We recently connected with Chelsea Pistone and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsea, thanks for joining us today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

I had a client who went through a very hostile and contentious divorce with his spouse. His spouse did just about everything to make his life and the divorce process expensive and difficult. It even rose to the level where his wife was turning their three children against Dad and using them a bargaining chips in the divorce process. Things got so bad that the children made false criminal allegations about Dad (who worked in law enforcement and could have risked him losing his career which he was a few years shy of retirement from).

From the very beginning of this case I advised my client that he should invest in a full child-custody evaluation, which would cost him a “pretty penny” – $7,500.00 at a minimum to be specific. This was not because I wanted my client to incur additional attorneys fees/costs or drag this case out (because custody evaluations tend to delay resolution of the case). The suggestion was simple – Mom was gatekeeping and manipulating the children to the worst degree and the only way to unveil these issues was for a full evaluation to be done (which would involve an evaluation of Mom, Dad, third parties, and the minor children).

Needless to say, Dad was very hesitant to agree to an evaluation at first, but 2 years into the divorce process he finally agreed. Long story short, the evaluation came back completely in Dad’s favor, by a neutral, court approved, evaluator. And upon receipt and review of the evaluation, the case settled in a matter of days. Nearly 2.5 years (if not a bit more) of litigation, attorneys fees, police involvement, meet and confer letters between the parties/Counsel, etc. All of this to be resolved by one custody evaluation that was worth every penny of the $7,500.00 spent. Additionally, mom even agreed to reimburse Dad for most of the unnecessary fees/costs he incurred throughout the process as part of the global settlement.

My client was extremely happy to finally be done with the divorce, have all matters resolved, and finally stop the bleeding of fees/costs for all case related matters. It all came down to an evaluation in this case, which is not always helpful, but can be when a parent is gatekeeping or manipulating the child(ren) against the other parent.

Chelsea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born and raised in Northern California. From early in high school, I aspired to be an attorney. I knew I wanted to go to college straight out of high school, graduate from college as soon as possible, and then go to law school to pursue a career in the legal field. The only question that remained, was “what area of law did I want to practice in?” Well, I did just that and immediately after graduating law school answered that one pending question for myself.

First and foremost, to expedite my years in college, I took extra courses in high school, summer courses in college, and jam packed my schedule each and every semester taking between approximately 18-20 units. I graduated in 3 short years from California Lutheran University located in Thousand Oaks, CA in May of 2014. While in college, I worked part time for a Family Law practitioner, where I first found interest in Family Law and also began my legal career. Thereafter, I went on to study for the LSAT and apply for law schools, to which I ended up being accepted at and attending The University of San Diego School of Law from 2015-2018. However, prior to starting law school, I worked part time for a second Family Law/Immigration Law/Criminal Law firm. This was my first experience in criminal law, which much like Family Law, I grew to love.

During my three years in law school, I held a few different jobs in the legal field. I clerked for a Criminal Judge at the Orange County Superior Court, and interned at the Orange County District Attorneys Office for 2 semesters in two separate units (one in the Misdemeanor Unit and the second in the Asset Forfeiture Unit). From these experiences I learned a lot, and even more so was able to focus more on criminal law versus my prior experience in family law. However, come graduation from law school, I knew I was missing Family Law and wanted to return to practice in that field, whether jointly with another practice area or exclusively. Thus, what started my career in family law.

Since graduating law school in or around May of 2018 and becoming a licensed attorney in June of 2019, I have worked for a few different law firms, all of which were exclusively family law. My current employment with Irwin & Irwin began in February 2020 and I have never been happier. Our firm is a small family owned firm, the partner attorneys being husband and wife, and includes myself and one other attorney, with aspirations to expand in the coming years. Myself and this firm practices exclusively family law, has been doing so for over 15 years combined, and takes a “team like approach” to all cases, with reasonable/conservative billing practices. prompt response to all clients, and our focus always remaining on the clients, their best interest, and their wishes/desires. I handle cases in many Southern California counties, including, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino.

Working with Irwin & Irwin, and specifically practicing exclusively family law, has allowed me to help many individuals (and their children) with their family law needs and remains my passion. My future goals include one day becoming a Family Law Specialist and Minor’s Counsel for children.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is networking, which leads to referrals on social media, referrals by word of mouth by others, and referrals coming from the networking events I attend. Networking is a great source for building a business whether you are in the legal field, medical field, a small business, or otherwise. I am presently a member of the Orange County Bar Association, a licensed attorney with the State of California and attend weekly networking meetings with a great group of professionals in a network called BNI. However, this is only the beginning and I plan on continuing to expand my network in various other ways in the years to come.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

In the legal field your reputation is everything. Not only are you bound by ethical and professional duties/obligations under the laws of the State of California, but you are able to expand your network and your business by maintaining an exceptional reputation. For me, what has helped me do so is ensuring I give 110% to every case I handle. This includes, ensuring I am prompt to respond to client inquiries (responding within 24-48 hours, unless an emergency arises, then responding immediately), making myself available through all possible means (in person meetings, Zoom, telephone, email, etc.), keeping up with case related tasks to ensure all are completed timely and with my client’s prior review/approval as necessary, and ensuring my client’s understand each and everything that is needed or being done on their case. I also go through the necessary steps of each case with my client’s involvement – never leaving them in the dark of what is going on, and ensuring their voice is always heard and actions taken accordingly where necessary/appropriate. Furthermore, I ensure I maintain a conservative billing practice with each and every client, which is also compliant with the rules of professional conduct and ethical obligations, as I know that legal proceedings can get very costly and I would rather clients keep their money for themselves/their children then spend it on unnecessary attorneys fees and costs. At the end of the day, my philosophy remains to try and negotiate settlement in each and every case, and only where necessary and appropriate turn to litigation/court involvement.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.irwinirwin.com
• Instagram: Private
• Facebook: Private
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-pistone-5bb5bb9a/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/irwin-and-irwin-fullerton
• Other: https://socalbni.com/en-US/memberdetails?encryptedMemberId=V37K2NHMvBUrnHkT1qN0CQ%3D%3D&name=Chelsea+R.+Pistone

Image Credits
Cathleen McGrath – Cathleen McGrath Photography (only for 2 of the 5 pictures provided)