James Van Ness - Salem, OR

Take notice of how he responded to clients on this site who disagreed with him or wrote a negative review. This is indicative of my experience. He started out as if he knows a lot, but ends up in a pile of fees with no results and defensiveness. To be specific: 1) Did not respond in a timely manner to questions or sometimes not at all. 2) Submitted a hand-written draft of an official court document with lined out words and margin notes. I specifically stated that I wanted to discuss this document and the numbers before submission. 3) Scheduled and rescheduled hearings without consulting me to as to my availability or to even inform me that it had taken place. 4) Did not provide copies of court documents filed, correspondence to/from opposing counsel, nor copies of any discovery items supplied by the petitioner. 5) Failed to inform me of progress in the case, his strategy, what to expect in the process or any options I had ​available. 6) Sent an email requesting documents that I had sent a month earlier and billed me for it again. 7) Incompetently suggested we cancel a hearing and offer $1000/mo. in spousal support for life. He did ​not offer any alternatives or demonstrate a willingness to fight for me since my spouse had a professional degree and professional license ​with the ability to earn a living equal to mine. My new attorney negotiated a set, non-modifiable amount of spousal support which turned out to less than what Mr. Van Ness recommended I should pay in one year alone! 8) Exorbitant fee. No one expects an attorney to be inexpensive or to get 100% of a desired outcome. However, I do expect the attorney to at least pretend to be on my side and work for my benefit. This attorney did not. 9) He was fired over four months ago and continues to add fees for services. He filed a "Notice of Lien" on my property two weeks after I fired him. Everything Mr. Van Ness was not, my new attorney was. She was professional, courteous, explained everything, informed me every week, sent copies of emails, letters, discovery and ​well versed in family law. Don't waste your time or your money on Mr. Van Ness for family law issues. Find someone who specializes in the field with 100% of their representation in family law.

I spoke to Jim and was given peace of mind no other attorney could give prior to any discussion of fees. His approach of helping custody cases with a philosophy of doing what's best for the children, and seeking settlement before trial showed me he's not in it for the money, but because he and his firm care, and as the sign says, they're damn good at it.