Law Office Of Ester Kim, ESQ

I initially reached out to Ester Kim because she was recommended to me. I thought that because she was a woman she would be the best option. When I first spoke to her over the phone she simply answered my question or concern. She did not inquire about my situation or how she could assist me. The phone call ended with a simple "Good Luck". The short interaction left me hopeless. I wanted representation and she could careless. A hearing date was set for my case and I reluctantly reached out to her again in hopes of representation. Only because she was knowledgeable and in my mind she was going to be more empathetic being a woman. But boy was I wrong again. When I asked her if she could represent me, she said "Well my hourly rate is $375 and my retainer is $5000." I recommend you speak with a paralegal, his hourly rate is cheaper, I could recommend you one. He's Spanish speaking if that helps". Knowing well that I was speaking English to her. I found that to be rude and racist. When we were speaking she also said I should gain some confidence and stop letting my husband have control over my decisions. That technically I could do whatever I wanted because we didn't have any court order yet. I'm assuming she's not a mother, and doesn't understand the complexity of living with a narcissist let alone having a daughter with one. Leaving is not that easy. Court order or not. Thanks to Nicole Stednitz I was able to retain Olsen and Olsen. Patrick and his father Casey were willing to help me. Patrick being a male attorney showed me more empathy and understanding than Ester Kim did. He genuinely cared about my case and asked me valuable and important questions about my situation unlike Ester Kim. Who only made me feel inadequate, and hopeless. Don't take your worries or concerns to Ester Kim, she could careless. She showed me money is more important to her than a genuine heart to assist someone in need. Go to Nicole Stednitz 3620 Pacific Coast Hwy #100, Torrance, CA 90505 for your peaceful divorce proceedings. Go to Olsen and Olsen 2367 Torrance Blvd Torrance CA 90501-2541 for your litigation needs. Stay clear of this money hungry, no compassion or empathy attorneys like Ester Kim. You deserve better. Her knowledge is useless if she doesn't have genuine human decency toward her potential clients. No one asked for her rate, I asked her for help in my time of need.

I was a client of Ester Kim. I hired her in March 2023 because my wife had filed a temporary restraining order against me, which was granted. Like a previous negative reviewer here, she was very upset with my multiple emails. Anyone in an urgent situation with restricted access to their child would likely do the same. Despite her complaint to me, she charged me $13,480.67 for just one month of service. Before Ester Kim, I had no experience with divorce lawyers, but after her, I sought other attorneys for comparison. As a long-time businessman, I broke down her fees. While she charged an hourly rate of $350 or $375, she lacked an assistant or paralegal. As such, tasks typically done by a paralegal at roughly $150 per hour were charged at her attorney rate. This essentially meant that her effective hourly charge was over $500. To make matters worse, her business operations seemed disorganized, leading to elevated costs being passed on to me, the client. She terminated our retainer agreement abruptly right before the Domestic Violence Restraining Order hearing because she was allegedly angry at me, forcing me to prepare for the hearing on my own. Eventually, I prevailed against the unjust restraining order. During my most contentious disagreement with Ester Kim, I insisted on including a Skype chat I had with my wife as part of our evidence. However, Ester Kim warned that introducing this chat might negatively affect my case. After she unilaterally terminated our agreement, I decided to submit that Skype chat as evidence. Strikingly, while none of the evidence Ester Kim had prepared was accepted, this Skype chat was. The restraining order hearing spanned two days and lasted consecutive eight hours. I prepared thoroughly on my own and, after an exhausting eight-hour hearing, the Domestic Violence Restraining Order was dissolved due to my wife's lack of credibility. Reflecting on it, I sometimes wonder if things would have turned out differently had Ester Kim stayed with me until the end of the restraining order hearing... I approached the Bar to dispute the attorney fees, but didn't get the resolution I hoped for. Thus, if you consider hiring her, proceed at your own risk. Based on my experience, Ester Kim was dishonest, unprofessional, and had a short temper. While I anticipated her understanding the urgency of my situation, she disappointed me. I won't delve deep into the details here, but having a "dishonest" attorney can have detrimental effects on your life, especially concerning sensitive legal matters like divorce. I have consulted with over 10 local family law attorneys and hired a few, including Ester Kim. She is the only one I've felt compelled to review. To Ms. Kim: I regret writing this negative review, but if you aim to expand and improve your practice, I sincerely advise reflecting on your professional conduct and dedication to your work.

Ester was by my side every step of the way. She helped me gain custody of my daughter through a very hard fought battle where the courts gave my daughter's mother every chance they possibly could. Through it all, Ester communicated the entire process, strategies, and possibilities. She even went out of her way to meet me while I was still stationed in Northern California so we could go over matters pertaining to my case. I would use her again, and recommend her!!!

I wouldn't give Ester any stars but I have to give at least one in order for this review to post. Ester does not return phone calls, emails, or texts. She does not go over important court documents which tell you critical information such as temporary visitation was granted!!!!!!!!!!!!! I lost custody of my baby temporarily but did not know that the court granted temp visitation! Isn't that the reason we hire lawyers - to translate things so the average person can understand? She lied about being in a trial during the week that she was supposed to be at my hearing TWICE! She does not have kids so she has no idea what is at stake. She went off on me 3 times over the phone. Once again, she is not a mother so she has absolutely no idea what it feels like to possibly lose custody of a child!! She was also planning her wedding so rather than telling me she could not take in any new clients she just took my $ and did an excellent job of ignoring me and not taking my case seriously. Ester even had the audacity to tell me that she was taking time off from her wedding planning to work on my case. She also sent me an invoice for $520 which I told her I would not pay. She has yet to respond to my email telling her I refuse to pay it but I am guessing it is because she knew what a terrible job she did in handling my case. Hiring her was huge waste of money but it was my fault bc I was in such a rush to hire someone due to nature of my case.

Horrible! You gotta explain the same thing to her about 172772 times for her to understand and fills out the forms incorrectly. No communication and you almost feel like you’re bothering her when you’re asking for help.