Stephen Durbin & Associates

I stumbled across SD&A while searching google for a law firm to help me with my custody agreement for my son. They were very quick to schedule a meeting with me and after learning about my situation, agreed to waive the fee for our first meeting. My situation was complicated as I was on maternity leave for my second child and my income was significantly less than it used to be yet still too much for legal aid. After walking into their building, I knew I wouldn't be able to afford their retainer and felt defeated. Still, Samantha Chan and Stephen Durbin met with me and reviewed my case to date. After our meeting, I was informed the average retainer for their services was $10,000. Stephen and Samantha knew I couldn't afford that at the time and came up with a new plan pro-bono with a user fee. I am still overwhelmed with the generosity of their highly skilled firm. All throughout every step and each court date, Samantha was highly professional and very informative of the entire process. My knowledge of how things work in the courtroom, the laws of child custody and support was very vague at the time. She helped me to understand the way to make an offer to obtain what is best for both sides and to come to a quick, amicable agreement. After four short months, we have settled my custody case and I came to a very reasonable agreement. Samantha, Stephen, Fazeeda, and Kaila I can't thank you all enough for everything.
8 years ago (05-04-2017)

Trust is key and you can trust that Stephen and his team are straightforward, honest and wouldn't do anything to break that factor with you. I can only speak highly of them all. Wonderful group of honest lawyers. Thank you
8 years ago (12-03-2017)

I don't know what I would have done without Mr. Durbin. Stephen is truly a master in the courtroom. We had a six day custody trial and everyday he amazed my family and I with his knowledge of the law. He was always honest and upfront with me on my chances of success. He devoted his heart and soul into my case and in the end we were successful in gaining joint custody with my home (father) as primary residence and were also awarded a substantial amount of court costs. Stephen is a great person in and outside of the courtroom and is always there when I need him. I highly recommend Stephen Durbin as a lawyer and as a friend. Thank you Stephen. R.
11 years ago (19-02-2015)

Anyone who is involved in a divorce knows that everything about it quite literally sucks and we would rather walk on hot coals than go through it. But a good and fair lawyer can make all the difference. Stephen is that lawyer. After a very bad experience with another local area family lawyer, I was highly skeptical of the chances of finding a good one. The search was difficult because there are few reviews online and you just don't know what sort of experience to expect until it is underway and often too late. After interviewing several family lawyers in the area, I chose Durbin and Associates. I got lucky, because it turned out that Stephen and his staff were exactly the right choice. He is fair and straightforward in his case assessment, will give realistic expectations and does not sugar coat or make false promises that can't be delivered on. Stephen works with a realistic view, knows family law very well, and has a tremendous office staff, including a hard working and professional law clerk that will be able to do a lot of the work at a lower billing cost than the lawyers. This is an example of how Stephen will pay close attention to controlling the cost of what is a very expensive process, and he is sensitive to this matter. I will just say that this is not the case with other lawyers, who are only interested in milking as many billable hours as possible. Stephen was very sensitive to the needs of the children and recommended approaches that proved to be successful in getting fair custody arrangements. He and his office staff are responsive - I never had to wait for replies to calls or emails, which went a long way to reducing stress and making me feel that they were taking my case seriously. I could say many other positive things about this family law practice, but it is not necessary. I would recommend Stephen and his team to anyone without hesitation. To be honest, he is not cheap, but quite simply, you get what you pay for, and fewer hours at a higher rate with a good lawyer are better than a lot of hours at a lower rate without results.
11 years ago (21-01-2015)

I was fortunate to work with Stephen, Claire and Melissa for my divorce. In a sea of confusion and intimidation that is Family Law - these three people bring clarity, truth and results. Claire is a passionate and extremely knowledgeable legal professional. She is a unique breed and I highly recommend her for any Family Law issue. Stephen and Melissa were excellent at validation and discussing the key issues in the case to find a reasonable resolution. If you have an Family Law matter look no further, this is a special firm that will help you.
10 years ago (30-03-2015)