Leslie A. Shafer

Leslie represented me for 1.5 years during an extremely complicated domestic relations case (allocation of parental responsibility). I was consistently impressed with Leslie’s knowledge of the law and how she applied it to the art of her practice as an attorney. I jokingly (yet seriously) referred ...to her as “Ruth,” (short for “Ruthless”). She worked diligently, intelligently, swiftly, ethically, and innovatively. She demonstrated that she was able to consistently observe her own practice methods, and she wasn’t afraid to change the trajectory of the legal strategy in order to meet the end goal – even if that meant turning on a dime. The energy she puts into her work ethic seems endless. My case was litigious and extremely complicated. She could have easily provided a mediocre service, but her dedication to my case never wavered. I am a single mother and a survivor of many years of covert, malignant, narcissistic abuse, and domestic violence. The litigation was an exhausting and traumatizing experience. There were a multitude of systems, investigators, and professionals involved. Within these systems, there was incompetence as far as the eye could see. With each short-coming, or incompetency, of the various systems or professionals involved, Leslie found a challenge to meet and overcome. Her enduring work ethic saw this case through to final orders that protected my children’s present, and their future. I can say, without reservation, that the quality of representation that I received in my case is second to none. She heard me. She listened to me. She empowered me. She built a rapport with me that helped me to trust her expertise, while simultaneously keeping me in the driver’s seat of the decisions being made in my case. She helped me understand the system(s) we were working with (albeit the sometimes painful truths of the systems we were working with). She was amazing in the courtroom. She wasn’t intimidated by my abuser. She wasn’t intimidated by the system(s). Her support gave me the strength I needed to see this through. She treated me like a person. She cared deeply for my children and for me – it was evident, not a façade. The icing on the cake in my experience with Ruthie was that her work on my case was micro and macro level work. Not only did she provide domestic violence specific representation for me, but she worked with an expert in the field of domestic violence bringing expert testimony into the courtroom and educating the court. This is something that is desperately needed in the field of domestic violence and family law. For me, I see working with Ruth as a priceless investment for my life, and the lives of my children. I am happy that it’s over. The work is hard. It’s exhausting (and one of the most stressful experiences I have ever been through). I will never forget the deeply meaningful impact that she has had in my life. She is a smart cookie and a devoted advocate. She is worth every penny of the investment.