The Law Offices of Anita J. Margolis

Recently, I spoke with a colleague who, like me, had a poor experience with Anita as her divorce attorney. While I avoid leaving bad reviews for isolated occurrences, our similar experiences prompted me to share my own in hopes of helping others avoid the mistake of hiring her. To start, Anita’s retainer and hourly rate were not cheap, leading me to expect quality service and attention to my case. Unfortunately, that expectation was far from met. While I understand divorce attorneys aren’t therapists, she showed a complete lack of compassion, completely brushing off the fraudulent and criminal acts discovered during my divorce. Most of our communications involved her asking me for details I had already provided. Phone calls were filled with long pauses as she slowly took notes, all while charging me an exorbitant rate for every minute of silence. Even after repeatedly correcting her/her paralegal, a year into my case, they were still sending me court forms with the wrong name for my ex-spouse. After finally reaching a settlement agreement in early July, I signed my portion and then heard nothing for nearly three months. One part of the agreement required me to make a one-time payment to my ex-spouse within 90 days of execution of the agreement. Assuming the silence was due to my ex-spouse’s unresponsiveness—which was the case for most of the divorce process—I just waited. Then, in mid-October, her paralegal abruptly informed me that my case was finished and told me to pick up my retainer. However, the forms they sent me were all dated differently, so it was unclear when the agreement was actually “executed” for purposes of determining the payment deadline. When I followed up for clarification, her paralegal informed me that payment was due in 10 days—which would’ve been helpful to know sooner. Alternatively, they could have pushed for a later due date during the negotiation phase, but that would have required an attorney actually advocating for my best interests. When my retainer was returned, I saw that Anita had billed me $300 to: (1) read my email asking about the payment deadline; (2) figure out the answer; and (3) email me a response. This is just straight up bad lawyering—and one of many examples of how I was reduced to a mere billing opportunity. Had I not followed up, I would have mistaken the 90-day due date to be much later than it was, putting me in breach of the settlement agreement. More importantly, Anita would have violated her *mandatory* ethical duty to keep me, her client, “reasonably informed of significant developments relating to the representation.” All in all, if you’re looking for a divorce attorney, I strongly suggest looking elsewhere.

Best Civil Lawyer in San Diego! Highly recommended. Please read below. Receiving a call from Anita Margolis today brought back a flood of gratitude for the unwavering support and expertise she provided throughout the entire journey of my case. I can confidently say that Anita is not just a civil case lawyer; she is the epitome of dedication, excellence, and compassion. I highly recommend Anita Margolis as a civil case lawyer. Anita's profound understanding of Civil Law is matched only by her extensive experience, making her a standout professional in San Diego. From my initial consultation to the triumphant resolution of my case, Anita exhibited a level of commitment that surpassed my expectations. She worked with me throughout my case, and not only did she work diligently, but she also made sure that my financial concerns were taken into account. She and Geneen communicated with me promptly and were always available to answer any questions I had. Anita was all in on my case and showed genuine care and concern for me as her client. It's not every day that you come across a legal professional who not only possesses exceptional skills but also genuinely cares about the well-being of their clients. Anita Margolis is that rare gem. I am incredibly grateful for her expertise and hard work and would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone needing a dedicated, intelligent, and skilled civil case lawyer.

Anita was great and helped my mother win her case. Having NO idea what I needed to do to help my mom vs a big SD electric company, we called Anita and she helped us out by giving us advice first of what to do. When it got to hard for me we were able to retain her and she helped us all the way through. Her and Geannine had great communication and detailed bill of what was being charged. Thank you Anita for your help and for saving us from an almost losing battle!

Anita was definitely a pleasure to work with! Prior to meeting Anita, I had numerous free consultations with lawyers to discuss my child support and Spousal Support modification case. I never really got a good feeling about any of the lawyers that I consulted with until I gave Anita a call. I immediately knew that she was the lawyer I wanted to represent my case! She was extremely knowledgeable with regards to Divorce and Post-Divorce agreements. During my free consultation she was able to advise me of my rights, and had all the answers to my questions. She assisted me in attempting to come up with a fair modification agreement that was sensible and fair to both parties to present to my ex-wife. Unfortunately, my ex-wife was unwilling to budge at all forcing the issue to go to court. I was a little nervous going to court, however Anita eased my reservations about going to court by coming up with a solid game plan. When the court date finally came, I was absolutely pleased with the outcome.. Anita expertly worked out a deal with my ex-wife’s lawyer to avoid having the judge make a ruling. The outcome was honestly better than I imagined. Additionally, Anita was able to convince the court to continue my case through lunch to read the stipulation to the court, which helped in avoiding any additional costs Throughout the few months that I worked with her both Anita and Geneen were always professional and quick to respond when needed. They always explained things in a way that was easy to understand. The billing was always fair and extremely accurate. I am absolutely thrilled with the legal services that Anita provide me. She made the experience as easygoing and enjoyable as legal issues can be. I feel confident that I found a lawyer that I completely trust, and will be requesting her services in any future legal issues that I experience. Thank you so much Anita!

As an attorney practicing trust, estates and legal planning I often encounter clients seeking representation in family law matters. Without hesitation I refer them to Anita. She is a highly skilled practitioner, well versed in the technical areas of divorce and property distribution and a respected lawyer in the community. Divorce cases and disputes over custody rights and property rights are highly charged and difficult cases and only those lawyers with a steady hand, seasoned expertise, foresight and compassion rise to the top of their profession. Anita Margolis is such a lawyer.