Schoenberg Family Law Group P.C.

Ms. Schoenberg was extremely helpful, willing to answer my questions before I even knew if I would need to hire her. At one point, I was hoping I hadn’t worn out my welcome with a second round of follow-​up questions. She had been so generous with her time on the phone before; I mentioned an email response this time would be fine. Instead, she called me the same day and said, «This is too important for an email.»

Hiring this woman was the the biggest mistake and regret that I have ever made. Anyone with a complex case will eventually catch on to how she extorts money by taking advantage of clients and their little knowledge of the legal intricacies. I can say wholeheartedly that she is an unethical con artist and should be disbarred and even jailed for how she has screwed her clients financially in very vulnerable situations. She uses her legal expertise to extort/​con money out of her clients and get away with it. Do not trust her and certainly don’t sign any contract with her. Please read the hidden reviews, many reviews of her unethical practices have been taken down. Seriously, she is a liability to society and something should be done about this monster before she hurts any more people.

I contacted Debra for a second opinion. She was more helpful than the attorney I currently employ. I’m knee deep into my fathers divorce, other wise I would jump ship. That is still a possibility. Debra had a lot of great suggestion going forward; she was happy to share.
I wish I could turn back the time. I would have hired Debra Schoenberg.

My review is twofold: for Debra Schoenberg Esq. and for Lisa Perry paralegal. When one needs legal counsel it is a tough time personally and it truly makes all the difference when being met by the directness and professionalism of an attorney like Debra AND the compassion and delicacy of a paralegal like Lisa. I felt the right amount of urgency and empathy from this firm at a tough time in my life. No one likes a legal situation, least of all me, but when it’s necessary, SFLG is the only choice. Expect fair treatment and proper follow through and you’ll get exactly what you pay for. Thank you Debra and Lisa, you really are lovely to work with.

They represented my ex in our divorce and I could not be happier. Sucked her dry on expenses, did a horrible job and she came out on the losing end of virtually every issue on our case. She could have represented herself and done better, I think the judge penalized her for their incompetency.
If your relationship is on the rocks you may want to slip their card out for protection !

OK, they are very expensive. Let’s get that out of the way first. If you hire this kind of office, it will cost you more than you expect — possibly a lot more.
Ms Schoenberg was recommended to me by a mutual and trusted friend when I found myself in a very challenging custody situation that required emergency court intervention. I was apprehensive to say the least. I spoke to Debra on the phone first (and then again, without having to hire her), and to my surprise she did not try to sell me on anything — she was very blunt, to the point, and gave me useful legal advice (for free) during that call.
When I finally did hire her, I was assigned a senior paralegal — Lisa P — who has worked the majority of the time with me. She is outstanding by all measures, professional and supportive and responsive and always there for me — there a lot of emotions to work through in a case like this, and Lisa’s ability to offer a sympathetic listening ear is exemplary. She really goes the extra mile, too, and there is no doubt in my mind that over the months we have been navigating this very difficult case, she has come to personally care about my kids and their well-​being.
Debra herself is as seasoned as they come and truly does give off the impression of having seen it all, and as a result can come across pretty gruff. I did complain to Lisa at some point that I would appreciate it if Debra softened her tone a bit when working with me — and to my delight, in our interactions since then, she has been, which is both noted and appreciated. Much more importantly, Debra’s experience and knowledge simply shine in the courtroom. With so many lawyers, it’s sometimes not clear who will truly give you great representation. With Debra, this is not in doubt.
My advice, therefore, is this: if you can afford Ms Schoenberg’s services, do not hesitate to hire her office. It’s that simple.

First when I called to find out about my custody case I was given a 30 minutes sales job by Debra.
After taking my $ 7500 retainer I never heard from her again. One of her associates by the name of Yishai Boyarin has taken over.
I have told Mr Boyarin that I am not wealthy, in fact part of my retainer was paid by my mother who is also desperate to see her grandchild.
He seemed sympathetic but I now realize it was all a con job.
After many unnecessary and frivolous calls back and forth between myself and Mr Boyarin I realized that I was being had as my retainer was being charged but no actual work was being done.
This lawyer went though my retainer faster then a fat kid goes through a birthday cake.
After going through $ 6500 of my money all this guy did was draft a 3 page declaration. Not even a formalized one, just a draft.
— No filing.
— No service.
And then he asked for another $ 7500 retainer!
I was told that unless I paid more money, they wouldn’t even file the case, because they needed to get paid again before they even served the other party!
At this point I had to cut my losses and walk away.
I have dealt with lawyers before, but nothing had prepared my for the way these people operate.
The whole firm is designed to rip you off for as much money as possible, then take you hostage to pay more.
The worst part was that I still can’t see my daughter and I feel like a complete sucker for not reading Unilocal reviews before I started.
Let me just say that I am 100% sure that all the negative reviews are 100% true and all the positive reviews are paid shills for the firm.
This is the most unethical the most unscrupulous bunch of people that I have ever dealt with.
EVER.
And I dealt with 3 other law firms in the past.
Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else, Schoenberg Family Law Group is den of thieves.
I am going to file a complaint with the BAR too. If nothing else, it will at least add another complaint to the count and may prevent someone else from being taken advantage of.
I am not even hoping to recover any money from them. As long as I can help someone else make a better choice…

Schoenberg took my ex wife as a client in 2009. At the time my wife had moved to New Jersey, using drugs and was living on Social Security. I had no real assets such as real estate nor were there any children. The only promise of fees were to place a lien on my ex wife’s personal injury case. This was an uncontested divorce that Schoenberg was billing out at $ 500 an hour. $ 30,000 later having done nothing except generating form letters. She quit on my wife leaving her with the bill and I completed the paper work.

I would like to add my wife and I filed with the BAR. The BAR arbitration accepted the case load. After review of my wife’s contract with Schoenberg firm the arbitration was dropped as there is a clause «to litigate any contingency upon signing contract with the firm» clients beware as Schoenberg is deceptive and you will be left with nothing. Do not sign contracts with firms contingent on litigation, only arbitration so you can be protected as a client by the BAR association when attorneys bill out unethically on BAR malpractice.

Writing this note having admittedly had a short interaction with Ms. Shoenberg. I had a rather complicated legal issue, and a friend recommended I call Shoenberg for some initial consultation. It only took one phone call to make the course of action clear, and this only took fifteen minutes. Having explained to her my situation, a same-​sex partnership and all the legal murkiness that that entailed, she explained to me in detail what the law in California recognizes and what it doesn’t, and recommended I NOT take legal action. She did not charge for her consultation time and I might add, our conversation took place on a Sunday morning. I appreciated her attention to calling me promptly at the agreed time, her interest in explaining the law to me and answering my questions knowing I was not a client, and the genuine care she displayed on the phone in how I should proceed OUTSIDE a court situation. Above all my takeaway was that she is a) knowledgeable b) direct and c) the one you’d choose to represent you in a complicated legal matter.
While I did not ultimately require legal representation, I would choose her to represent me if I ever do find myself in that situation.

I have been to law school, and have worked with attorneys for 10 years as a litigation paralegal. I have seen it all. The good the bad and the ugly. When it came time for me to hire my own attorney, and after doing research, Schoenberg Family Law Group, P.C. was my choice. I understand the various legal options I have, but I needed reassurance from an attorney who practices within the family law specialty to explain it to me and reassure me in my decision. And in her frank and honest way, she told me exactly what I should do in this case. Although it was a hard recommendation to hear, I know it is the right one. I have been alone throughout this entire pregnancy, and now I’m on bedrest, and worried about the future of my child and his father’s place in it. Now I know which direction to take. Thank you very much Debra for reassuring me in my decision to do what is best for my son. Thank you again.

We first met with Debra and she was very empathetic to our plight, my partner going through a very messy divorce. Mid way he realized he needed representation as his ex had acquired a very skilled lawyer pro-​bono who was willing to use whatever tactics to win.
She listened and made some very encouraging recommendations. I remember almost crying as we walked home that day feeling like finally things would be put right. How very wrong we were.
Over the next 10 days, Debra met with us twice. Once to make empty promises and give false hope and last to charge my credit card $ 10,000 for her retainer. I remember her relating to my partner as they both have Jewish background and both had parents that were Holocaust survivors. We felt this woman would really help us. She seemed to «understand». As she left the room that second (and last) meeting after taking the $ 10 000, she turned and said, «Just remember no matter how bad it gets, it’s not Auschwitz.» and walked away laughing.
We never saw her her again. She assigned us one of her assistants who ended up blowing through our entire retainer and then some in 10 days.
We got a bill on day 10 before any actual work had been done or produced other than a few letters to the opposing lawyer. The amount was for several thousand over our retainer which had to be paid before any more work was done. Then they demanded another $ 6000 retainer over and above. We got that on Friday afternoon. We both were sick all weekend, realizing we had been had.
This woman is a serious con and the only COMPASSION you will get from her firm is what you will have to drum up for her. Whoever takes advantage of people and exploits the weak and scared the way she does, has a special place in this world. She needs all the compassion she can get because if karma ever catches up with her, it may not be Auschwitz but it’s going to come pretty darn close. Shame on you Debra. And good luck. You are going to need it.
PS. Have you noticed that the 5 star positive reviews for Debras firm happen to be the only ones posted by that individual? Astroturfing. As ethical as her practice. Now I know what they spend their time doing over there in her office.

An ex of mine emailed me a long letter recently, asked for money, and threatened to sue for it. Never mind that we had been split for nine years. Naturally, I was not only weirded out, I was totally panicked. We had been domestic partners, but it was before the state recognized it. What were her rights? What were mine? Why was this happening? A friend of mine found Shoenberg law on the internet and that night I emailed her a long, boring, woeful story that I figured she wouldn’t read. By the next afternoon, I received a phone call. Debra had read my email, and she asked me some more no-​nonsense questions, and then gave me advice, good advice, which effectively made hiring her unnecessary. This impressed me. She’s not only smart, to the point, and effective, she’s honest! She could have made me come in and talk in her office — and then charged me up the wazoo. I’d definitely go back to her if I had any more domestic partner issues (if I have more I will also look deeply into my own soul).

I finally signed up for Unilocal and my divorce still haunts me after 2 years because of the way Debra treated me and how much money she cost me for doing no work at all! I hope this is useful to someone and they think twice before hiring this woman. I was searching for a lawyer is 2011 for my divorce, I went in to interview with her for a «free consultation «When I got there it wasn’t free at all, rather 350.00 for the hour and if I signed with her she would waive it. I went ahead and signed with her «BIG MISTAKE» She never informed me that she would not be doing any of the work herself, rather pushing it off to someone else. I would get charged for the work that her associate did and then get charged for Debra to review that work that had been done by her associate. What should have been a very simple divorce, especially since my ex-​husband and I agreed on splitting our assets, tuned into a major stress and VERY EXPENIVE UNNESSARY COST. I then asked to have a conference call with Debra, concerned about the cost and the treatment by her firm. This woman clearly doesn’t know how to leave the emotion out of business. She got very confrontational with me and defensive. I WOULD NEVER EVER recommend her to anyone. Divorce is hard in the first place, you want to deal with someone who is caring and doesn’t screw you over. It has now been 2 years and the bad taste is still left with me. My would be to keep looking for a good attorney.

I don’t know how long if any this review will stay on or it might be flagged. I don’t know how this works.
We spent a lot of time trying to find an attorney for a divorce to be filled.
Me and my dear friend who is a Veteran going through a horrible divorce, that still has not even been taken care of.
At first, we thought this attorney was very empathetic and caring, «but she will do a complete 180 after she has your money.» Is to say the least taken from another review below hit the nail on the head.
We spent over $ 12,000.00 on fees in the coarse of less than 6 months. Why? Because we were green behind the ears. Had we read these reviews we would have went with another attorney. A Veteran was asking for help and it seemed going well in the meetings. But $ 350 for meetings, and paralegal work cost us thousands of dollars and we never saw anything.
Shame on this office that took advantage of my dear friend who is NOW having to represent himself and is being taken advantage of his soon to be ex’s attorney. All because he has to represent himself.
At the end of all of this Veterans money gone she still wanted 5 thousand more to maybe complete the process with no guarantee it would be enough.
She let my friend out to dry and dropped this Veteran without a care in the world. Sent him his files and not even a thank you.
We were floored and left with our mouths open in shock. I will warn others not to do business with this firm. I wish I could go into more details but All I can say is that shame on this firm for taking advantage of a Veteran or anyone else that has had dealings with others. How can y’all sleep knowing how horrible your services are to people who trusted you.

I found Deborah through a lawyer friend who is an estate planning attorney, and has a great deal of experience working with family law firms. She gave me the names of several family law firms, but once I met Deborah, I knew this was the place to be at this very difficult time of my life. At my first meeting with Deborah, I knew that she would protect my interests. It was obvious to me that she was not to be trifled with, and in fact, I would not have wanted to encounter her on the other side of my divorce.
Rachel Leff-​Kiff did much of the day to day work under Deborah’s supervision. Rachel was extremely competent, calm and patient. Throughout, I was kept informed, my phone calls were returned promptly, and at each stage of the proceedings I was given options and the advise necessary to make the best decisions for my benefit. Deborah and her team were always very respectful and mindful of my financial situation and handled my divorce in a cost effective and caring manner. Deborah and Rachel did everything possible, and succeeded in fostering an uncontentious, amicable environment at the least possible expense, while absolutely protecting my interests.
The staff was helpful, welcoming and uniformly kind both in person and on the phone. This made a big difference at a time when I was undergoing a lot of stress.
I feel profoundly grateful for the way I was treated and my marriage resolved. As I move forward with my new life I would wish that anyone who is going through a divorce have as good an experience as I have. I would recommend the Schoenberg Family Law Group to anyone who is going through a divorce.
Alan G.
San Francisco
Sent from my iPad

As anyone who has been through it can attest, going through a divorce is one of the hardest things I have ever done. One of the best things you can do to not only survive, but (eventually) thrive is have a really great team. Two of the key members on my team were Debra Schoenberg and her Legal Assistant Anna Leff-​Kich. I am so grateful to Debra, Anna, and all of Debra’s terrific staff for keeping me out of court, and guiding me through a successful mediation settlement.
Here are some of the reasons I am giving the Schoenberg Family Law Group top marks:
1. Debra was committed to achieving a successful outcome for me. Seems obvious, but I was cautioned so many times that family lawyers just want to extend the process so they can make a buck. Debra was clearly committed to finding the most expedient and advantageous dissolution of my marriage. I will always be grateful to her for this.
2. In large part because of #1, I trust Debra implicitly, and she earned this trust during one of the most vulnerable times in my life.
3. Debra is smart. The options she presented to me were adaptive, creative and expert. Debra charges a fair rate, and is worth every penny.
4. I had never been divorced before, and had an incredible amount to learn. Debra explained every step, and answered every question. This was extremely important to me because I needed to understand complex issues to negotiate effectively during mediation.
5. Debra was calm and encouraging. She reminded me when we were making progress (the process was so hard this was sometimes not apparent to me), and reassured me that I would get through this. She cared.
Debra and her staff have my highest recommendation, and heartfelt gratitude.

Unilocal should have a special 10 STAR rating for businesses like Schoenberg Family Law Group !!! I called this office with a few questions about terminating a domestic partnership in San Francisco. The call was answered right away. After a few preliminary questions, I was passed directly to Ms. Schoenberg herself, who professionally and warmly answered my questions to set me on the path. I will use Ms. Schoenberg and her firm in ANY need for family law that I might have. I would heartily recommend this practice to anyone in need of family law assistance in San Francisco.
Allen

After evaluating multiple attorneys, I selected Debra Schoenberg to represent me in my divorce because of her experience, decisiveness, and direct communication style. And I’m glad I did. Debra is super sharp and knows CA family law code inside and out. She earned my trust.
During times when I was confused and frustrated by the process and technicalities of law, Debra and her team went the extra mile to ensure I was well-​informed and comfortable with the proceedings. They didn’t rush me to make decisions and cared about my well-​being.
Debra was very responsive and there when I needed her. And I also enjoyed working with members of her team, which reduced my overall legal fees.
If you want a family law attorney who knows the nuances of the law — so you don’t have to — and acts professionally and assertively on your behalf, I highly recommend Debra Schoenberg.

I found Debra on
. This is a website that rates attorneys and allows attorneys to be peer reviewed. Deb is highly rated by her peers and that was attractive to me. I want someone who other attorneys at least respect, if not fear. She and her team do not disappoint. While we got a little close to one deadline one time, Deb and her team are very aggressive in a good way. They are very vigilant and Deb runs a tight ship. As a former manager of several hundred people, I can tell there is a great comraderie in the office.
I have called several times to make an appointment and most times Deb squeezes me in. She is very good about giving advice that anticipates what the court will think. While occasionally taken aback, I have come to understand and appreciate this level of rigor and thoughtfulness. She thinks ahead and sets a solid path for my success.
On the other hand, she listens very well and takes into consideration my values and perspective. This is my case and she lets me make the calls. While a bit more expensive than my spouse’s attorney, I can tell you that the quality of my documentation is 10 times better than hers and the analysis I get from Deb is highly reasoned. While money is vey tight, I cannot afford to go cheap.
Even though never thought i would be in this situation and am pretty anxious about what i am doing, I gain tremendous confidence having Deb at my side.