I found Rick through AVVO and he caught my attention with the fact that he focuses on representing clients from major technology companies. Being an engineer, I opted to meet with him in person for an initial consultation and was so impressed that I ended up hiring him as my lawyer. Rick initially... carefully guided me through a contentious request from my ex for a ridiculous amount of money for spousal support, child support, post-secondary education support, etc. after my separation. We ended up deciding to fight in court since any negotiations with opposing counsel proofed to be completely futile. He performed brilliantly, made the opposing side look pretty bad in front of the judge (I almost felt sorry for them) and we basically got everything that we wanted. This was then followed by over a year of discovery requests, accusations of non-compliance on matters (which was the farthest thing from the true), threats of holding us in contempt, more and more continuous requests, etc. What I really liked about Rick was his ability to keep his cool, he understood the process, the games, the waste of time and resources, he tried to reason with opposing counsel, encouraged me when I could do some of the work myself, which helped keep down my overall costs, and got me through this arduous process. Had it not been for Rick, this process would have cost me a real fortune and after a year, of this, the opposing side found nothing that we hadn’t put on the table right from the start. I can only imagine what my ex spent on this! As we finally headed into a mediation meeting, Rick was very clear about explaining the risk/reward aspects of every issue and he outlined things very well to help me understand what things he thought were worth fighting over and what items are likely to be just a low Return on Investment. He genuinely wants the best for his clients and does a very good job of communicating expected outcomes based on previous court rulings. Working with Rick and his office felt like working with friends. Rick definitely isn't one of those lawyers who seeks to fight over every meaningless item just to rake up billable hours, but rather he focuses on what really matters most at the end of the day. He understands the law well and has a wealth of knowledge and experience to be able to provide good guidance on how he thinks a court might rule on the issues. In the end, I gave in somewhat in order to stay out of what was starting to look to be the makings of a long protracted costly court battle, but I still think we came out of it with a fair settlement (better than many I have seen at my work). I would highly recommend Rick as a consultant in an amicable divorce (which was the original goal when this whole process initially started) or as a strong lawyer in a highly contested case if need be (where I ended up). Thanks Rick, job well done!

I selected Rick and his team to handle my divorce case based on strongly positive reviews on Avvo and I must say they lived up to the testimonials! The process from understanding the details of my case, prioritizing what was important to me as a desirable outcome and gathering pertinent information/d...ocumentation, to coaching on the best approach for an ideal balance between a positive outcome and minimizing legal fees was what I valued most about Rick presiding my case. Rick and his team set a reasonable balance between on-line and face-to-face meetings, each interaction focused on achieving a tangible deliverable at the end. This gave me a sense of true value for funds spent. Educating me openly on the pros/cons of arbitration vs. court hearings and leaving the final decision to me, albeit with a little nudging in the right direction :) was invaluable, validating my confidence in the team's capabilities as divorce proceedings progressed. Then there was the final case presentation (via paper arbitration) and an outcome that far exceeded my expectations. I was able to walk away and protect what was most important to me, time with my daughter, and with little to no egregious financial impact. I strongly recommend Rick and his team for any marriage separation related cases. They are true professionals that deliver results!

A great mix of legal savvy and a practical approach. He demonstrated a thorough grasp of legal issues my spouse's lawyer (V. Freitas) did not spot and probably did not understand. He presented me with both sides, and I sometimes did not take his advice. He never held that against me, and in fact a...dvocated brilliantly just the same. A true lawyer's lawyer who will look out for you and the bigger picture.

I went through an "amicable" divorce and I initially utilized a cut-rate lawyer who oversaw a "collaborative" divorce process. I felt pretty smart at first--I had saved thousands of dollars in legal fees and things between my ex- and I were fine. Well, later I was reminded that you get what you pay f...or when things between my ex- and I went sideways and there were issues over child support and time with the kids. It was at that point that I found out that my prior representation had done a lousy job of advising me and an even poorer job of writing out the divorce settlement. It was at that point that I sought out and found a new lawyer: Rick Hart. I found him here on Avvo.com and I hired him immediately after a short consultation. Rick has done an excellent job in advising and representing me over a number of difficult issues. He is thoughtful and low-key, but is absolutely willing to be an aggressive advocate when the situation calls for it. My favorite aspect of the way Rick works is that he is always very clear about what things he thinks are worth fighting over (and spending money on) and what things are likely to be very low Return on Investment issues. He definitely isn't the sort of attorney who seeks to fight over everything in order to churn billable hours out, to nobody's benefit but his own. In fact, I have found him to be the opposite. He genuinely wants the best outcome for his clients and he does a really good job of communicating a realistic range of expected outcomes on every issue. The bottom line is that I trust Rick completely and would have no reservations recommending him to other (reasonable) people who find themselves facing a divorce.