Based on 5 reviews
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Posted by Jeff, a International Law client, Flag
Mr. Michael Manely and his law firm is the best law firm I have had the pleasure of working with. In my battle I have had to retain several lawyers and in my experience the Manely firm has been nothing but top notch!! I have read other reviews and I must say I have witnessed absolutely NOTHING that has been written negatively against him or his firm. Yes, I have spent a considerable amount of money but that is what you have to do to get the best representation. He by far, is worth every penny!! I have high praise for Mr. Manely and would recommend him to anyone that is seeking a great honest lawyer.
Posted by Scott, a Child Custody client, Flag
Unethical, dishonest, predatory, abusive and disrespectful. I could take the time to explain all that Mr Manely has done to send me into financial ruin and compromise what was almost an air-tight case, but I will save it for the State Bar. Let's just say I've been with this scumbag for over a year and have spent over $20k (I make less than 30k per year). He should be disbarred.
Posted by a Child Custody client, Flag
He told me he had lots of experience and described some of the cases he'd done. He promised he could get the kids back to the US. Great. What he didn't tell me was the once here, she would win custody and then leave anyway! I'd prefer if ALL the facts were presented rather than what I want to hear.
I had a consultation with another firm and they laid it out straight to me.
Lawyer’s Comment:
I have never had a case where I worked to have children returned to the United States and then lost custody. I am only aware of a client losing custody of children I successfully had returned to the United States after I was no longer serving as their counsel. That isn't to say, though, that this could never happen.
There are many factors judges rely on to make custody determinations and I never guarantee any parent they will win. I do, though, use 23 years of experience from hundreds of cases to determine in which situations winning custody is likely. In my experience, judges rarely reward parents who run with their children abroad and intentionally alienate the other parent. When it happens, there are often revelations about the parent seeking to have the children returned that evolve during the pursuit of the case that were not revealed initially.
Posted 6 months ago. Flag
Posted by a Divorce client, Flag
Don't believe the 'sales pitch'. The Manely firm is knowledgable in two things...divorce representation and how to extract the most money possible from you. They know you are vulnerable, scared, upset, etc and work that to their advantage. In my particular case, Manely always started negotiations with my ex's attorney in such a hole that he orchestrated that when he got more than he was trying to bargain for he would act as if it was a grand slam, but instead it was not even the basic child visitation that almost everyone gets. Needless to say that i wasted 6 months with him and my requests were never listed to or followed and after withdrawing from the attorney i was able to get much better child visitation on my own negotiations. I am now in the process of hiring a new attorney to finalize my divorce after one year. IN my experience this law firm is very unethical.
Lawyer’s Comment:
I and my firm are one of the few to offer free consultations. Our current up-front retainer is $3650 and the highest billable hour is mine at $325 an hour. I encourage potential clients to compare my years of experience, my firm's comprehensive staffing, and the percentage of cases focused on family law. It is apparent that my philosophy is to give the highest quality legal services at the lowest possible price. But, don't take my word for it. Shop around.
It is also important in family law to have realistic expectations. During our free consultations, I and my associates try hard to get potential clients to realize that results depend on the nature of the relationship between the parties. In my experience, though, few people who are inclined to work together to resolve problems quickly and easily get divorced. Therefore, it can often take months for parties to let go the emotional need to hurt the other. These and other emotional hurdles can cause cases to drag on for years. In the end, it takes two to reach an agreement.
Posted 6 months ago. Flag
Posted by Mike, a Divorce client, Flag
I worked with a Manely associate last summer who I had to release after nearly 3-months. When I sought assistance from Manely regarding billing, retrieving my records, especially my children's records, my emails, telephone calls were ignored. In the end, I spent over $9,000 and wasted time, having to hire a new attorney to start from the beginning. My new attorney advised me to write a certified letter to Manely to request my records, before resorting to the GA Bar. The letter was responded to 3-weeks later, denying that there were any records. I communicated that I was informed that there were records that remained.
To make a long story short, after approximately 7-months, I finally received all of my records. However, I had to invest quite a bit of time to produce these communications and respond to being ignored or denied, especially during a time when life was more than difficult going through a divorce.
Avoid this company - don't be fooled by the sales pitch.
Lawyer’s Comment:
Our firm has a policy of copying our clients on all documents as they are produced and received. In addition, every client is assigned a paralegal responsible for keeping their file and closing it for return to the client at the close of the client's case. Additionally, we have a client care coordinator whose job is to call client concerns to my attention, including failure to get records from closed files. Finally, all documents are also scanned and kept electronically, making retrieval instantaneous.
Posted 6 months ago. Flag
Lawyer’s Comment:
I am currently unaware of any complaint lodged with the State Bar, but welcome the opportunity to defend my and my firm's practice. At The Manely Firm, P.C., we are meticulous in record keeping and client communications, providing the highest quality service at the lowest possible price. In 23 years of practice, I have never been admonished in any way by The State Bar.
In addition, at The Manely Firm, P.C, we are one of the few firms I know who provides a client care coordinator. Her name is Martha Reilly and she is available to assist clients if they are unhappy with the work or any of our staff, including me. She provides an additional ear for listening to client concerns and voice to aid in articulating and explaining client frustration which can be intense for family law clients who are often battling the people they once loved most.
Posted 6 months ago. Flag