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9/17/25 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
I truly do not understand the negative reviews. Deborah has been a godsend to me. After 4.5 years in court with 2 other lawyers that cost me over 30K, she had my agreement signed within 7 months. You cannot pay for expertise like hers. She would tell me which hill to die on, and which I would most likely lose on. She was calm and kept me calm. She was always available day and night for information giving/sharing. I cannot express enough my gratitude for her because I had a very high conflict person and her expertise within DV helped navigate the hard waters for me. Any errors found within typer were promptly fixed (people are human and errors occur), her rates are WAYYYY below what I previously paid at two other law firms where they completely diminished my believe in the court system. Thank you for having mine and my daughters back and getting what I needed.
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11/30/23 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
Deb is very organized, upfront with her communication and has the best interest of her client. i lost faith in lawyers but Deb being my second lawyer stood with me at the most difficult situation. thank you Deborah!
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4/4/23 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Mrs. Barfknecht has is an amazing lawyer! If anyone says different they are wrong! She is thee most compassionate, attentive, wise and cut throat lawyers you could ever meet ! She won my case with flying colours in a short amount of time. I was so impressed by her knowledge of family court and how to win even the most complex of cases. I could tell from the moment I met her she had my children’s best interest in store . Deborah and her team are quick to respond, answered all questions and followed up with me each time I had a question. She was affordable and so kind to even overlook costs where most lawyers would have charged through the roof ! I highly recommend this lawyer as she knows what she’s doing and is highly knowledgeable in her field ! If your family is struggling I suggest you call her asap as she will find a positive solution quickly ! Thank you Deborah for all you have done for my family and I . We truly appreciate all you have done for us !
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1/28/23 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Completely unorganized and lacks professionalism. She will delay your file, send invoices with interest asking for money without providing itemized statements then try to rack up the bills more by calling you adding to more delays. My case was resolved quickly ONLY because my ex and I agreed to EVERYTHING so really she did nothing but delay the file while changing me THOUSANDS for delayed paperwork. Her lack of attention to every detail and mismanagement of court documentation is concerning and should be reported. Her excuse that she has "other clients" and is "busy" shows her total lack of care, empathy or consideration for anyone's time and hard earned money. She was a referral from a family friend and I wish that I would have gone to another lawyer to save myself the grief this woman has put me through. Do yourself a favour and take a HARD PASS on this one and find better counsel.
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3/9/22 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
The quaity of work done by Ms. Barfknecht was excellent. She handled a difficult adversarial person with grace yet firmness. We achieved the end result we desired. Fees were resonable. Would highly recommend to anyone in need of a good lawyer who will get the job done.
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8/30/21 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Do not use unless you want to waste your money and still be at the beginning. She saw dollar signs and acted accordingly.
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10/30/18 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Multiple Canada Revenue Audits,Does not focused. Shady billing practises.
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4/13/18 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Deborah Barfknecht was my lawyer and she was wonderful. She was patient and explained me through the process clearly. She knew my kids were my priority and preserved my sanity throughout the whole process. I am extremely happy with the results and can finally move on with my life... finally! 5 stars all the way!
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12/20/17 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
I was nervous hiring ms. Barfknecht as she was my second lawyer. I fired my first due to not properly representing me and I almost lost my kids custody. Ms. Barfknecht restored my faith in lawyers and completed my action just as i hoped with great results. She was easy to talk to and cared about my situation. I have my life back and am moving on feeling good about the future because of her skills. She was working very hard to fight for my case right to the end.
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11/3/17 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Very poor performance. Over charging and will NEVER get back to you. I have been waiting almost a year to get a copy of my final order despite contacting by phone and email consistently. Very unorganized. She kept asking the same questions to me every time we met in order to clock more time. DO NOT USE THIS LAWYER!!!
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10/24/17 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
do not use this awful lawyer. go to her office and see. disorganized, unprofessional, and actually "sleeping" one off on the couch in her office. Was consistently late for all appointments and was unable to provide the smallest details of what she was doing with my time. Over bills, money hungry, rude. Terrible lawyer. DO NOT USE HER in my opinion. Also offered to take cash as payment. Not sure why a respectable lawyer would do that but one could speculate for days on why a lawyer is so eager to get paid in cash. Doesn't answer emails, doesn't respond to any communications for that matter. Very unprofessional. Office was a total disgrace, files everywhere, papers everywhere, not one person knew where to get me my information that i requested and it is an office of two. I gave a 3/5 on tenacity because she certainly fought hard to get paid. would not use again and would question anyone that would. Some previous reviews seem a bit prepared.
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2/18/17 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
She only cares about money and nothing else. Weird thing is she talks about being some christian going to some church called living hope, but when it comes to family law, she profits off destroying families. The main thing is how complicated she makes every step. You have to pay her for every little detail and she keeps changing it. So what would cost 5000 from a normal lawyer is 20 000 from her, but with the same results. She will try and manipulate you to make the case go as long as possible to make as much money as possible. She pretends to care about you, but really she just wants what is in your wallet. She is a sick one that's for sure. If you feel the need to waste some money, hire her.
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10/6/16 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
I'd like to say that Deborah Barfknecht was amazing in my case!! I had a very hard fought separation involving many issues including custody of my child. She was very professional in and out of court. She was very easy to talk to, always having my best interests at heart. Her rates were very reasonable. I think that Ms. Barfknecht's many years experience as a lawyer and being a respected member of the law community here in Hamilton, it really benefitted the outcome of my case. We got through every issue and won!! Most importantly I got custody of my child. I highly recommend Deborah Barfknecht to anyone going through a divorce or separation, she is definitely worth every penny!!
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9/27/16 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
I had to correct the case conference documents myself three times for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. It was impossible to get a call back to get an update on issues. Rude, insensitive and disorganized. She had the flu, was drunk or hungover when she appeared in court. If she can be a lawyer have faith that your kids can one day be a lawyer too. I had to demand my file back or they were going to the law society.
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2/13/16 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Bad, phony, scatter brain, lies and brags about all the important people she knows and then Ching Ching, the brag time is on your bill! If it was not for the secretary doing all the work, she would not know which time was up. She must be pretty desperate for money, squeezes you for thousands of dollars you did not expect when your situation is at its worst and you can't get out. If you don't find thousands of dollars fast to pay her, she won't do any work till you do. Drags things out to add to cost. When you complain she offers a small discount if you pay in cash - but without receipt it's hard to trust her. She put a lien on my house and kept adding charges and drained all the value until there was barely anything left for me after the house sold.
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6/3/15 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
My experience using Deborah Barfknecht as my lawyer was not like anything I expected. I expected to be nervous and intimidated when I met with my lawyer, but I felt at ease and respected by her attitude. I expected it to cost a lot more, but I was pleasantly surprised both at the cost and the short length of time my action took. Deborah provided caring and support aswell as excellent legal advice. Her assistant Lisa is a gem also.
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4/28/15 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
We were so happy with Deborah representing us at family court. She helped us narrow down the right things to fight to guarantee our success. She seemed so caring of our situation and took the time to make us feel like friends. You are in good hands with her.
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4/16/15 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Like the saying goes, "you can't always judge a book by it's cover". Deborah was extremely effective in the court room. Despite all the very derogatory things that the opposing counsel presented to the court about me, long story short, I being the father was awarded primary residence with my 2 girls. Keep up the excellent work Ms. Barfknecht and you too Lisa.
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7/17/14 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
Deborah has won every case we have walked with her through! One criminal, and several related family matters. She is competent, knowledgeable, and very easy to talk to. She knew how to navigate some very difficult waters in our cases, and helped to bring about our desired goals in each case. She was always willing to find another way when road blocks appeared. She never gave us any 'pie-in-the-sky' predictions, but seemed to be a good balance of optimism and a realist. She shortened our timeline goals by about 50%. Her secretary (Lisa) is so friendly and was super helpful throughout the cases as well.
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3/3/13 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
I'm amazed she is still in business and not de-bared. We went up against her and her own client ended up going afterto her for negligent and fraudulent behaviour. Her fave trick is to make every conversation occurred in her office, no calls or emails allowed. This way she keeps you talking for at least an hour each time. Cha-ching....right into her bank account!
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11/12/12 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
She is a lazy human being. She lies, lies, lies without any concern. Has no regard for judges direction. Highly disorganized. Is always late. Seriously needs a makeover. She shows up to court looking like she has just rolled out of bed. Lack of professionalism on all levels. She is not well versed in the law making alot of mistakes causing her clients and opposing clients alot of extra time and money because she cant get it together or doesnt know how to. I can't believe this woman still has her license to practice law.
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1/8/12 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
I don't know what these negative people are talking about. Deborah Barfknecht is a an amazing lawyer very organized and very well respected by her colleagues and judges. I was never overcharged and she got me everything I wanted. I was extremely sati studied with her service.
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12/9/11 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
Very disorganized, she could never find anything on my file, not always truthful, secretary will tell you one thing and lawyer the complete.
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1/23/11 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
I loved having Ms. Barfknecht as a lawyer. She was extremely knowledgable and professional and went out of her way to resolve all my legal issues. I highly recommed her as a family lawyer.
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1/13/11 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
everytime I went in her office she did not know who I was.told half truths.as I was seating in her office her asisstents were typing my forms when she new I was coming not good.over charged big time
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