Month: July 2019

The Attorney You Can Trust

DoverExaminer

On our never-ending mission to find only the truth, Dover Street delves into the world of personal injury attorneys. This industry is full of firms that promise the world but can’t deliver on it. However, it seems we’ve found one that will in sunny San Diego. 

Since it is impossible (or at least probably immoral) to go undercover and become accidentally injured, hire a lawyer, and fight for our rights, we went the next best route. We interviewed someone who was forced to go down that path. Spoiler alert: they’re doing great. This is how it went.

Susan sat in front of me, nursing a muffin she bought from the coffee shop. People buzzed around us. Speaking about these things in public places always offered a distraction when needed, and allowed them to open up.

“Are you okay to talk about it?” I asked.

“It’s strange how easy it is to talk about it,” Susan said. “After it happened, the thought of it would make me shudder.”

I nodded. 

“Part of that is because of Villasenor, you know,” she added. “They made everything easier.”

Susan was in a horrific car accident. On the way home from a trip to the salon, Susan was minding her own business when someone ran a red light, crashing into her car. Her car was totaled, and she was still going to doctor’s appointments to make things right. This wasn’t something she could have planned for, and certainly not something she could afford.

Susan absentmindedly traced the silvery pink scar on the back of her arm. I took note that it was healing well.

“So, how did you choose a personal injury attorney in San Diego?” I asked, “It’s not exactly a small city.”

“I just went to Google and started searching. When I found their website,” she said, “It looked official, and they said they had over 25 years of experience. After their free consultation, I knew that was the route I wanted to go.”

“That’s great,” I said. “It sounds like you’re glad you made that choice.”

“I am,” she said. “During the consultation, he was very honest and sympathetic toward my situation. And then, he was always ready to communicate and made sure everything was complete. He even worked during the weekend at one point, to meet a last-minute deadline.”

The interview continued to go as expected: Villasenor was there for her at every turn. They knew what to expect, and managed to procure a maximum recovery on her behalf. Now, all she needs to worry about is getting better. 

Digging a little deeper through the internet, we see that this same story is repeated on various review websites. People speak highly of Villasenor and their ability to offer the best services. The one time they received a negative review, a one-star on Yelp, they responded with an impressive amount of class, disagreeing and disproving why that person was upset with them. Seeing this response makes you want them on your side even more.

Villasenor can fulfill their promises and if you need a personal injury attorney, you can contact them here:

Villasenor Law Offices

12396 World Trade Dr, San Diego, CA 92128

(858) 707-7771

Building a New Home and a New Trust

DoverExaminer

This week, we’re going to give you a behind the scenes look at how we do our investigative reporting. We recently profiled a great landscaper, but we figured, what good what a landscaper be if you didn’t have a home and yard to landscape. We are going undercover to look at one of the top-ranked home builders in the area. Here is how it went down:

“I’m nervous,” Kelly said. She took a sip of her frozen strawberry lemonade. “It’s a huge, commitment, you know?”

“It’ll be fine, honey,” her husband, Jonathon replied. 

The spread of papers printed from various websites on their kitchen table looked daunting indeed. Home builder after home builder, each with a seemingly impressive portfolio was intimidating. How could they know which one was the best for them?

The corner of one caught Kelly’s eye. With an impressively clean layout, the home builder Sailhouse had an incredible portfolio of modern-looking homes. A quote on the front page caught her attention. 

She read aloud, “‘Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness,’ by Frank Gehry.”

“Sounds like the kind of people we’re looking for, huh?” Jonathon said. He took a sip of his own lemonade.

“It does,” Kelly said. “I think I’m going to give them a call.”

Continuing to do research on Sailhouse, Kelly found that they maintained a proud 5-star rating online with glowing reviews. Their portfolio with over a dozen projects was impressive. You could tell they had an eye for excellence. She knew this was going to be a good one.

Jonathon left the details up to his wife, but they were both excited to consult with these top-notch custom home builders in Newport Beach. Kelly, a manager for her husband, had a sharp eye for detail. She knew exactly what she wanted. Jonathon was much simpler and had only a few requirements for their dream home. Many years ago, they would sit beneath the stars and dream of designing and building their own home complete with an in-house theater and outdoor grill. At the time, it all seemed impossible. But, fortune and hard work shined on them. Now, it was finally a possibility.

Kelly smoothed out her dress one last time and stepped into the office.

Beautiful, the office spoke of modern design and an eye for practical comfort. She sank into the chair at the front of the desk. The man behind the desk seemed kindly with a welcoming smile. He reached to shake her hand.

“So, what can I do for you?” he asked.

“My husband and I saw the custom home option on your website,” she said. “We were thinking of going that route with you.”

“Of course!” he said. “That wouldn’t be a problem, what are you looking for?”

Kelly quickly described to him the general idea for their dream home, leaving spaces for him to nod and ask questions. He was incredibly understanding of her desires and ideas and even offered a few suggestions himself. 

“I just have a few more questions,” Kelly said.

“Of course,” he said.

“Do you have any examples of something similar to what we’ve discussed?” she asked.

“We do, actually,” he said. With a few clicks on the computer, he pulled up a gorgeous home at 33rd St., Newport Beach. The home captured beautiful modern architecture while allowing a callback to the kinds of homes that used to be popular in the area. It was very close to what Kelly was describing, actually.

“It’s gorgeous,” she said. “One other thing. What do you pride yourself most on?”

“Other than our hard work and desire to create the best home we can, we pride ourselves on our efficiency and professionalism.”

Kelly continued to nod and take notes. She knew where she was going to put her trust and money.

Sailhouse Custom Homes

170 Newport Center Dr Suite 220, Newport Beach, CA 92660

(949) 281-6044

This Old Dog You Can’t Trick

DoverExaminer

There are times in life when the world gains a shade of red and everyone seems out to get you.  Few of those times are worse than being in the middle of a divorce.  If people would just be honest about their problems, maybe it would be bearable.  But, it’s the vicious backstabbing and fact clouding which makes your heart feel like it is perpetually smoldering.

I had the honor of hearing directly from a certain Dominic here in Santa Ana about how he eventually was able to pour healing water on the embers of his own messy divorce case.

“I never imagined it could be that bad,” said Dominic over a cup of coffee.  “You know, when you get married, divorce is the furthest thing from your mind.  I never thought that my wife could go as low as she did.  If it weren’t for Shuff Law, I would be curled up in a hole somewhere right now in despair.”

When I asked how he came by the Shuff Law Firm, he said that it was a stroke of providence.  He wasn’t aware of any divorce and family law firms in Orange County, and who would be? No one gets married with a divorce lawyer in mind.  He took a chance with Shuff and was not disappointed at all.

“My wife made it hard from the start,” he said.  “She was in the house while I had to find a cheap apartment to live in while the case worked itself out.  A mutual friend of ours actually suggested a couple of lawyers to me.  It turns out, my wife had already been to see them both.  She had told them just enough of her side of the story without hiring them that they weren’t open to helping me.  Since that freed me to go with Shuff Law, she actually did me a favor.”

Dominic had two young kids who he was fighting for custody as part of the divorce.  Numerous times in our conversation, he mentioned how afraid he had been that his kids would be taken away.  He knew that his wife was manipulative and emotionally abusive, but he had no idea how to prove that in court.  Besides, the woman almost always wins custody.

Continuing to relate his story, Dominic said, “Joe saved my sanity.  Even from the start, he assured me that the truth would prevail.  My wife may have manipulated me in the past, getting me into debt that I never wanted, and… well, I won’t dwell on all that.  Joe assured me that with him on my team, she would not be able to manipulate the court.”

“How were the meetings with Shuff Law?” I asked.

Dominic actually laughed.  It was the sort of laugh of someone who is amazed that they are still amazed by something weeks or months after the fact.  “Joe’s brilliant!  He helped me dig up emails, texts, and all sorts of other evidence that I had forgotten ever existed.  It’s as if he knew my life better than I did.  He had this uncanny intuition of where I should look for things.  I guess he’s been doing this a long time.”

“How’d things turn out?” I asked.

“I was crying for weeks,” he replied.  I must have looked concerned, because he quickly added, “Tears of joy.  They were tears of joy.  I got custody of the kids.  I thought I’d never be a happy man again.  I’m so glad that I was wrong and Joe was right.”

Dominic encouraged me to recommend the Shuff law firm to everyone I know.  He said that Joe was the best divorce attorney Santa Ana had to offer.  

Having heard Joe’s story, I’m inclined to agree.  A man who can triumph over deception and defend truth and innocence is a hero in my book.

Shuff Law Firm

2107 N Broadway #301, Santa Ana, CA 92706

(714) 834-0175