Rubin & Levavi, P.C.

I met with Nancy for a consultation around a family legal issue. I found her helpful and straightforward, and she gave me some useful information even on how to resolve the issue without litigation.

Amid a child custody «battle» I didn’t see coming I was referred to Rubin & Levavi. If you haven’t heard or don’t know the reality of what family court is truly like you are going to need a competent experienced lawyer who knows the lay of the land and will not back down from pursuing what is best for your child. Monica and Nancy have advocated for me and most importantly my child to make sure the «best interest of the child» is the final outcome. If you are dealing with a narcissistic adversarial «ex» then you need these lawyers on your side. There’s nothing they haven’t seen or heard and they not only know the law but they spot the «shady» tactics and know when and how to respond in an ethical manner. They have kept me sane and grounded in an atmosphere that has been nothing less then contentious, keeping me focused on what needs to be done and I have no doubt that at the end of it all, not only am I learning from their example of how to be a strong advocate for my child since this nightmare began, but I will be able to move forward and raise my son in a loving caring safe environment like every child deserves.

I’m a happy person post divorce. The reason I’m happy has everything to do with Monica, Nancy and the team at Rubin & Levavi. I have ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ custody of my two boys and a reasonable settlement with my ex wife. I came to them with a very desperate and unfair situation on my hands. I was lost on how to stop what was happening to me and how get things turned around. Even on the scale of rough divorce stories mine was a doozy. Monica and Nancy took me in, cared for me like family and passionately fought for me and my children. They were always thinking a few steps ahead and were ready and confident with their strategy. We adjusted when we needed to, fought softly when it was appropriate and stood firm on the things that really mattered. I’m two years past my separation and can look back and see the roadmap they created. My life now, the happiness I have is because of their work. They are smart, compassionate and very aggressive. My whole family feels very lucky to have them in our corner. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

I had an awful experience with Rubin & Levavi. Their «defense» of me in Family Court consisted of admitting guilt and contrition for what wasn’t a crime, but rather an unchallenged perception. I became responsible for what a school staff person privately said to a student (characterizing me & describing the nature of an otherwise ambiguous «incident»). It mattered what the student thought, yet not where the prejudicial information came from, the unmonitored staff-​to-​student communication violating school procedures and qualifying as psychological child abuse. The attorney work-​product gets high marks for effusive deference to authority.
Lawyers should spot missing witness testimony (the number of actors different than the number of written statements). A friend of mine did (free), though too late. I like Nancy, and her daughter, Monica, but legally would only use them to establish an alibi.
— — — — —
01÷29÷15 — Reply to business owner’s public response to me on January 27^th …
In responding to my unfavorable Unilocal review, Monica Levavi has discussed case details and possibly made it possible to identify me, conceivably breaching our attorney-​client confidentiality.
Unilocal viewers will recognize the sudden burst of positive reviews here as damage control. My review sat alone for two months and now suddenly, in less than a week, a bunch of five-​star reviews appear.
I don’t doubt the other reviewer’s sincerity and I like Nancy and Monica, too. For me, though, their representation proved negligent and disastrous.
Let’s examine Monica’s factual errors …
1.) «We agreed to take on your case (when others wouldn’t).»
No. I was referred to them by another firm that lacked resources to take on an additional family law case.
2.) «You may recall that when you hired Nancy and me more than three years ago, you were not allowed to see your child.»
No, in fact the opposite. No restrictions existed on me seeing my daughter and I sought their help to impose order in a difficult co-​parenting arrangement.
3.) «I was sad that our attorney/​client relationship deteriorated so quickly — but as I told you then, I could not, in good conscious, continue to push an agenda that might not be in the best interest of the child.»
Who did they represent? Duties exist in an attorney-​client relationship and Monica possibly adds new prejudice to earlier withdrawal-​of-​representation errors, when Nancy Rubin arrived in court 20 minutes late and, in front of the judge and opposing counsel, had me sign a representation release. This potentially violates several codes of professional conduct and, without doubt, damaged my case.
The Family Law principle to put children first doesn’t relieve attorneys of other mandated duties. Monica congratulates herself for pursuing a child’s best interests, and yet didn’t notice the missing testimony of a school staff person who had an hour to psychologically abuse my daughter.
4.) «You ‘fell off the wagon’ and turned against us — the very people who were trying to help you.»
I wasn’t prohibited from drinking. I didn’t endanger anyone. The subject is none of Monica’s business, least of all to discuss at Unilocal.
Conclusion — I don’t know why Monica gets basic facts wrong. I doubt that she or Nancy intentionally deceive. Sometimes they may not listen closely enough. I’m certain of my facts and now know an additional one, that Monica doesn’t confirm details before speaking.
I hope in time that my bad review becomes a rare anomaly that people can safely dismiss. Nancy and Monica are nice people and their practice does more good than harm.
Personally, I don’t want lawyers deciding for me what’s best and «nice» isn’t the main quality I seek from attorneys.
Peter