Choice Legal Services - Orem, Utah

Cristina W.

I had the privilege of working with Dustin for many years and without a doubt I would recommend my closest friends and family to him, knowing they would be in the hands of an attorney that genuinely cares for them, that will provide the best representation, while also not inflating the sense of "right" only to charge extra or extend a legal procedure unnecessarily. As a mediator Dustin can calm spirits, provide an even assessment based on facts and legal reality, check attorney egos and unrealistic promises to their clients, and help people reach the best agreement the parties work with. Dustin is an absolute professional in every sense, and a true leader in the legal community. It is an honor to know Dustin and be able to recommend him.

Jared/Shannalee H.

** Update- Dustin never extended an offer for me to review the document overnight and made it clear it was today or never for the agreement. He never suggested during the 8.5 hours of mediation (which in and of itself is far too long of a time to mediate and still make good decisions) that I take the agreement to an attorney to review prior to signing. His defensiveness only proves the point that he knows the agreement signed was completely one sided- which is exactly why the attorneys I spoke to questioned his behavior. Anyone who reads the agreement would agree that I was taken advantage of and it is clear that Dustin was not neutral by any stretch of the imagination. Again, do not mediate with him without an attorney. The process is like going to court except at least in court the agreement I signed would never have been agreed upon by a judge since it was not standard (a word Dustin repeatedly used) at all. Prior post: Just don’t mediate with him without an attorney. I’m new to Utah and didn’t realize mediation is essentially going to court. Dustin allowed me to give up a large attorney fee judgment I’d been awarded, pay for almost all of the airfare for a long distance parenting plan, and gave away time that he kept saying was standard. I spoke to three attorneys after I signed the mediation agreement and they all said they were surprised by Dustin and that I definitely got taken advantage of. Dustin is not your advocate so make sure you have one with you if you use him for mediation. He comes across as a “nice guy,” but a decent and honorable man would never have allowed me to sign the mediation agreement I did without suggesting I at least think about it overnight. I would never use him again.

Kimberly W.

My experience with Dustin as a mediator has been nothing short of extraordinary. He has solid financial skills and knowledge that really help the mediating parties understand the money and asset nuances in their legal dispute. Dustin also has a solid understanding of how the court's handle disputed issues in divorce cases and he has a knack for explaining this understanding in plain and simple terms. I highly recommend Dustin as a mediator.

Monica W.

Dustin did not handle our mediation with professionalism or honesty. He seemed to get defensive, as if we were attacking him, when we were upset with what the other party was asking for/not agreeing to. He said things about my former spouse (stuff like “I know his type”) to make it seem like he was on my side, only to find out that he said things about me to my former spouse to make him think he was on his side. His mediation tactic is to basically bag on the other party, tell people what they want to hear, and then threaten that if you don’t agree to it then you’ll just spend way more money and lose anyway. Three separate times during mediation I said I would like to go to court over a certain issue. I was clearly not happy with how things were going, but rather than getting the other party to negotiate, he just told them to say “no” and told me I would lose even though what I was asking for was normal.

He also tried to gaslight me into believing that I was getting what I wanted and being taken care of. I came home and wrote a list of everything that I requested. The other side agreed to ONE thing on that list. That we could each have our kids on our own birthdays. That’s it. And then he kept telling me that it was fair and that the other party was giving things up too. But they weren’t.

I’ve been a stay at home mom for 26 years and started working a few hours a week 5 years ago. My former spouse made $18,000 a month. Dustin said the best I could get was $3,500 in alimony and convinced me that it was a great deal and I should feel so thankful for it. I still have five kids living with me (three minors, two in college) and I am supposed to support six of us on $5000 a month. He also required me to more than double my small income overnight.

There was very little actual negotiating that happened in 10 hours. Basically, if it wasn’t illegal, he told my husband to not agree to what I was asking (even though he told me people agree to what I was asking for all the time). I proposed an alternate holiday schedule, for him to live within 20 miles of our kids schools/me, for him to not drink alcohol during his parent time or in front of our minor children, to lock up the alcohol so the kids can’t get to it, for him to not introduce romantic partners to our children until he was in a committed relationship for at least three months. Dustin told me all of this was very reasonable. That people agree to these things all the time. Then he went and told my spouse that everything I was asking for was ridiculous and not to agree to any of it because it wasn’t illegal for him to drink in front of my kids, drag women through their lives, etc.

My former spouse and I are now basically renegotiating everything we agreed to during mediation. Super disappointed. 10 hours of “mediation” was not money well spent with Dustin.

Leilani W.

Dustin is a great attorney and a wonderful mediator! He is intelligent, thoughtful, kind, and well-prepared. He is well-respected in the family law community. If I can't take a case, I would refer a client to him any day.

Marco B.

Our office uses Dustin often as a mediator. He does really well mediating tough cases, especially numbers heavy cases, and helping clients come to agreement so they can move on with their lives.

Paul W.

Dustin is a great member of the legal services community. He provides excellent mediation services and our office routinely uses and recommends Dustin's mediator services.

Tiena H.

Dustin is amazing! We have had bad experiences with mediators playing into drama on the other parents side and Dustin was great at staying a neutral party. He also was great at telling us that things were not always going to happen. He helped make more progress with a tough coparent then ever before. I would highly recommend Dustin!