Attorney Pesch was kind, understanding, and professional in guiding me to a convenient, high quality, and cost-effective solution for me and my foreign ex to divorce. Most importantly, it paved the way for me to remarry 18-months ago to my love of the past six years.
I am an American former service-member who has been living nearly continuously on overseas work assignments for 26 years. More than three years ago, I needed legal advice because my ex and I had separated many years before (now 10 years ago), but the country in which I was residing (Saudi Arabia) didn't yet have a system of divorce for expats like me and my ex.
My ex was an Australian who was by then working and residing in remote Papua New Guinea. With me having spent little time in the US recently, and with little time available to go to the US mainland for a complex and lengthy process, finding a convenient and cost-effective solution was a real draw to a Guamanian divorce.
The seven day residency requirement was convenient and pleasant. I recommend the Westin Hotel if you value a quiet place where you can comfortably find your zen, do some work, and sleep no matter what schedule your body clock or home time zone is still stuck on. I booked and stayed an extra night to avoid obsessing over the finer details of when exactly my flights were to arrive and depart (for the purpose of calculating whether I legally met the seven day requirement). Guam is a nice place, so if you have the time and budget, you won't regret an extra night or two.
I retained Attorney Pesch in mid-November. By the end of December we had drafted, sent, and signed most of the various documents amongst the parties. After that I traveled with my then fiancee (now current wife) from our home in the Middle East onward to a tour of Southeast Asian countries that lasted most of January. The snorkeling in Indonesia was excellent. Due to American visa restrictions, our hopes to snorkel Guam together were dashed, so I briefly left her with her family in the Philippines.
I arrived in Guam at the end of January. It’s best at this point to send Attorney Pesch a photo of your boarding card. Although he was amenable to meeting with me almost immediately, at my request we agreed that I should rest a few days. I located a specific rental car that I had wanted to try, had it detailed, found a laundromat, got some great Filipino food takeaway, grabbed a SIM card, checked in with family, and... rested.
Two days later I met with Attorney Pesch in the first week of February. After some formalities and paperwork in his office, and some pleasant chit chat, we were done. I departed Guam for the Philippines later that week. Again, I sent him a photo of my boarding card. My documents were filed with the Guam court the day after I left, which was the soonest possible under Guam law.
The court assigned a judge in mid-February. Four days later, I received an email that the hearing was scheduled for the 1st of March. On the day of the hearing, I received emails informing me that the judge had granted the divorce and that we were awaiting the final order. A week later, I received a scanned copy of the final decree signed by the judge, certified by the court clerk, and stamped as filed.
At this point hard copies would have already been on the way to me, but I opted for the international 'apostille' certification process (which I explain more about later in this review). I received apostilled hard copy documents at my home in Saudi Arabia on the 24th of March. It was at this point that I finally 'felt' that I was properly divorced, although in reality, the documents affirmed that the 'good deed of relief' had actually already been done on the 1st of March.
As far as speed of processing goes, I could easily imagine that the process could be faster if you didn't time it over the winter holidays (I did), if your ex wasn't on a remote island and needed to travel by air to reach a US Consulate to certify a signature on the documents (mine did), if you went straight to Guam as soon as the attorney is ready for you (I didn't), if you have no immediate need for an international apostille (I did), and aren't having the documents delivered outside the United States (I was).
In other words, many will be able to process faster than I did. On the other hand, I didn't divorce during a global pandemic, so I suppose I was very lucky in that regard. Overall, I felt the speed of processing of the Guamanian court system was very good and for Attorney Pesch and his office, excellent.
While writing this review, I took a look back at the email communications with Attorney Pesch. They were friendly, crisp, and accurate. Every time I sent a communication, I received a reply or confirmation (even when he was away from the office traveling in remote locations). If I became confused, Attorney Pesch helped me find my way back on point. Whenever an item was soon to be due from me, a reminder was sent at the appropriate time. This was especially helpful with easy to forget tasks (such as reminders to send copies of boarding cards to provide evidence that the 7-day rule was met).
The quality of the documents is good. The procedures and documentation are produced by American - Guamanian courts, using a system, manner, and form that feel familiar to all others that I experienced when I was living and working in America. In addition to producing documents easily recognized in American states and territories, I requested an optional step called 'apostille' to make it easier for my Guam documents to be recognized in other countries.
For a reasonable additional fee, Attorney Pesch obtained copies from the Guam Superior court that had been 'apostilled' in compliance with the international treaty often known as the "Apostille Convention." These copies come with extra certifying signatures, seals, and attachments, making them more easily usable in 120 other places. For example: in places such as my country of birth, The Bahamas; in the Middle Eastern island nation of Bahrain, where my current wife and I were married; and in my ex-wife's country of birth, Australia, it is relatively easy to use a document that has an "apostille" from any of the other 120 places.
At the time I was divorcing, I told Attorney Pesch that I was intending to marry a Philippine citizen. At that time, the Philippines wasn't a party to the Apostille Convention. He obtained 'red ribboned' copies with a Certificate of Authentication from the Philippine Consulate in Guam to help ease the transition to my future married life. I would imagine that these might no longer be needed because the Philippines joined the Apostille Convention on 14 May 2019. Nonetheless, it serves as a reminder of his attention to detail and thoughtfulness.
For various other countries that aren't party to the "Apostille Convention," including Canada, Saudi Arabia, and others, the government may accept the document after further review. This usually results in yet another certification being recorded. In the case of Saudi Arabia, you would generally need the document to be reviewed and certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be able to use it in a formal process in Saudi Arabia.
My employer is a Top 10 global company with lots of rules and a cadre of lawyers and compliance officers to make sure those rules are followed. It was mandatory for me to submit the documents to the Human Resources Department and to the Legal Department for a thorough review and government certification by the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs office. The marital status change then showed up on my pay statement with no issues.
The procedures to obtain my Guam USA divorce were straightforward and well communicated by Attorney Pesch. I just followed each instruction step-by-step. They are thorough, so don't expect a dodgy "quicky." The cost was comparable to (or less than) mainland US. It took significantly less time than mainland US, primarily due to the ability to mutually agree to eliminate some of the waiting times. The quality and acceptance of the documents by authorities and entities both domestic and foreign has been perfect.
Were there any gotchas? Not really. We needed to pause and do some thinking regarding the marital settlement agreement (the part where me and my ex arranged how to divvy up all the bits and pieces we had collected together). I think Guam courts generally don't like to get involved in certain things like complex pensions and retirement plans that are regulated in other places. You might not be able to just leave your pension or retirement funds 'hanging' waiting for them to get divided and paid out in the future. My understanding was Guam courts generally wanted a solution agreed to now in the present.
For a moment, I thought I might not be able to get a divorce in Guam. But, Attorney Pesch helped me arrange an agreement that provided some extra money and periodic fixed payments to my ex-wife to even things up in the short and mid-term. That left the complex bits to me, including waiting for retirement funds to eventually mature and payout in the long-term.
It was a good solution because I was busy with work and had sufficient short and mid-term income prospects. My ex preferred to receive her share sooner without the appreciation it might gain in the future. As long as we were both in agreement, it was likely to pass muster with the Guam courts (and it did).
So that was then. Fast forward to now: For me and my current wife, the security and peace of mind that comes with high-quality American adjudicated documents certifying my divorce (and thus affirming my legal right to marry my beloved) is priceless. And the cost wasn't out of the ordinary, even when accounting for the overseas travel to Guam. I know of others who have paid more for a mainland US divorce.
In summary, the experience with my Guam USA divorce handled by Attorney Pesch was excellent.
Saturday, February 6, 2021 - 2:08pm
Thank you Attorney Pesch, for taking on my case! I cannot be more grateful that I was recommended to you. Given the unique nature of my circumstances (including the fact I have to travel into Guam to fulfil the legal requirements), the fact I needed the procedures done during this trying time of covid; there were several uncertainties and challenges. Attorney Pesch was always responsive to my queries and reassuring about the course of action. I am truly humbled by the extent he went personally to make sure all was well for me when I arrived into Guam. I am immensely thankful for him and will highly recommend his professional service any time!
Tuesday, December 15, 2020 - 10:56am
Attorney Pesch provided excellent service on my divorce process. I would highly recommend him to my family and friends.
Sunday, October 4, 2020 - 7:45am
One of the great things about Attorney Pesch is his website. He provided extremely helpful information about guardianship. Scheduling an appointment was quick and easy. His administrative staff was extremely helpful and scheduled us for an appointment that same week I called. When we first met Attorney Pesch, he was very welcoming. He went over the law about Guardianship to make sure we all understood what it meant. He provided us options as well. What was more surprising was when he understood our financial situation, he went ahead anyway and prepared the paperwork, got on the phone with a non-profit, and gave us that option to use that non-profit's services. He was very straightforward about the fees (which is also on his website). There were no "hidden attorney fees", so we knew exactly how much it would cost to retain his services.
He walked us through the steps to include the court proceedings. He was able to help us get the guardianship within a weeks timeframe!
The process was extremely smooth and stress free. I would definitely recommend his services!
Sunday, August 23, 2020 - 11:10pm
We consulted Attorney Bill Pesch about adopting our daughter whom we had been granted guardianship while stationed on Guam. Since we were now living in the mainland U.S. he recommended that we retain an attorney in the U.S. and proceed with the adoption. His advice was excellent and as a result we successfully adopted our daughter. After the adoption, we needed to get a new birth certificate from Guam Vital Statistics. After months and months of multiple unsuccessful attempts on our own, we contacted and retained Attorney Bill Pesch to help us get the new birth certificate. Attorney Bill Pesch and his staff were super responsive and not only obtained the new birth certificate very quickly...he also made sure that the new birth certificate had the proper names and information. We can't say enough good things about the experience that we had with Attorney Bill Pesch. We HIGHLY recommend Attorney Bill Pesch!!!
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - 7:37am
We consulted Attorney Bill Pesch about adopting our daughter whom we had been granted guardianship while stationed on Guam. Since we were now living in the mainland U.S. he recommended that we retain an attorney in the U.S. and proceed with the adoption. His advice was excellent and as a result we successfully adopted our daughter. After the adoption, we needed to get a new birth certificate from Guam Vital Statistics. After months and months of multiple unsuccessful attempts on our own, we contacted and retained Attorney Bill Pesch to help us get the new birth certificate. Attorney Bill Pesch and his staff were super responsive and not only obtained the new birth certificate very quickly...he also made sure that the new birth certificate had the proper names and information. We can't say enough good things about the experience that we had with Attorney Bill Pesch. We HIGHLY recommend Attorney Bill Pesch!!!
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - 7:36am
I live on the East Coast of the U.S. and urgently needed to obtain my Guam birth certificate for a government job. I tried to go the cheap route and sent a request for my birth certificate to the Office of Vital statistics in Guam via USPS Priority Mail. Well, after a week of trying to track down my priority mail that I sent it appears the letter had gotten lost in the USPS system. Time was of the essence, so, I decided to reach out to Guam Family Law Office to see if they could help me. Mr. Pesch sent me some forms to sign and within 24-hours I had a copy of my birth certificate! Mr. Pesch is very trustworthy and the service was worth every penny. Thank you Guam Family Law Office!
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - 5:11am
After consulting with other law offices about my case, attorney Pesch had the most reasonable prices and was very proactive towards resolving my issue. He is very professional and strives to get the job done in a very timely manner, with consistent updates and clear guidelines as to what will happen next. 110% outstanding, will highly recommend to friends and family.
Friday, July 17, 2020 - 9:32pm
Attorney Pesch was helpful, optimistic and definitely informal. He always stayed in contact with me about my case, despite the pandemic going on. I am more than satisfied with the service Attorney Pesch provided.
Thursday, July 2, 2020 - 7:09pm
This was a difficult process and Mr. Pesch was informative, professional and cordial. When dropping off final documents, he spent some time talking with me (something I did not expect) and made the interaction and the process feel comfortable. Very professional and just a good person. That matters.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 7:47pm
