Client Testimonials

Because I have a very intense work schedule and my privacy is very important to me, both professionally and personally, I needed an attorney who could settle my very difficult domestic matter out of court, and who would be flexible in working around the demands of my career.

Katie O’Rourke met both of these needs and then some. She brought clear, concise and analytically-rigorous legal advice to our consultations, providing me with a foundation that helped me make the key decisions needed to move matters toward a satisfactory conclusion.  She reached out to the other attorney and engaged him in a constructive dialogue that resulted in mutually-agreed terms.  And she was able to connect with me on a very human level, reassuring me when reassurance was appropriate but questioning and pushing me when necessary.  At all times, I felt she was putting my welfare first and foremost.

I hope I will not need a family law attorney again, but if I do, I will not hesitate to call Katie.

When I think back on my divorce case, my over-arching perception is that Marina Barannik kept me focused on my goal – to reach a negotiated settlement that protected our two daughters’ interests and kept my husband and me out of the emotional quagmire that so many divorcing couples drown in.  There was much in our situation to be diverted by – infidelity and mental health issues to name a couple.   But Marina was always there to save me from myself, steering me away from ugly quagmires that were divisive and that would have been both emotionally and financially costly to pursue.

Marina was able to develop a strong working relationship with opposing counsel that helped minimize the adversarial aspects of the negotiations.  And her keen strategic sense was effective in positioning our case to achieve my goals.  Contrary to the common perception of attorneys running up big fees, Marina was always looking for ways to keep my legal bills down and she was incredibly efficient.  Even though her firm is one of the biggest in DC with many much wealthier clients, I’m sure, Marina’s responsiveness and concern always made me feel that I was her only priority.

When I met with Jonathan Dana almost immediately upon realizing that my marriage was ending, I was very raw with emotion, confused, and nervous about my future. And most of all, I was afraid that the very contentious beginning of our divorce would mean that we would end up resolving our issues in court.

Jon initially related to me as a person not as a client – helping me to put things in perspective and reminding me that one day I would be just fine. Then he took care of me as the client – explaining how the law applied to my particular situation, answering my many questions, and outlining possible courses of action for me to choose among. As we made those choices together, he immediately put into action the steps necessary to effectuate those choices.

I particularly admired how he advocated for me when dealing with my ex-husband and his lawyer, being professional and polite, yet firm. I think the combination of his confidence based on many years of experience and his professional style helped to change what was initially a very contentious situation that could have easily ended up in court into a straightforward yet fair settlement process.

And he has proven to be right – I am doing just fine.

I would use three words to describe Jennifer Davison’s representation in my case: competent, ethical and responsive.

When I first sought representation, the situation with my ex had become contentious and I felt overwhelmed. It seemed impossible to focus on long-term goals when there were new fires to put out on a daily basis. Jennifer sifted through the chaos and identified the core issues of my case, and then helped me make choices and develop a plan of action. We worked hard to reach a settlement on the custody issues, knowing that this was in my son’s best interests. But when my ex took a hard-line position on child support, Jennifer prepared to make the case to a judge that my ex’s opulent standard of living for himself was not consistent with him paying minimal child support for our son. We achieved an extraordinary result in court, including an award of attorney’s fees.

Jennifer’s commitment to helping me achieve my overall objectives was unwaivering, and her compassion showed through all during this ordeal. I truly believe she went above and beyond to achieve the best possible outcome for me and my son.

When I first came to Sarah Zimmerman, I was in desperate need of immediate assistance because my attorney had quit on me and several court responses were due. Not only did I come to Sarah under exigent circumstances, but I brought her a divorce case that presented extraordinary challenges because it involved the laws of three countries as well as marital assets outside the U.S. and a World Bank pension that that my husband claimed were outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. courts.

Sarah was incredible. She quickly picked up my case, and in spite of the short time frames, Sarah devised clever, winning strategies that were successful at both the trial and appeals level in the MD courts.  She adroitly anticipated opposing counsel’s moves and proactively prepared motions so that they could immediately be filed in court at the appropriate time. Just as importantly, the U.S. court decisions had to be enforceable in two other countries each having different divorce laws. To that end, Sarah worked closely with my European attorneys to ensure success in those legal systems as well. And, even though it was not the norm, Sarah managed to secure 85% of my husband’s World Bank pension for me!

Sarah was at all times professional, respectful, and courteous. She always performed with integrity and her work product was of the highest quality. I could not have asked for better representation and never hesitate to recommend her whenever an opportunity arises.