Donald Philip VanStry

I contacted Mr. VanStry to help me with a child support case. I had never gone through it before and I wanted to be sure I did it right. Mr. VanStry helped me with the financial affadavit, walked me through the steps and what to expect in court, and comforted me when I got extremely nervous and ans...wered any questions I had. His representation in court was unlike any I had ever experienced and with me being across the country (I appeared by phone) I trusted that he would get the job done, and he did. Mr. VanStry cares about his clients and it's apparent in the quality work that he does and the friendly nature that he has when we consulted on the phone. Mr. VanStry made sure that everything that needed to be said in court was made clear and that I got what I deserved. I walked away from the matter pleased with the service and will definitely be going back to him should I need more help in the future.

I hired Don to represent me in my divorce. He is knowledgeable, attentive to details, and diligent. He understands NY state divorce law well, and is able to provide appropriate advice and counsel. He is understanding of the needs that relate to children and families, and the impact that divorce has ...on everyone involved. His experience as it relates to these areas provides him with the background to provide solid advice. He is willing to take the time to understand your specific needs and help ease all the emotional turmoil that inevitably comes with the divorce process. He was readily available, even after hours or on weekends, to discuss things as they came up. He is a straight-talker and had a friendly and calming demeanor when dealing with me, but was also assertive and commanding when needed with the opposing lawyer. I would highly recommend Don without reservations to anyone looking for a good divorce lawyer.

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.