Ralph Thomas Santoro Jr.

I hired Ralph for my divorce back in 2009/2010. He talked confidently in the beginning but I must agree with other reviews on here that Ralph is only in it for himself and his reputation. The case got dragged out in Court due to a cluster B type personality counter-party and he lost interest in the c...ase and started complaining on several occasions about "hating Family law because it's too emotional" to me, his client. At some point he scheduled a meeting with the other party and his attorney without me, and then just called while three men made deals about me and my children. I'm still enraged about this disrespect. He ended up counseling and meeting with the other party again on court day forcing me out of the talks, and I ended up being advised to cut a bad deal. Eventually, Ralph was let go of his firm unexpectedly at Steven M. Bishop in San Diego, and I received a letter from them notifying me of his departure and apologizing about the struggles. He did not keep what he promised and he acted unethical. He destroyed the trust I had in lawyers and the system. If you want an attorney on your side, hire someone else. This one is no good.

Ralph was able to provide accurate and timely advice to me. He always gave me several options and the risks with each option. He always followed up my questions with a quick text or email. If he could not answer right away he would let me know when he would get back to me and he did. He is e...asy to talk to, down to earth and made it easy to discuss a difficult topic.

Ralph helped me with a very escalated child-custody situation, with results that exceeded my wildest expectations. He was extremely organized, responded to my multiple emails, phone calls, and inquiries quickly, concisely, and patiently (including on evenings and weekends), and guided me through the ...difficult and stressful process. Ralph excels at being objective, prepared, succinct, and goal-oriented with his outcomes. He prepped me for mediation, making sure I knew important points to discuss. He validated my concerns and guided me to focus on facts and details that helped my case, and he was able to help me keep emotion out of the equation (which is difficult, if not impossible, when your child is involved). When my situation required aggressiveness, he was not afraid to act quickly and forcefully, resulting in the opposing party having to concede to our requests/demands. His knowledge of the court systems, processes, procedures, and timelines helped me tremendously, as this was all new terrain for me. Ralph is intelligent, engaged, wants his clients to get their desired outcome, and genuinely cares about his work. He is assiduous and confident in a manner which best serves his clients--when in court or dealing with opposing counsel, one must seek an attorney that will go to bat 150%--this is Ralph.