The Law Office of A Stephen Rocha, Esq

I chose to work with this company for a simple flat fee divorce, which was finally completed a couple of months ago, and it definitely could have been better. I would not use them again for anything. They never answer the phone, and if they do, the guy answering is completely rude and unprofessional (as you can also see from other reviews below)…I often got the response of, «who are you? «in a very rude tone. I returned a call from them as requested, and was left on hold for 15 minutes without any explanation or anything, I finally had to hangup so I could get back to work. They are only open 9 – 5 and not even a full day on Friday, so it’s impossible to get them on the phone. They are THE WORST. DON’T DO IT! They don’t care about you at all.

In the three years that I have been in the divorce process Mr. Rocha is my third attorney. I now wish I had found him first. Although he has a very direct and abrupt manner that could seem rude to those who don’t know him, its just not in his personality to sugar coat anything. He keeps it real. My previous attorneys were nice, but when we went into court they barely would say a word in my defense. Mr Rocha has spent a lot of time to become familiar with my complex and difficult case so he can best represent me against my narcissistic ex.

After some time has gone by and I don’t like leaving broken relationship ships broken. And even of they can’t be mended i will at least do my best in knowing I was at least fair. So in fairness. This attorney does have good qualities.. he is quick on his feet, knows the law, had a soft sppt for my kids (which was critically impprtant), tells it like it is, and can do battle with the most manipulative SOBS out there and come out on top. So in fairness perhaps I was too critical.

In 2014, Stephen Rocha’s Law office represented me in my male-​male divorce. I hired Mr. Rocha mainly because; based on reviews I had read about him, he was an aggressive practitioner of the law. What I didn’t expect was Mr. Rocha to go above and beyond in getting better understanding of gay marriage, and how he could get the best possible outcome in my case. He did research on other State with similar cases and compare with Law in California to see how to get the best possible outcome. I loved that he is straight forward and to the point. He will not «sugarcoat» things for you, and believe, this is what you need when you are going through a divorce. He will fight for you and represent you the best way he knows: professionally but yet aggressively. He also was professional on his fee and billing practices. I would recommend him without hesitation.

This man is amazing! He will fight right alongside you in any kind of divorce… He is knowledgeable, proactive and skilled at working with narcissism… If you are on the hunt for an attorney who will fight for YOU (and your kiddos), he should be your first choice!

The law office of Stephen Rocha delivered above my expectations in every way.
Recently Stephen Rocha’s Law office represented me in my divorce. If I had not used his office several years ago for a smaller matter, I think the reviews I saw on Unilocal may have dissuaded me from interviewing him for the job. I did interview him. I hired him. He was the correct choice.
I spoke with four attorneys including Mr. Rocha before hiring Stephen to handle my case. I hired Mr. Rocha for two reasons. I believed that he had a good understanding of divorce law in the state of California and would represent me well. I believed that he would work efficiently and bill me appropriately.
Personally, I have a thin skin, but the last thing I needed for this emotionally and financially painful life event was an expensive shoulder to cry on! What I wanted was a high degree of service, efficient use of billable hours, good counsel in my decision making, and an attorney that pursued what I felt were my interests. When occasionally my ego got hurt a little, I sucked it up and was happy I was getting honest counsel.
The law office of Stephen Rocha delivered above my expectations in every way. The service provided by Rocha’s office was outstanding. When extra work was needed for a document, or a quick turnover was important, Stephen responded fast to meet the needs of the case. I was kept in the loop in real time about all communications between my spouses attorney and Rocha’s law office. Emails were often responded to within minutes, if not, then almost always the same day. Phone calls I made to the office were usually picked up by Mr. Rocha himself, if not, then I got to his staff rather than an answering machine and he returned my phone call right away. I found it amazing how often I was able to get Mr. Rocha on the line to assist me immediately.
Clearly there are a lot of options out there, but if you are like me and you want fast, efficient, responsive, honest representation, I found it in the Law office of Stephen Rocha.
Ray Bean

I retained Rocha’s services and I wouldn’t recommend him to anyone. After 2−½ years and almost $ 8,000 in so-​called «services», he made no progress and actually put me in a worst position than when I started, I finally had to cut my losses and shake him loose. I went to his office to have him sign a release of attorney which would have taken him less than 10 seconds, instead he tells me he’s too busy and I can’t just come in to his office like that. What? I already paid the jerk almost $ 8,000 and now he doesn’t want me in his office because I’m trying to cut him off? He tells me that I should come back in three hours and then the jerk makes me wait in his sleazy office for another hour while I have to listen to him yelling at and belittling his office help before he would sign. Then he was making excuses like he needed to have two originals and it had to be typed and there couldn’t be any minor mistakes, blah, blah, blah… just trying to waste more time and inconvenience me. When Rocha finally signed the release of attorney, his parting words were a threat. This is the kind of lawyer this scumbag is — the kind that threatens you when you cut him off your credit card. You’ll make more progress working with the San Diego Child Support Office than working with Rocha. Rocha will only disrespect you and take your money and screw up your case. He is a miserable, toxic jerk that is more interested in your wallet than in helping you. After cutting him off and representing myself in court, the judge, the opposing attorney and the attorney for DCSS said they never saw a case as screwed up as mine and they were appalled that he dragged it on for 2−½ years. That is what he did with my money, he screwed up my case so bad it was disgusting and I lost thousands. The guy is pathetic and shouldn’t even call himself a lawyer. If you retain his services, be ready to deal with an immature ass that will have a hissy fit if he thinks you didn’t pay him even though you sent four emails giving him the information to charge the credit card. He might have a Better Business Bureau A+ rating, but all lawyers probably do because BBB does not take complaints for legal services. If you need family law help, do not waste your time with A Stephen Rocha Family Law in Mission Valley.

I don’t agree with the reviews below. I spoke with him twice, met with him today, and he was generous with his time. He’s no-​nonsense, period. He’s not going to coddle you, so if this is what you want, probably not your best bet. This is specifically why I will likely hire him.
Hiring a lawyer should not be based on personality but who is competent, confident and able to do what it takes to meet your objectives.
Join a support group to whine, but hire a shark to represent you when it involves what is most precious to you. I wish someone would have told me this a year ago.

Never have been treated this way! I was appalled.
I called to ask about his rates and he was very rude, interrupted me, didn’t let me explain myself and even when I tried telling him never mind I would call some else he said to go ahead and call someone who would tell me what I wanted to hear and take my money. I then tried explaining and he made me feel like i was committing a crime. I’m in law enforcement and dealing with my fiancés ex trying to take him for all he is worth and I was just calling for advice and how we can stop her. He has also been trying to get joint custody and he has been denied twice. This is her second time taking him back this year for money. I was calling for my fiancé because he works nights and I get told that he didn’t want to repeat it twice. Once I again tell him he has not been letting me talk he became hostile and hung up on me. When I plan on spending money and its a sensitive subject like this, you need someone who can listen and that is not him. I felt attacked from the moment I got on the phone with him. If he is suppose to be representing you, he needs to show a little respect and go after the other party not those that are trying to hire him.

I don’t typically leave reviews but I felt compelled in this case because I tooooootally disagree with the 1^st reviewer. I called for a free consultation just yesterday and I have an appointment setup to see him tomorrow. I was so impressed by his knowledge and approach! I just wish it wasn’t so expensive. But he is the 1^st attorney that I spoke with that seemed to be able to come up with a real plan of attack for my situation. That put me at ease.
With that said… I know what the 1^st reviewer is speaking of when she says he is «hostile». I can see how that could be interpreted. Because a couple of times he sorta got very direct with me. But I could tell that it was more passion than being rude. If you’re a very sensitive person then his style may bug you. But if you’re like me and you prefer to tell you like it is… with no sweetener. Then you should at least consider this attorney. He was very… blunt. direct and KNOWLEDGEABLE!!!
I’m looking forward to what he can do for me! I need his kind of help since my soon to be ex is a bully.