I’m so happy that I chose Yelman & Associates to represent me in my divorce case. My case was fairly simple, but it was my first divorce and my husband had controlled all the finances during our marriage, so being on my own for the first time in 18 years was a very scary and confusing time for me. Heidie and her team assisted me every step of the way, and took time to explain everything to me in a way I could understand. Heidie is very efficient, detailed, and pro-active. She responded immediately to any questions I had. She’s also a pitbull when it comes to arguing a case, and helped me negotiate a settlement with my reluctant ex-husband that I was ultimately very happy with. I also appreciated that she seemed to respect the fact that her time was billable, and didn’t waste my time or money with extra un-necessary work. Yelman & Associates isn’t the cheapest firm in town, but I firmly believe that you get what you pay for, and their professionalism and quality of service is outstanding.

LAWYER'S WHO CARE!!

Wow. I've spoken with an honest, ethical and knowledgeable attorney. Is the world coming to an end? Hold your dear ones tight and organize your living quarters...I called the family court house to about handling a court record. The courthouse told me I'd need an attorney. I called Yelman, he gave the the truth. He could've taken me for a ride--he didn't. He actually steered me away from a mistake. Good to know there are good people in the profession.

I went through a "very challenging" divorce with 4 children that kept me in court for a decade on and off. I used another firm with two different lawyers and was able to measure how effective they were as compared with Sara @ Yelman. Without hesitation, I can say Sara and her team were twice as effective at half the cost.

I cannot begin to express the complexity of my situation, but it was challenging given the circumstances. Unfortunately I became fairly experienced at the process, language and arguments used in my cases over the past 10 years. I've seen the quality of the arguments made on my behalf and Sara always had clear thoughts and rational behavior with opposing counsel and the court. The team at Yelman did great work.

Most important in this process is the cost. Clients are often driven apart by their lawyers, which benefits only the firms involved. Trust me -- I experienced this before Yelman, as did my ex. Sara did not inflame for the benefit of further court actions (and therefore fees). She protected me as a client but was always rational about the options presented to me concerning my decisions. Moving to Yelman over the past 4 years was the best financial choice I made over this extraordinarily challenging phase of my life. I am so grateful for their representation and guidance, and I highly recommend them for complex family law representation.

Sara Neumann is a shark! She is like having a friend by your side in the courtroom. I'm so lucky to have her on my case! Can't wait for it to be over and have my children safe and sound!

I'm overjoyed to finally receive the final judgment of my divorce. Tara Yelman is a great attorney - she is knowlegeable, firm, a good listener and compassionate. The office staff were all pleasant and accomodating. Tara always returns my call and explains everything in detail. I'm glad I had her on my side...thank you Tara!!!

Hands down all the way for Tara Yelman. She was g-d sent. A true attorney who wants the best for their client. I've met with other lawyers prior to retaining her. There are a lot of attorneys who are just there for your money and don't want to work hard including after hours, holidays, weekends. They just want to settle and take the easy way out. Unlike, Tara she put her 110% into your case and her expert advice is incredible. She's worth every PENNY!

She works nights, weekends and even holidays if there is something serious. Remember folks, stuff happens when its after "office hours" or you get served for an Emergency hearing on Friday at 4 pm to appear in court on Monday or Tuesday morning. You have to be ready for whatever comes your way! Tara ,you are the best including your right hand Geoff and others!!

Sara is a sharp, compassionate professional who knows her skill beyond the usual. I recommend her for your family law needs. She is also humorous with grace and dignity--which was much appreciated through the trying times I experience during my divorce and child support & custody proceedings. Thank you Sara. I will always remember you.

Heidie Trautwein was absolutely amazing. Her communication skills are superior with gave me piece of mind and also assisted during court and mediation process. She was there for me every step of the way and was extremely accessibly and even would respond late at night at times to my e-mails. I am a very detail oriented person and Heidie works the same way. I feel that my case was one that was very difficult to reach a resolution but I was very satisfied with the results and we prevailed and were able to stay on top of the other party's ambush tactics because she stayed on top of deadlines. I would recommend her to anyone I know and have my full trust in her.

Tara Yelman and her professional staff are as good as it gets. She really fights for you and keeps you informed and educated!

One of the best decisions that I made during my divorce was to choose Tara Yelman & Associates to represent me.
Ms. Yelman is not the stereotypical "divorce attorney". She took the time to ask important questions, listened to the answers and put together a plan that fit my needs.
She and her amazing team were always there to answer my questions, be of support and to take action when needed.

I highly recommend Yelman & Associates. Tara Yelman is a great attorney with many years of experience. She is honest, trust worthy, and very transparent, which I appreciated. I first was represented by Tara three years ago and I have continued to be represented by them ever since. I can tell you, I would never go to another firm. Tara was passionate and dedicated to my case, which meant the world to me while I was going through this challenging time in my life. Her compassion and honesty made me feel at ease and really gave me peace of mind because I knew Tara had my best interest and my children's best interest at heart. Cecilia Preciado I don't know what I would have done without you, thank you!

Honestly, if you are in a child custody situation I would highly recommend her firm hands down.

I highly recommend Tara Yelman and Yelman & Associates in Family law and related cases. Tara represented me for over 8 years (as I had a very litigious former spouse).

Her knowledge of family law, understanding what the Judges want to hear, (we had 3 different judges in the 8 years of litigation) and her organizational skills, resulted in me receiving full custody of my child. Yelman & Associates (and Tara) were always responsive and fought for what was in both my daughter's and my best interest, but she also gave straightforward advice on what to request from a court and how to act in order to maximize the possible results.

In addition to her professionalism, she has always been very fair and cognizant of the ongoing costs. In addition, her staff is knowledgeable and kind, which is important when you are dealing with highly emotional circumstances. In my opinion - there is no better firm to represent.

I highly recommend Tara Yelman and her team. I used Yelman & Associates in my divorce. She was ethical, provided outstanding advice through this trying time, and I found her billing to be transparent and highly efficient. I found her to always be better prepared than her opposing counsel. She was always the one to recommend creative ways to resolve negotiation sticking points. And her knowledge of the law and judicial procedure in court was outstanding -- helping to shorten the process and work with me and my ex to find solutions that worked for both of us. Even after the proceedings, she has provided ongoing guidance for how to manage the issues that pop up post divorce -- which has been crucial in helping my family move on from the process. Again, I highly recommend.

This email is for a "Testimonial" for your website (JB in La Jolla).

My daughter went through a tough separation and is only 22 (with 2 young children) and I contacted (through website) Cecilia Preciado to discuss where to begin to file for Child Support for my daughter. She spent nearly an HOUR on the phone with me and was very understanding and helpful in guiding us through the system (at NO cost). I then followed up with a 2nd call weeks later for further advice (another HOUR phone call) and she Really saved us from making a huge mistake. I tried repeatedly to compensate her or the firm and she resisted all attempts for compensation and said she was glad to help and to let her know if we needed further assistance. I'm a long time business owner and am not use to such generosity and kindness! What an incredible person and the firm is blessed to have such an upstanding person as a resource. I would definitely feel comfortable in the future if anyone in our family or friends needed legal assistance in putting our trust in this firm. JB - LaJolla, CA

Sara Yelman The worst attorneys I have ever had she was never on time to the court hearings, did not listen to what I said as a client, told the judge what she wanted without consulting with me before she spoke which made us have more court hearings for example (mediation 2 times within 6 months 4th time in 3 years) this prolonged the whole process including exparte hearings in between the wait for mediation and the last court hearing. This caused more time off work more time at the court house with nothing to show for we started with 50/50 and ended with 50/50 and $4000 in retainer fees gone with a $3600 bill at the end! I in courage everyone not to go to her she will waste your time waste money than send a huge bill afterwards. I know I'm forgetting details. Oh yeah she will bill for consultations with out telling you! NEGATIVE RATINGS DO NOT USE HER.

I was just involved in a near 9 month high conflict custody battle involving a move away request on my behalf. I called around to numerous Family Law firms and wasn't confident in anyone I spoke to, until I called Yelman and Associates. I was directed to Sara Neumann and knew instantly she was the right attorney to take on my case. I had no idea the fight that was coming and absolutely could not have survived without Sara. Sara put all she had into my case, and I put all my trust into her and her partners. Although I knew she had multiple other case loads, i never once felt that mine was less important or set aside for another. All of my many and almost daily panic filled emails and calls were acknowledged and never ignored. Sara and her team were on top of my case and constantly keeping me informed of what was going on. As a single mother to a 3 year old boy, I was an anxiety filled wreck the entire 9 months, constantly asking questions and emailing novels of my fears and I'm quite sure I was her favorite client ;) regardless, she understood I was terrified and always talked me through my fears and situations. She never made me feel like I was a burden on her but always found a way to talk me through things or simply tell me to relax and let her to do her job. As she did, very well. I will never recommend anyone else for a Family Law case. Yelman and Associates is by far the best. They work together as a team and truly care about their clients. My case is now over, I was granted my move away, and all around happy with the final judgment. I couldn't have done it without Sara Neumann! Thank you AGAIN, Sara, for everything!

A few years ago, I contracted with Yelman and Associates to handle my divorce. Tara and her staff were clearly concerned about my situation, which I can now admit was very dangerous. From the beginning, Tara was clearly disgusted with my verbally and emotionally abusive husband. She reassured me that, despite my now-ex's claims that I would get no support and no custody because I was insane, I had significant rights that the California courts would protect. I can't remember exactly, but Tara and her staff STAYED UNTIL MIDNIGHT to make sure I would get the restraining order I needed to protect myself and the children as I served my husband with divorce papers.

Then I made the worst mistake: I let my ex convince me to switch from aggressive, brilliant Tara to a male lawyer. I thought appeasing him would reduce the conflict between us. The other lawyer which I chose from the phone book was a lame, conventional dishrag. To this day, I regret moving from Yelman & Associates. Tara--I hope you get this!

These guys are really good at what they do. I haven't had to use their services yet (knock on wood) but their knowledgable staff has been around since I believe the mid 90's? Can somebody fact check that? That's probably a lot longer than most family attorneys offices around SD. I feel that in an industry as competitive as law that is sayng a lot about a firm.