Gutheinz Law Firm, LLP

I am sharing my experience to provide an objective account of the legal representation I received from Michael Gutheinz. During mediation, he recommended that I sign a document regarding a mediator-recommended CPA forensic firm, noting that the firm was reputable.
Based on my attorney's explanation, I was under the impression that this document was simply an agreement to give us an additional option for a financial solution. I was told that if my husband and I both decided to use this CPA forensic firm in the future, we would split the fees equally. I believed that we retained our full legal rights to choose other, more efficient methods—such as direct mutual negotiation—and that my husband and I still held the ultimate authority to decide how to divide our marital assets.
However, the document I signed was a binding, irrevocable court order. My attorney did not advise me that the document was irrevocable, nor did he inform me that I had the right to leave the mediation without signing anything.
ONE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIGNING THIS AGREEMENT IS THAT IT DRAGS THE ENTIRE DIVORCE CASE INTO A LONGER, MORE COMPLEX, AND MORE EXPENSIVE PROCESS. FURTHERMORE, IT STRIPS THE DIVORCING PARTY OF ANY OTHER FINANCIAL SETTLEMENT OPTIONS, LEAVING THEM WITH NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO BE COURT-ORDERED TO PROCEED WITH THIS SPECIFIC CPA FORENSIC FIRM WITHIN 7 DAYS IF MEDIATION FAILS.
Based on this experience, my advice to anyone undergoing mediation is to take any attorney-proposed documents home to read carefully before signing, especially if mediation has not been successful. You have the right to leave the mediation location without signing any documents on the spot, regardless of an attorney's STRONG recommendation.

I cannot recommend my attorney Micheal Gutheinz enough. He helped me through an enforcement case for my child’s medical expenses, and thanks to his hard work and guidance, I achieved exactly the outcome I was hoping for. He was knowledgeable, responsive, and truly fought for me every step of the way. I was reimbursed for past medical bills and felt supported throughout the entire process. If you need an attorney who is thorough, effective, and genuinely cares about his clients, I highly recommend him.

I also want to add that his staff was very organized, professional and helpful thru the process.

I made a disastrous and extremely wrong decision in choosing Michael Gutheinz as my divorce attorney. He represented me in my divorce for two years and charged me no less than $20,000 in legal fees. During the second mediation, he told me that what I was signing was an agreement to consider or potentially accept a third-party CPA firm recommended by the mediator to help with the division of marital assets.

However, in reality, what I signed was a binding and irrevocable temporary order that forced me into a situation where I had no other options. I was no longer able to resolve my divorce through any other method, including negotiation between the spouses, and was instead compelled to proceed exclusively through a CPA firm. I lost all other possible avenues for resolving my divorce.

What is even more troubling is that the CPA firm I was effectively forced to use was a high-end and extremely expensive firm recommended by the mediator, charging around $500 per hour, with assistants billing around $300 per hour.

This is an extremely alarming situation. What my attorney told me I was signing was completely misleading. He said it was only an agreement to CONSIDER using a CPA firm AS AN OPTION recommended by the mediator. But what I was actually given and signed was a BINDING, IRREVOCABLE PERMENATLY UNCHANGEBLE ORDER that has seriously and permanently harmed my financial interests and overall rights.

As an attorney, he did not explain any of the legal nature or consequences of the document at the time of signing. He never mentioned that it was binding and irrevocable. Instead, he only told me that the mediator-recommended CPA firm was reputable and well-known. HE EVEN DID NOT TOLD ME I DO NOT NEED TO SIGN ANYTHING JUST LEAVE. He Strongly recommended that I sign an unnecessary agreement that is extremely harmful to my interests but did not disclose the full nature and the terrible result.

It is truly frightening. I have now recorded and reflected on this experience. If I could start over, I would never choose such an attorney again.

I want to strongly warn you: if mediation is not successful, do not be influenced, misled, or pressured by this attorney into signing any documents. You have the right to leave immediately. Do not sign anything —especially anything that harms your own interests or is against your own best interests recommend by him.

Look at what happened to me today. I feel that I was seriously harmed by my attorney’s handling of this situation.