Lonich & Patton, LLP

Minus two stars for Mr. Erlich, three stars for Mr. Lonich (though I may have rated him considerably higher if I had more interaction), and four stars for the support staff.
Mr. Lonich seemed considerate and capable of being an advocate for me, but his primary objective was to assess how much money the case would be worth to his firm. I get it, but for attorneys that charge by the hour, it should not boil down to the potential to milk a client. While that may not have been the case, it was the first impression I got. Just the mere mention of financial questions was enough to question whether I could afford their services. Still, I believe the firm is competent and effective. I regret not trying to have Mr. Lonich represent me on the spot; it would have been less expensive and saved me.
Mr. Lonich focused on the topic of safety and sent me to the self-​help center to obtain a restraining order. He was right on the legal front, but didn’t provide me with a strategic plan or address potential pitfalls. I should have consulted him when I was counseled at the self help center. The attorneys there were incompetent and clueless and I was referred to the worst possible resources, a domestic violence service, where, like the self help center, staff set me to one bad place after another and discouraged use of a prestigious firm. I wrongly trusted the women at the self help and domestic abuse centers, who didn’t have my best interest at heart. But despite renewed threats of death from the abuser, one of the resources I was sent to turned me away. The opposing counsel’s assistant had a family member that worked there. The assistant loaded personal images of mine onto the Web, spied on, re-​victimized and abused me. That attorney, whose office is also on the Alameda but who lives over the hill should lose her license; she is evil and her client is deadly. I found another attorney – a crook – that I regret using. And another very bad one after that.
I ended up returning after the first disaster attorney to speak with Mitch Erlich. $ 550. poorer, all I got was one comment: «Get a forensic accountant.» No referral or idea of how or where to take the next step. Useless! Erich seemed opportunistic and potentially abusive if given a chance.
None of the other attorneys I spoke with compared to Mr. Lonich, who seemed more professional and competent that any others.
The administrative staff is polite, considerate, and attentive. They behaved like decent people – far better than what I encountered at other firms.

I went to seek help from Mr. Lonich earlier this year in order to reset the legal custody and related financial implications…
Ex husband hired the most infamous attorney Moreno (go check out her feedbacks on Unilocal please) who has a reputation for being aggressive and expensive…
Throughout the whole process, Mr. Lonich demonstrated very high level of knowledge and ethics at the same time…
Guess the end result? Moreno withdrew their case against me one day before going to trial…
Do I need to say more?

I called to ask for advice. Was offered a free, 30-​min consultation.
A named partner, Michael Lonich, contacted me directly, made an appointment to meet in a very reasonable day soon.
The office was all you’d want to find, reception was kind and welcoming, and Mr. Lonich shared his time (more than 30 min w/​o complaint), his experience, and expertise openly with me.
He listened attentively to all I had to say (no matter how inane it may have appeared to him), and treated me as if my thoughts and concerns and I were the most important things he had to do that morning.
All in all, my experience and the advice/​results were high-​end, kind, and expert; everything one imagines the perfect law firm to be.
I don’t mean to sound superfluous or silly, but this is simply how it was.
This is the real deal, with heart. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.

I’d highly recommend this office. Very professional and their advice was sound. Staff is all super friendly and helpful.
I met with Mr. Lonich. He was super friendly and easy to talk to. Something that other lawyers I’ve been to in the bay area have not been.
We are still deciding if we will pursue our family law matter. If we do this will be the office we choose. I’ve been to a few and this is the best in SJ. :)

My husband and I went to the Lonich & Patton office to ask some questions about wills and health directives, but we ended up using their services to get a living trust worked up instead. No high pressure tactics or confusion; they did all the work for a flat fee and made it very clear how the result was set up to eliminate the need for most future consultations. I’m impressed by the office and the work done by Mr. Lonich and Ms. Mispagel… a great experience.

Mitchell work on my case very excellent, and pro. Got it settled in 4 months. My prior attorney took a whole year and step in circle, don’t need to mentioned how much I spent in the prior fees. With their charges is very reasonable, long term it save you a lot of money and I referred a few friends on their divorce to Mitchell.
I really appreciated Mitchell help and thank you so much

If you are looking for an elite, top of the class family lawyer, try Mitchell Ehrlich in Lonich & Patton San Jose. My husband hired one of the most aggressive law firms and kidnapped our daughter to start a divorce. Most lawyers didn’t want to deal w/​that notoriously aggressive law firm. Mitch was not intimidated by them at all. He immediately saw through the lies in husband’s claims and promptly started an emergency screening process, then got my daughter back to me! I’m forever grateful for Mitch getting the justice done. Mitch seems to also have a strong network in the legal community in Santa Clara county and is familiar w/​other lawyers and judges. He is well known for his knowledge in family law and even his opponent called him an «excellent family lawyer.» Perhaps some day he may become a judge or politician himself. He is however super busy as all well-​known lawyers are, so you may need to try your luck whether he has time accepting your case.

I consulted with Mr. Lonich regarding a Trust for a family member. I found Mr. Lonich and the staff to be exceptionally informed, helpful and professional in all aspects of the process. I knew my costs up front with no hedging and always received prompt replies (in plain english, not legal jargon) to my questions or concerns. I’m definitely going back to Lonich and Patton.

I recently consulted with Michael Lonich regarding some estate planning considerations for a family member. He was helpful, informative, understanding and professional. Speaking with a lawyer is rarely a relaxing experience but I felt very at ease here and highly recommend this office and the services they provide.

Had a situation where I had to come into the firm but everything was resolved quickly and everyone at the firm was actually very responsive and friendly. They were professional and efficient. I ended up sending the whole office cookies as a thank you.