Modern Family Law Reviews

Agnes 2026.04.30

     

Disappointing performance and billing The courtroom performance was very disappointing. The attorney failed to counter false accusations, leaving us feeling unsupported at a crucial moment. On top of that, the billing process was terrible—no clear cost estimate was provided, and we ended up spending $23,000 with no satisfactory outcome. It felt like a financial drain with little to show for it.
Date of experience: 15 October, 2025

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Reba McEntire 2025.09.03

     

RUN In my experience, Modern Family’s billing is misleading and deceptive. Tina from billing is too scared to speak to the client. Unacceptable. My attorney left me exposed and bombed everything and lied to the judge about my circumstances. I saw no meaningful progress on my case. I was charged for vague entries (“review file,” “strategy call”) without clear outcomes. After weeks and $10,000 for nothing. Absolute trash. Do not trust this lousy firm. They take advantage!
Date of experience: 31 August, 2025

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Belinda Pullam 2025.07.02

     

Anyone but Modern Family Law I STRONGLY advise others to avoid this law firm based on my experience. From the start, I encountered a disturbing lack of care, professionalism, and ethical responsibility. They acted without proper communication, failed to respect clear instructions, and showed no concern for the impact of their actions on my case. To make matters worse, their billing was wildly inflated for the limited—and often unhelpful—work they performed. It felt more like a cash grab than a commitment to legal advocacy. This firm’s behavior demonstrated a clear disregard for basic client respect. Legal representation should be grounded in integrity, transparency, and trust. Unfortunately, I found none of those qualities here. Choose your counsel wisely—there are better, more trustworthy attorneys out there.

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Dani Pua 2025.07.01

     

Do not hire them! Lack of Experience, Oversight, and Professionalism I hired Kathryn Johnson to handle a family enforcement case, not knowing she was a recent law school graduate with no practical experience. Unfortunately, she was given my case without proper oversight from the firm, which became a major problem. She misplaced important documents multiple times, forcing me to resend them and monitor my billing closely, since the firm charges $36 per email. She did not understand my divorce decree or mortgage-related details, and she never contacted the title company, I had to do most of the work myself. She also failed to consult any experts, despite clear gaps in her knowledge. One of the most critical missteps was her failure to list herself as an expert witness, which meant I couldn’t recover attorney’s fees even if I had won. She submitted key evidence just five minutes before the hearing, and in court, she couldn’t operate her laptop prompting the judge to ask her why we were even here, since the decree clearly answered the question. On top of that, she asked me for a 5-star review the same day I hired her, before doing any real legal work. Completely unprofessional. I spent $18,000 over 12 months with no resolution. The firm promised experience and support and I received neither. If you need strong, knowledgeable legal representation, this is not the place to find it.
Date of experience: 22 April, 2025

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Christajankowski 2025.04.13

     

Awful Johanna Hendley said I had a really strong and that she would work with me, so I hired her. Not even an hour later, she called me and said I did not have a case. She then mentioned a $5,000 problem that I got to hear about. I also got to know that her boyfriend has BPD. She talked more about herself than she cared about my case. She has been doing this for " 7 whole years" that doesn't seem long enough for her to be so jadded. 1 week cost me 4,000 and she cared more about my ex than me. Insane. She had her " boss" Craig Valentine to call me but instead I got 2 rube emails Oh. My son was in the hospital this whole time. She would not stop calling me and ran up my bill. Please Do not hire. Has madr my life more difficult. Horrible to take advantage of single mom with 2 special needs children. Disgusting 🫣 They are not sorry. 1 week 4,000. Plus , now they want more $. For 1 week!
Date of experience: 04 March, 2025

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chad counseller 2025.02.14

     

Modern Family Law: Deceptive, Overpriced, and a Total Disgrace Modern Family Law: Deceptive, Overpriced, and a Total Disgrace I’ve never been more misled, overbilled, and abandoned by a business than I was by Modern Family Law. They lied about their attorneys' experience, drained me financially, failed to fight for me, and then refused to release all my case files. Misled About Attorney Experience I hired Liz Milewski under the impression she was an experienced family law attorney. She had only 12 months of experience, a fact I only learned after I fired her​. When I confronted her about poor case handling, she blamed me rather than owning up to her incompetence. Overbilled for work I never saw No strategy, no advocacy Poor communication and delays I fired Liz, expecting better. I was wrong. Second Lawyer: Andy Kemmer—$20K Wasted & Then Abandoned I was then assigned Andy Kemmer, a former prosecutor​. I needed a defense attorney with a family law background, not a prosecutor. From the start, Andy assured me: “The DA has nothing. This is an easy win.” After three months and $20,000 in legal fees, the first DA offer arrived, and Andy—along with Managing Partner Nicholas Tootalian—flipped completely, telling me: “Take the extreme deal or find another lawyer.” So, after billing me into the ground, they abandoned me when I needed them most. Modern Family Law REFUSES to Release My Full Case File After requesting my case files multiple times, I received this response: “We have reviewed our obligations and are confident we are in full compliance. There is nothing more for you to receive.” Translation? They won’t provide proof of what I was billed for. If they had actually done the work, why hide it? Managing Partner Nicholas Tootalian: Hostile, Dismissive, and Dishonest I tried working with Tootalian regarding excessive billing. Instead of addressing my concerns, he was: Hostile and dismissive Refused to consider a refund Backed both lawyers, despite overwhelming proof of deception Even alluded to not believing in my innocence—after taking $20K Final Thoughts: AVOID THIS SCAM FIRM They will lie to get your business. They will overbill you for work you never see. They will abandon you when it counts. They will refuse to release your case files. If you value your money, your time, and your legal rights, DO NOT HIRE MODERN FAMILY LAW. They are a disgrace to the legal profession. STAY FAR, FAR AWAY.

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Raquel Neal 2024.08.31

     

This is how you find talent I had a fantastic experience during my interview process with Jesse DePascal. He was incredibly kind, consistent, and thorough throughout each step. His professionalism made me feel comfortable and valued as a candidate. Jesse's approach to interviewing is refreshing, and he truly takes the time to ensure that candidates understand the process. I appreciate his dedication to creating a positive experience for applicants. Highly recommend him for anyone looking to navigate the interview process with ease!

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Blaise 2024.08.16

     

Generating revenue Scam Hello, I am experiencing numerous issues with the service provided by this firm, which I hired to assist with my divorce case. I was initially informed that lawyer Evan would be handling my case, and I was briefed on the billing structure and services. However, throughout this process, I have been billed for multiple hours of internal meetings where they discussed my case, yet there has been very little progress. I’ve been told repeatedly that they are "waiting on the respondent," but the case seems to be stalled with minimal work being done. Additionally, the work that has been completed was done incorrectly, resulting in additional costs to rectify the errors with my new lawyer. To make matters worse, I was transferred to another attorney who has been charging me for information I had already provided to the previous attorney. Despite requesting that all services be stopped, I am still receiving bills. This lack of proper communication and apparent lack of effort has led me to believe that this firm is more focused on generating revenue than actually resolving cases. Given these issues, I would not recommend this firm to anyone. It has been a disappointing and costly experience, and I feel it is important for others to be aware of these problems. Thank you.
Date of experience: 16 August, 2024

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Life Hurts 2024.02.08

     

Don't go with them ever If you are stupid and want to be delayed, go with this law firm. They are not lawyers; they are liars. They will charge you more here. Julia, Elizabeth, and Neyda will ignore you. You will hire only one, but you will be charged for three people. I filed my case six months ago and am still waiting for a result; I am still ignored, lied to, and unanswered, a simple, easy case: a divorce with no kids and lived only for two months.

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Frank Phillips 2024.01.04

     

Marianne Gil-Lian, the attorney I was assigned, was a delight. Honest. Professional. Put me at ease- which is exactly what you want from a lawyer in my opinion. I'm not sure what these other awful reviewers' experiences were, but they sharply differed from mine. I can't recommend them enough.

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Adam Ross-Nunez 2023.09.14

     

Please adhere to this review before choosing this firm Please adhere to this warning before you decide to say yes to this firm!!!! The upfront call is light and accepting and you think your best interest is #1 one but by the 3rd or 4th billing cycle you will quickly realize it's all about the buck at this place. $3,000 is the retainer which acts like a security deposit and as long as there is no outstanding balance you get that back (STILL WAITING on that but it's been a few days since the attorney removed herself from my case so that's fair). 6months into a divorce and custody case, and mind you the divorce is not being contested by either side, we arrived at temporary orders that have still not allowed me to see my daughter or my animal. I repeat $20,000+ in the hole into this firm and we're no where close to being done with the matter. If we're rating on personality this firm gets high praise for that but as far as navigating in a court room to get results, that's where the buck stops. Attorney Clare Mattione was cordial and nice but every performance in the court room (3 separate occasions/$20,000+ dollars later) still no result. Lackluster, under motivated, and novice is the description I would describe my experience as having her as my counsel. By the 3rd month in I raised questions about the billing and why charges for weekly meetings for 3 people were being charged to me, and the answer was "for all members on the team to be current with what's happening with your case." 6 Months and nothing I mean NOTHING has changed in any case let alone enough to have weekly meetings about me every other week. Between $450-$1,000 is charged every 2 weeks like clock work and NOTHING has changed or advanced in my case, so you can understand my reason for questioning. Then when an email would come in with question I would naturally respond without hesitation...Billing time came and $190-$300 per email and $30-$100 per text message was also billed unto me...Yes, upset. (GRANTED, it does state in the agreement for the both email and text you will be charged) However I gave binders of information in the upfront to circumvent that process. When it seemed as though Ms.Mattione was supplying questions for no reason and only to clarify something we previously discussed I made sure to voice my concerns again about the way billing was occurring and begged for my own counsel to not email or text me again in FEAR OF BEING BILLED FOR HER ASKING QUESTIONS. I was told to allow her to do her job to her ability. Her ability had me interjecting while speaking with the judge at a hearing because she found what I had to say unimportant. HER CLIENT WHO"S PAID HER over $20,000+ and nothing has changed. Per our phone conversation I was emotional and mad to say the least in the matter and yelled at her about the lackluster argument that was anything but that and she proceeded to hang up the phone and TEXT ME THAT SHE"S WITHDRAWING FROM MY CASE because I yelled at her on the phone. Clearly ego, and feelings were hurt but someone who abandons you with no regard of their actions is juvenile. 9 months and I haven't seen my 10 month year old daughter or my service animal, in a divorce that is uncontested is beyond gut wrenching and stressful. To give away $20,000+ to an attorney who wouldn't dare say she earned it by any means is worse. Single father fighting for his little girl and someone doesn't see motivation in that should be your answer picking or not picking this Law firm. I ask you to ask around other attorney's if $20,000+ in an uncontested divorce that's not even close to being finished is normal. No dividing of assets or division of property either, and the ex-wife committed adultery mind you, why is it taking so much money??? Then look at the reviews and see if you see any praises to Attorney Clare Mattione. If you need proof I'm willing to show you invoices telling the truth! Don't fall for the $3,000 dollar retainer that sounds nice but you won't get what you pay for here.

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Randy R 2022.10.14

     

Modern family law takes advantage of veterans This law firm is basically the equivalent to a sports clips or pro cuts. It’s basically where ignorant, inexperienced attorneys go. My son is an Army vet, no children, and an uncontested divorce. They charged him double what he was quoted. There was zero communication and they made several mistakes on the final divorce docs. They communicated with his ex spouse daily and charged him for it without his consent. These folks are crooks and should be in jail. You’re better off representing yourself.

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John Mark Strahan (JM) 2022.07.20

     

J. and Jessica were kind, compassionate, and caring. I was 100% comfortable discussing my situation and they made me feel safe. While I hope not many people have to go through the pain of a divorce, these folks are great if you have to!

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Ikenna Nwakanma 2022.06.19

     

Working with J. Riggs at Modern Family Law during my divorce was a blessing. We never met in person but that didn't prevent us from connecting in a way that made me feel that he was looking out for my interest and not just going along the process in a cookie cutter way. They explained the steps of what to expect before and as it was taking place and really made the divorce as stress free as you can get when going through a divorce. Thank you J!

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Courtney Gonzales 2022.05.21

     

Jay is incredible. I would use no one else!

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Reply from Modern Family Law 2022.05.24

Thanks, Courtney! J. is wonderful! Take care.

Lisa Rhodes 2022.05.14

     

My Attorneys are like Family. They listen to me their Client. They make a challenging matter a little easier. They do understand. J and Jessica are very professional.

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E Rose 2022.05.12

     

Went through a messy divorce and Clare was able to get a good amount of my possessions back including my vital documents like birth certificate and SSN card which he had refused to give back. It wasn’t a fun process but I was very pleased with her help! Clare was very attentive to my needs, guided me through the court process, and helped me set realistic expectations for outcomes. Thank you again.

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JD Gipson 2022.05.02

     

J. and the team were really great to deal with! He was super responsive anytime I had any questions and easy to get a hold of. Dealing with lawyers is generally never a fun thing to do, but J. made the experience pleasant and I really felt like I was in good hands. Thank you again!

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Pat Krzyske 2022.03.08

     

Jay was very helpful.

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Reply from Modern Family Law 2022.03.10

Thanks, Pat. J. is a great part of the team there in Austin. Make the most of the day.

Buddys Burgers 2022.02.11

     

Lydia Fearing overcharges, does little work, stalls and lies to you. She claims she wants to be the voice for you, but that is not true.

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Reply from Modern Family Law 2022.02.21

While Lydia is no longer with us, she was a well respected attorney. I'm sorry to hear about your issue. If there is something we can do to help, please contact us. We'd love to resolve you issue if possible. Make the most of your day.