Otterbacher, Norris & Eldred, LLC - Valparaiso, Indiana

Wanda F.

She was my attorney ( during a very bad divorce!) Thank GOD I listened to her .
She is very upfront and honest !
You will not be disappointed.
David Hatfield

Rachel C.

I would rather give Christine Otterbacher 0 stars, but then I couldn’t make this review. She was a court appointed GAL for my girls back in 2014. We had a high conflict case where there were allegations on both sides. She did not get character testimonies on both sides. Mainly talked to the other side of the family. Billed us for that. Fabricated her letter of recommendation to allude that I didn’t have the safety measures in place such as gates, that she literally had to walk over. Did not look at the therapy records, only asked her opinion (which later, the courts did not like). When I told her that my ex husband had threatened to strangle me, she felt that was a valid response after the allegations. She never took me seriously even though I was always trying to work with him and his side of the family. Today, I haven’t seen my girls in 4 years and his side of the family hasn’t seen them since 2017. I’m trying to find a way to clean up this mess and it’s perfectly disgusting that GAL’s that only care about money get to be who is suppose to protect our kids. At one point I was gifted my ex husband’s mother’s attorney for her grandparents rights case because she could not get the court to entertain her case and she is grieving just as much as I. She was on his side then, but now much of his family is on mine. Why didn’t you do your job? These are children’s lives and it was on their early development. I’m sorry for anyone who gets appointed this attorney to be their kids GAL. Do better.

Todd G.

I highly recommend hiring Christine Otterbacher as your family law attorney. She’s professional, honest and truly fights for her clients rights. She’s quick to respond to emails and/or phone calls, usually by the next day. She handled every possible situation quickly, calmly and effectively. She continues to represent me as my family law attorney and I cannot express enough the satisfaction and gratitude I have for the job she has done and continues to do.

Joe D.

Attorney Christine Otterbacher was and continues to be a great lawyer. She is very professional, yet personable. Always responds to emails and phone calls in a timely manner. She listened to my needs, wants, and concerns with great interest and respected them. She truly goes above and beyond for her clients. She fought for my rights and got me everything I wanted and more. She is an outstanding lawyer and person and I could not have asked for a better person to help represent me. If anyone needs an attorney, I strongly recommend contacting her ASAP.

Rachael D.

I have had Christine as my lawyer for almost a decade now. While I don't love that some issues are ongoing, that’s more because of things continuing to happen as opposed to Christine not representing. She has done a great job in getting things filed and continues to go to bat for my daughter and I. I have had a few issues over the years but again I think that’s based on a few different factors going into play. Overall Christine has been a good lawyer and continues to fight for my daughter. She also is very accessible and gives thoughtful reasoning behind her decisions (even if I don't like them). She works with me financially and pushes for decisions in and out of court based on bettering the coparenting situation. If you need an attorney to handle a difficult situation or have issues that are not black and white I would recommend Christine. She continues to prove she has what it takes to thoughtfully and passionately represent you.

Jen H.

My lawyer recommended hiring Mrs Otterbacher as a GAL for my teenager after I brought my daughter home from the hospital for mental health issues. This is my youngest of 3 kids with my exhusband. I previously won full physical custody of my middle child who also experienced a mental health issue from years of verbal/ emotional abuse from my ex husband. At the time that we hired Christine Otterbacher, I had quit 2 of the 3 jobs I worked to make ends meet as a single mom to be able to be with and care for my youngest daughter. I did not have money to waste but my daughter's well being was the most important thing. I could write a lot about her misconduct. But ultimately, my exhusband wore Christine Otterbacher down with emails and complaints and she refused to investigate the "he said/ she said" issues on behalf of my daughter. Our older children were both adults and she would not speak with them to find out the mistreatment they had received and witnessed. Christine was so in favor of the father in fact that our paperwork even states that "Mom will pack food for the child..." on her every other weekend visits with her dad. He was already not paying child support for half the year and then he wasn't even required to FEED his child. Christine also allowed my exhusband to plan his vacations on my scheduled holidays. I NEVER once took holidays or birthdays away from my exhusband but he was able to walk all over and interfere with my share of events. My daughter has encouraged me to file complaints about Mrs. Otterbacher stating that she not an advocate for the child. It's very discouraging that someone would take thousands of my hard earned dollars to not do her job and speak with witnesses to help a child.

Megan C.

Let me start off by saying this woman is not a fair person and should not be working for the courts... In our case, the judge agreed... Personally I feel she did not take me seriously and when I asked questions about rewards and punishment she used it against me in court saying I wanted to be a friend and not a Mom... Christine Otterbacher is very judgemental... She is very "Pro Dad" which is FANTASTIC, however she let's her pro dad vision cloud her judgement... She advocated for my daughter to be placed with her father but never saw his home, never met with him in person, and she agreed w/the dad that it was ok for a young lady (11) and a young boy (9) to share a bedroom AS WELL AS A BED!!! That alone would be a huge red flag for ANY parent... She makes quick judgements about who she does and does not like... She seems very biased in my opinion... Her condescending tone and attitude is very apparent from the moment you meet her... I fear for anyone who has her as their GAL (request change if possible)...

**Update**
My daughter is graduating this year with honors.. 4.0 GPA.. 2 offers to College.. And her biological father hasn't spoken to her in 4 years.. I couldn't imagine where she would be if the judge agreed with Christine Otterbacher.. Scary thought

Carol W.

Ruth Norris is awesome! Shes always there to help us through any situation. We would recommend her firm to anyone in need