Law Offices of Aaron C. Smith Law Offices - Vista, California

Brent Buhrman

As someone that has worked with multiple attorneys over the years I can honestly say Aaron has been the worst attorney I have ever worked with. After spending close to $40k to go to trial, Aaron made egregious rookie mistakes that greatly affected the outcome of the trial. He failed to include one of my key witnesses on the witness list and failed to have a Riverside County sheriff in attendance to testify on my behalf at trial. Because of these rookie mistakes 2/3 of my witnesses were not able to testify on my behalf. Had those witnesses been able to testify the outcome would have been different. During the three day trial, Aaron was convinced that I needed to be charged additional days. I clearly explained to him and showed him that those days had already been charged In advance. He cared more about making sure he was going to get paid and he did worrying about the trial. We spent the entire trial playing defense and we’re never given The opportunity to play offense and put on our side of the case. In the end, Aaron conceded that in fact I was correct and he was wrong but by then the damage was done. If you care about winning your case I would highly recommend finding someone else other than Aaron to represent you.

Nicole Roach

My husband went to Aaron for what we thought would be a simple custody modification because our son had expressed the desire for a fifty-fifty and the ex lived close enough together that it made practical sense.

When the situation was explained to Aaron and some of the things our son had told me about his mom's house, Aaron said to my husband we could potentially ask for primary custody. When we told him we just wanted to do what our son wanted, he didn't pressure us to be more aggressive but warned us that the ex would likely turn it into a war.

He was right! The simple motion turned into a full blown restraining order trial, which Aaron won and got the Court to order my fees paid by the ex. He was also able to help with child support when she wasn't being honest about her income.

Aaron was by our side, offering advice and support. I know that some attorneys will churn a case for as many billable hours as possible but his focus was on accomplishing our goals in as cost effective a manner as possible.

Aaron came recommended to us by clients that were happy and we are so glad we got a chance to work with him! We are forever grateful for the hard work and compassion you showed our situation.

Joseph Marsh

I STRONGLY advise everyone NOT to hire Desiree and the Law Offices of Aaron Smith. She is highly inexperienced, unorganized and unfamiliar with family law. I first came to her for help with my divorce/custody situation and she only turned things into a complete nightmare. Her lack of knowledge hurt my case IMMENSELY. There were court dates that she should have been in attendance at where she was not- when she did show up, she was unprepared and zero documents with her- she advised me to sign court documents I should NOT have signed, gave me false information time and time again, and ultimately got me into a hole I am still trying to climb out of.  Desiree was nearly impossible to get a hold of, especially during extremely time sensitive situations and I was charged for calling and trying  to get ahold of her even though I was never able to actually speak with her. The opposing counsel took 100% advantage of her incompetence and I am suffering for it .  After deciding to terminate her as my attorney, I spoke to SEVERAL other attorneys who were in utter disbelief of what she had done (or didn't do) or that she even has a license at all. Ultimately, I was forced to spend double the amount of money AND time with a new attorney just trying to fix the mistakes she made. She should NOT be in practice.

Hunka Heaven Ranch

There are times in life where you are going to need someone to fight for you. We had such time a few years back and Aaron was referred to us. He was exactly what we needed. He was compassionate to our situation and a showed up with force in the courts. Clearly, we were going through a hard time and his regular communication put a lot of our worries at ease. His experience really shines in court and I have all the confidence in the world in Aarons ability and knowledge about the law.

We have since referred Aaron to other friends and they have had great success together.

Thank you Arron for fighting for our family and helping us come out on top of a hard time. We are eternally grateful for you!

William Sams

Aaron and his super staff were outstanding. They helped my wife with a difficult family situation. As a former attorney I have seen Arron in court many times and can strongly recommend him as a skilled and dedicated attorney for his clients. Divorce, family law, wills and trusts, Arron and his staff are the best.

Pam Ennis

Proactive, efficient, and results-orientated is how I would describe Aaron. I felt like I could breathe knowing he was on top of my case and nothing would slip through the cracks. He’s incredibly good at clear, concise communication and has your best interests as a priority. I never felt taken advantage of and that I could trust him.

Lydia Rivera

We were assigned this law office from Marble Law. Not happy with either company. We felt our lawyer wad not easy to contact. Paralegals contacted us, when we begged for information on our case. Ms. Van Theil seemed to be working for the opposing side. We were told that our case was completely winnable, and then told during our last court date that the parent of custody wins all the time. We are not bitter about losing but about the lack of representation. The lack of honesty, we would have never gone forward with this case if we had of be told the truth in the beginning. If you are looking for grandparents right , Don't, they truly don't exsit.

Thank you,
Lydia Rivera

Anon Anon

This guy is the worst my old review was removed so I wanna put another hired Aaron for my wife in her custody battle for a trial he asked for $20000 so I agreed, he never even contacted my wife before trial and completely blew it in trial allowed a lot to happen that shouldn’t have, never objected to any of the misconduct then had the nerve to tell my wife she blew it and I even was told by other lawyers to report him to the bar and I did if you have been robbed by this man you should to and get your hard earned money back