Dennis R Dawson

Elizabeth is an absolutely phenomenal lawyer who genuinely cares about her clients and what they need. I have had the pleasure of retaining her a few times for my divorce as well as family court and she has handled everything from start to finish. She's extremely professional but also still talks to you like a person. She explains everything in a way that you can fully understand. I would highly recommend her to anyone and have on multiple occasions.

Elizabeth has been my custody lawyer for all my kids for 10 years, she is very thorough and professional. I appreciate everything she has done for us and I won't hesitate to call her if I need her again.

I am so grateful for the experience that I had working with Mrs. Vander Wal. She was always there when the times got tough. I always felt like I was heard, valued and when the time came for court it showed in the results. ***IMPORTANT GENERAL INFO*** These people "lawyers" are dealing with intense and very emotionally charged situations. We (clients) end up in desperate situations and we feel powerless so we tend to rely on our lawyers to do the work. We feel everything needs to stop and focus on our pain and suffering. You're not powerless. Take a look in the mirror, take a deep breath, feel good knowing your concern was sent out to someone that might be able to help and then take a look at what you can actually do something yourself. There is a lot that you can do yourself to figure things out and also make the job of the lawyer easier and actually expedite your process. Try your best to not shut down out of fear, but to use that fear to push yourself into doing the work to move forward. You can get a lot done yourself if you understand you are capable if you call the right people, ask the right questions and fill out the right forms. Your lawyer is there to help you the best they can and if you give them the things they need they can add that to their arsenal to be more efficient and effective. If your lawyer doesn't get to you right away please remember they might be working on cases that are horrendous and also dangerous to the wellbeing of children. These cases need to be prioritized and yours might pale in comparison. Just have comfort in knowing your voice has been documented and they will respond when they can reasonably do so. Lawyers deal with really difficult situations and need to have time to shut down and detach from the severe mental strain of their work. Just know you are not alone and most likely you might not have it as bad as it feels in the moment. You are capable, you are worthy and you can be powerful if you are able to channel your energy into doing some work yourself. Also, everything documented can and will probably be used against you. Be wise in your communication with your opposition. My best advice is to not respond immediately in a reactionary way. Take time to cool off, gather your thoughts and respond in an intelligent and calculated way. You will protect yourself from dealing with the consequences of poor choices. Words, especially typed, can be as bad as actions and once documented can haunt you the rest of your life.

Extremely unprofessional. I called looking to do an adoption, and had mentioned I do have the MetLife plan but wasn’t sure how all that works or if I could just pay cash, and they just stated they “won’t do an adoption for only $600 and decline to do it”. Highly recommended you talk to a different attorney. I have experience with many attorneys in the southern tier area and most are not this unprofessional, but if you like unprofessional than be sure to call here where a male refers to the attorney as “my daughter” repeatedly.

Elizabeth Vander Wal was absolutely amazing! At some of the most stressful times in my life, she was the calm, and my voice. If you are going through a custody battle, Elizabeth is who you want in your corner! She is professional, punctual, and treats all her clients fairly. Most importantly-she gets the results you're looking for!