Ryan P. Sayler

I highly recommend Colgan & Associates, specifically my attorney Ryan Sayler , to anyone in need of legal representation for family law dependency matters.. Going through a dependency case can be overwhelming, stressful, and emotionally challenging, so having an attorney who can guide you through th...e process makes a significant difference. I appreciate the legal guidance, time, effort, and professionalism put into handling my case and helping me reach the best possible outcome. He doesn’t tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to hear and know. My questions and concerns were always answered. Thank you to everyone in the firm.

I hired Ryan Sayler to represent me in a custody matter, and unfortunately I ended up extremely disappointed with both the representation and the billing. After our August 19 court date, I repeatedly told Ryan that the written stipulation did not reflect what I understood I had agreed to in court.... I put my concerns in writing starting August 21 and continued trying to correct the issues. Instead of feeling like my attorney was advocating for what I had clearly communicated, I felt like I was constantly having to defend and re-explain my own position. One of the most frustrating parts was the cross talk between Ryan and opposing counsel regarding the stipulation. Language, dates, exchange arrangements, and other provisions were changed or discussed that I did not believe I had authorized. There were also communications with opposing counsel that I felt spoke negatively about me and my position, and I was then billed for those communications. At times, I felt like both attorneys were portraying me as the problem or as someone who kept changing her mind, despite the emails I had sent documenting my concerns and what I was actually requesting. Ryan eventually acknowledged that there may have been a misunderstanding and wrote to me, “If I misunderstood you at that time, I am sorry.” Unfortunately, by that point I had lost confidence in the representation. The billing was another major issue for me. Emails were billed at $35. That meant an email from me followed by even a very brief response could result in $70 in charges. I was billed for automatic out-of-office response informing me that Ryan was on vacation and when he would return. Meanwhile, the emails and discussions continued even after I expressed that we were getting nowhere and that I did not want to continue paying for pointless back-and-forth. I also questioned a $900 charge for one hour of drafting the custody stipulation when my invoice when his draft was done and sent to opposing counsel before it was even discussed. I had not even viewed the draft or approved of it and he had already sent it to opposing counsel. I formally requested an explanation and disputed fees that I believed resulted from addressing language or changes I had not authorized. Eventually Ryan suggested obtaining the court transcript, getting a second opinion, or changing representation. I ultimately asked him to withdraw because the trust between attorney and client was gone. Between August 17, 2026, and September 24, 2026, I paid approximately $4,800 in legal fees and was left with an additional balance of roughly $1,100, totaling nearly $5,900. After spending that amount in just over a month, I was left feeling that nothing in my case had actually been resolved. I am now in the position of having to start over and retain a new attorney, which means taking on even more legal expenses to address the same custody matter I originally hired Ryan to handle. Custody cases involve your child and decisions that can affect your family for years. I hired an attorney because I needed someone I could trust to listen to me, accurately communicate my position, advocate for what I was requesting, and be mindful that every unnecessary communication was costing me money. Unfortunately, that was not my experience with Ryan, and I would strongly encourage anyone hiring an attorney for a custody matter to carefully review their fee agreement, invoices, and every proposed agreement before signing anything.