Patricia Issberner

It was nearly impossible to talk directly to Mrs. Issberner. Her staff, particularly Pat, her paralegal, was extremely unprofessional. Just like another reviewer on this site, I was told at one point that I couldn't even speak with Mrs. Issberner unless I refreshed my retainer fee. My divorce is n...ow finalized and in hindsight I feel like I've been run over by a freight train. I was led to believe opposing counsel would be, more or less, a pushover but it was the exact opposite. After a few years of this process I believe there was one 4-way meeting(possibly two) and one court meeting where Patricia was present. The other court appearances I was at first represented by a HORRIBLE attorney briefly in Mrs. Issberner's firm then another attorney on Mrs. Issberner's behalf who was very competent. All in all it felt as though I had no one on my side that had my interests at heart.

I hired Patricia Issberner in September , 2015 to handle my divorce, after becoming inpatient with my previous attorney with over a year on the case, several hearings and paying thousands of dollars. During the initial consultation she told me I was depressed and spoke of many things that were not re...lated to divorce in any way. I returned a month later for our first scheduled meeting. Upon arrival I was told that she had failed to schedule our appointment and she was unavailable. This was a sign of things to come. I had difficulty getting information and responses to many questions that I left messages and texts about. I had told her at the onset that expediting this matter was my primary need. She assured me I was in good hands. Long story short, she represented me for 8 months, appeared in court twice, and after she billed my entire retainer fee, hastily resigned as my attorney without any notice or discussion, right after the pretrial consultation with the judge. The trial date was adjourned for 3 months. She then notified the court that she could not represent me and put the entire blame on my behavior.

My first meeting with Ms Issberner was in July of 2015. This is how it went. If I liked summer Patricia liked summer. If I liked the color blue Patricia like the color blue. We were going to stand together. We were going to get my child support modified, because my daughter was in a boarding school. ...We were going to get all the money my Ex owed me. Ms Issberner told me that "fathers are the most important parent a child could have." I told Ms Issberner that if we had a favorable outcome in these quest, I would like to file for custody of my daughter. I asked Ms Issberner if she would be handeling my case personally. She said she would. This was important to me. Patricia did not personally represent me. She delegated my case to a subordinate. When I called to inquire about this, I was told, "Patricia is sick." I was to discover that Patricia Issberner gets sick a lot. Patricia's employee, wrote up what I thought was a very good and comprehensive request to the court in my behalf. The problems started when we got to our first hearing. My lawyer, Ms Issberner's subordinate, seemed nervous in court. She stuttered and stammered and was to,d several times by the judge to speak up. In addition to this Ms Issberner's office never prepped me for this hearing, in fact they never told me about it. This lack of clear communication on the part of Patricia Issberner and her staff, as I was to discover at a later date, was endemic in her office. This very day following the hearing, Patricia's subordinate, my attorney, the only person in that office that I had spent time discussing my case with was leaving the Issberner law office. She told me her reasons, but I will not discuss them here. What is important is that when I left the courthouse I called Ms Issberner's office to ask why I was never told about this, and what Patricia's plans for my case were going forward. I was told by Ms Issberner's staff member, and I quote, "Patricia will not talk to you, unless you pay her another $5,000 dollars." Remarkable? You bet. This person told me that I had to replenish my retainer, before I could talk to my lawyer, and see if I wanted her to still be my lawyer. I told the person at Ms Issberner's office, "tell Patricia that I recorded all our conversations." It worked, Patricia called me. Of course she denied ever saying she wanted $5,000 before talking to me. She also said, that now she would be taking over my case. I had already paid $5,000 to Patricia. Her office had the box of financial information that I meticulously compiled and categorized for her ease. It was going to cost me even more money to start over with a new lawyer, and there was no gaurntee that I would have any more success with them. I decided to accept the apology and meet with Patricia. I mer her and gave her another $5,000. I updated and recatagorised the files I left with Patricia. On may 12, 2016 we were due for another hearing. On may 11, sometime in the afternoon Ms Issberner's office called my home. They asked me, "are you going to court tomorrow?" I said, "yes." She said to me, " we have you scheduled at our office, but they don't have you on the docket at the court." "I'm going to call the court and see what is going on." And that is the last I heard from her. The next day I went to court. I sat and waited for 3 hours until I was brought by the court room. The officer came out handed me a appearance ticket, with a date of June 30 on it. He said to me, "your lawyer postponed. I guess you didn't get the memo." That was enough for me. I called the Issberner office, and told them they were fired. Oddly enough, Patricia's office said I was not on the docket at court, yet when I signed in on the hearing date, my name was on the officers paper work.

A coworker of mine recommended Ms. Issberner after speaking with me about issues I was having with the first lawyer I had been working with. The initial lawyer (NOT Ms. Issberner) was a disaster - unresponsive for weeks at a time and constantly billing me for work that didn't need to be done! Though ...I'd rather not post any personally identifying details of my complicated custody dispute, I can say that Ms. Issberner was able to provide a more professional perspective while acknowledging the existence of the intense emotions that accompany family relations, especially involving our children. I came to her with my own short-sighted plans and ideas for how I wanted to handle the situation. She helped me to make a responsible decision which would function best in the long-term. She presented a variety of possibilities which she understood quite thoroughly and had previous experience with. I was shocked that the previous lawyer hadn't discussed all of the options and long-term ramifications with me! Most importantly, she shared a genuine concern for the well-being of my family while handling sensitive domestic violence concerns. Although she was very busy, I felt that she made my case a priority. I felt confident walking into court knowing Ms. Issberner would be representing me. With Ms. Issberner, what you see is what you get - she was straightforward about costs and outcomes, so that I always knew what to expect. My case was handled to the satisfaction of both myself and my ex-husband, and I would recommend her services to family and friends.

Pat has been very helpful in instructing me in my divorce and custody case. From the moment I stepped into her office she has become a part of my team and has made sure that I understand everything that is going on to the point where she has worked with me financially. I trust her judgement becaus...e she is upfront and honest and tells it like it is. She took the time to help me prepare for what is a most difficult time. She is willing to go the extra mile even though she expects little in return. She is prompt to return phone calls and texts. I'm glad I hired Pat. I've recommended Pat to relatives and friends.