Testimonial from Kris Ott
Client of Stogsdill Law from 2007-2009
When I walked into to Stogsdill Law I was a defeated woman. My
husband wanted custody of my three sons and was refusing to pay me
maintenance. He had unlimited resources for fighting me in
court and was going to win at all costs.
My former attorney had indicated that both my custody and financial
settlement would end up going to trial and she was not up to the task.
A well-known family psychologist told me that Bill Stogsdill was the
only attorney that could handle my situation and hopefully make some
progress for me.
I learned that Stogsdill Law is a boutique firm, only handling family
law. They have a formidable army consisting of paralegals,
top-notch legal secretaries, ex-judges and seasoned divorce attorneys
who handled my case like a team with Bill at the helm. He was an
expert at keeping pressure on the opposition and not settling for any
unnecessary delays in moving forward. He is direct with his
clients and was careful to never give me false-hope or lead me astray.
In the legal community many attorneys give their clients unrealistic
expectations and subsequently profit greatly from protracted legal
proceedings. Bill Stogsdill and Justin Smit kept me grounded with
their sound advice and warnings of worst-case scenario. They
backed up their predictions with current case rulings. Bill has a
long history of divorce cases and has played a key-role in certain
divorce-related legislation. His knowledge of family psychology
and his understanding of the mechanics in dysfunctional families was
paramount in dealing with my custody battle. He is exceedingly
well-versed in custody issues, has all the resources at his fingertips
and is prepared to cite the top experts in his trial proceedings.
Justin Smit worked closely alongside Bill and had an uncanny grasp of
the facts of my case down to the most detailed items. He tracked
every penny of the marital assets and gave me some invaluable advice
regarding the marital real estate. I was impressed with his
effectiveness in court when he needed to argue on my behalf. He
was a good listener and during our depositions, he was a skilled
interrogator. Some aspects of my case included criminal issues and
again, Justin gave me sound and accurate advice.
I dealt with other attorneys in Bill’s office when necessary and they
added their expertise and oftentimes saw strategies from different
angles. His office was able to produce documents, from serving
subpoenas to finalizing formal agreements, in record time. Bill
expects instant turnaround from his staff and they deliver.
The most noteworthy aspect of Stogsdill Law, that I found lacking in
other law practices, was their responsiveness and how organized they
were. My phone calls and requests were handled immediately even on
weekends when emergencies occurred. I knew the firm was working
around the clock for me because there were occasional weekends that I
had to meet with staff at the office. The receptionist, office
manager and related support staff were always incredibly responsive and
friendly. They were truly professional, yet showed sensitivity to
my situation.
The firm has a network of outside professionals for financial advice,
family counseling, estate planning, and much more. I was able to
get referrals through Bill for anything that his firm could not handle
directly and I was very pleased in each instance.
Throughout my more than 15-month legal process, Bill Stogsdill lived up
to his reputation of being a relentless advocate for his client.
Now that all is said and done, I am convinced that Bill was the only
attorney that could have dealt with my ex-husband and his seven
attorneys.
In the end, Bill was able to settle my case on custody and financial
matters without a trial. I outlined a favorable custody
arrangement that Bill and Justin were able to take to the other side and
sell. In the end Bill asked me to tell him exactly what I wanted
financially and he was able to procure more. Needless to say, he
exceeded my expectations. When the final agreements were being
signed I believe that my husband trusted Bill’s expertise more than his
own attorneys’. I know for a fact that he wishes he’d hired
Stogsdill Law, and if he had, he’d be in a better place.
I can now move on with my life knowing my children are in good care,
that I am financially secure and comfortable for life and that if my
ex-husband gets out of line, I have an avenue of enforcement.
I have met dozens of divorced moms in the past three years and most are
unhappy with their financial and/or custody arrangements. All I
can tell them is, “You had one shot at a future and you needed to find
the best attorney to get you exactly what you deserved.” I can
sleep soundly every night knowing that I had the best.
-Kris Ott