable to challenge the income figures proposed by my... ex’s attorney, and failed to get me the temporary maintenance I was entitled to under the statutes. He claimed that I “should be happy”, as it was more money than my ex had been providing to me prior to my filing for divorce. Despite numerous emails, calls, and texts, he refused to perform formal discovery to secure copies of financial documents (e.g. credit card statements, retirement accounts, bank accounts, outstanding loans, etc.). He claimed that discovery isn’t done in this district. I asked many many times to see the Orders and Stipulation by text, phone, and email, but he refused to respond. It wasn’t until another attorney told me to obtain them on my own, that I learned he had missed every discovery deadline, and my case was now in jeopardy. I tried contacting him about this, but he did not respond. I had to fire him and retain new counsel to attempt to salvage my case. However, the mistakes he made could not be undone and I suffered monetary loss… Not to mention the time and stress that this situation caused me. During one of the custody conferences between the attorneys and the Judge’s clerk, Atty. Vanstry failed to produce documentation he had in hand to refute what one of the attorneys was claiming, which significantly impacted the outcome of my case and could not be undone. Atty. Vanstry took money upfront, failed to produce and have me sign a retainer agreement, and failed to produce a bill after requests from me. This is in direct violation of the attorney Rules of Professional Conduct. After I hired new counsel, Atty. Vanstry called my new attorney and proceeded to disparage me in an attempt to get my new attorney to collect even more money for him. I recommend no one use Atty. Vanstry.

The first thing he told me is that divorce is one of the worst things a person can go through, but that he would make it go as smoothly and as drama free as possible. I appreciated that because I met with several attorneys who basically acted like robots telling me what I had to do and what was goin...g to happen before they even knew the facts in my case! Don listens and communicates with me. He was not the cheapest retainer, but that's not what I wanted. I wanted a skilled attorney who would work with me and he did everything he said he would do. I was amazed at how he negotiated with the other attorney. I was amazed at how good he was at responding to crazy motions from my husband's attorney. He kept me in line with deadlines and asked for extensions when I needed more time. Yes it was terrible, but he helped me get what I deserved and kept me sane in the process, which I can't say enough about. The firm he works for is highly professional. They showed me exactly what the bill was every month and exactly what work was done on my case. It's amazing how much legal work goes into a divorce! It was hard to pay the bill, but he got the judge to have my husband pay some of the bill and more importantly protected my rights and my assets. Thank you so much for being my attorney and for everything you did.

I met with Mr. VanStry about my family matter. He listened and have me the good and the bad parts of my case. He explained how the courts looked at things and we created a game plan together on what to do. It took a few months to get things the way I wanted them. I did what he told me to do and it wo...rked! He helped calm me down when I was upset and he helped me focus on what was important in the case. I highly recommend him.

I have a very challenging ex who does nothing but find ways to use our children to hurt me. She talks bad about me in front of the children, she makes up stories that I threaten her - I even think she is making my daughter have psychological issues. Mr. VanStry not only showed the kid's attorney wh...at was going on, he actually convinced the Judge to REVERSE CUSTODY. I now have sole custody of my kids. They are doing great and I no longer feel like I'm on the defensive with my ex. She finally got what she deserved after years of crazy behavior. The transition was initially difficult for the kids - they had no idea what a "normal" house/family was like. He saved me and he definitely saved my kids.

Where do I begin? I first found Don in early 2013 and with just one 2 hour phone call he had me hooked! My family has been put through an absolute nightmare at the hands of social services and another contracted agency. We adopted a boy to find out the very next day he had been abusing our biological... son. We found out and called the police, the agency he came from, pretty much everyone and were told there are no options. My option was Don! Our secret weapon! We were made to feel we did something wrong when really we did not. Records were not given to us facts were not disclosed. We were not able to be prepared for what we were getting ourselves into. One thing that stuck with me Don has said from the beginning was I can not guarantee this will work, but I will try my hardest. I honestly do not believe we would have won if we had anyone else. The amount of information Don knows about adoption law, his work ethic, and drive I have never seen before in anyone. My son refers to Don as his hero/protector. We thank god everyday I was able to find him. Today we officially Vacated our adoption. That very thing we were told was not allowed. The very option we were told does not exist. Don fought for us every step of the way. He is an amazing attorney, amazing man, and my sons hero. Officially today our nightmare is over and all because we had the BEST attorney!