Marvin Mendez
Dussias Skallas Wittenberg Koenigsberger LLP
Civil defense litigation, Domestic relations

Inventive and meticulous. Those are two of the words that nominators use to describe the legal work turned in by family lawyer Marvin Mendez.

His peers say that Mendez has the unique ability to fiercely advocate for his clients, most of whom are going through divorce or other emotional family issues, without alienating opposing counsel. Mendez, they say, has the skills necessary to navigate even the most heated family law cases while providing a soothing, knowledgeable presence for his clients.

“Marvin’s approach to handling cases is level-headed and resolution-oriented, rather than adversarial and combative, as is the approach, unfortunately, of so many of our colleagues in the divorce community,” said Stuart Gordon with Mattenson & Gordon. “Rather than placating a client by telling him or her what he or she wants to hear, Marvin will advocate for what is legally correct and in the best interest of the family, which ultimately benefits the client.”

As an example, Gordon points to a case that involved substantial arrearages ranging from child support to maintenance to college expenses to medical expenses and extracurricular activities. Mendez recovered for his client every dollar owed during a four-year period.

“The case involved more than accurate accounting, however,” Gordon said. “Marvin proposed, and was successful on, several novel theories to recover additional funds for his client, much to my own client’s dismay.”

Adrian Laurean, with the law firm of Kupisch, Carbon & Laurean, said that Mendez has the knowledge and legal skills to earn the best resolutions for his clients even in the most complicated of cases.

Laurean points to a case in which a mother had lost custody and visitation of her minor child as the result of several wrongful accusations of abuse. Mendez was able to counsel this client in Spanish to guide her in the steps she needed to take to rehabilitate herself and her credibility in the eyes of the court.

Mendez was able to secure his client the parenting time that she deserved and helped stabilize the contentious environment between the involved parties.

“Using his meticulous problem-solving techniques, attention to detail and in-depth knowledge of family law, Marvin is able to expedite resolutions that are in his clients’ best interests,” Laurean said.

Others point to Mendez’s negotiation skills, which, his peers say, are second to none.

“He is an excellent negotiator and litigator, and at the same time is both respectful and courteous to adversaries and opposing counsel,” said fellow attorney Janice Berman. “In the field of divorce law, which is plagued with attorneys who exhibit lack of professional courtesy and often incompetence, Marvin demonstrates how to properly and successfully practice this area of law.”