Michael Eric Manely's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

3.3 /5.0

14 Client Reviews

Showing 11 - 14 of 14 reviews

Posted by Scott | October 02, 2012 | Ethics & Professional Responsibility

I Will Be Filing an Ethics Complaint with the State Bar

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.

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Michael Manely

Replied last November 27, 2012

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 by anonymous | September 22, 2011 | Child Custody

Hague Case - International Child Abduction

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.

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Michael Manely

Replied last November 27, 2012

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 by anonymous | July 18, 2011 | Divorce & Separation

Strung-a-long and charged, charged, charged

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.

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Michael Manely

Replied last November 27, 2012

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 by Mike | June 13, 2011 | Divorce & Separation

Ignored-Delayed-Charged-Charged-Charged

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.

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Michael Manely

Replied last November 28, 2012

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.

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Michael Eric Manely's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Michael

Dina Khismatulina

International law lawyer | Sep 18

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I’ve worked with Attorney Michael Manely for three years. He has been a great resource and educator. His passion for international law is the one we share; I have been fortunate to work closely with Michael on several international family law cases with much success."

Samantha McClinton

International law lawyer | Sep 13

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"I endorse this lawyer. You will not find anyone who is as well-versed or knowledgeable about international family law than Michael, from start to finish, and a consummate professional."

William King

Family lawyer | Sep 05

Relationship: Co-worker

"I endorse this lawyer. Mr. Manely is a mentor and fantastic teacher. It is incredible to watch him litigate and learn from the best. I would recommend him to anyone looking to resolve their family law issues. He is also well known for international work related to international child abductions."

Michael Lonati

Family lawyer | Feb 17

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Have known this attorney for years now and he truly cares about his clients in helping them with all their family matters."

Jennifer McCall

Family lawyer | Jan 21

Relationship: Co-worker

"I endorse this lawyer. I work for Mr. Manely. He is a wonderful mentor and an incredible lawyer. It is quite amazing to see him in court. He is very passionate about family law and there is no one who knows more about family law than he does. Who else has won unanimously before the United Supreme Court on a family law matter? I've worked closely with him on cases. He is very caring and very strategic."

Wayne Keaton

International law lawyer | Oct 14

Relationship: Friend

"I endorse this lawyer. I have known Michael for many years as a friend and colleague. After 15 years in private practice, I now have the pleasure of working for the Manely Firm, Michael has a keen sense of what matters and what does not matter in Family Law. He has successfully built a practice with five locations throughout Atlanta and Savannah by tirelessly working to achieve results that work for families not to score points as an attorney. He thinks outside the box and takes seriously his role as an attorney seeking justice for families. I highly recommend Michael."

Caitlin Herndon

Family lawyer | Oct 03

Relationship: Co-worker

"Without reservation, I endorse Michael. I have the distinct pleasure of receiving guidance from Michael, whose knowledge of family law is exceptional. He is a genuinely kind and caring person who works intelligently, strategically, and tirelessly to pursue the best possible outcome for his clients."

Wesley Wilson

Unknown lawyer | Oct 02

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"I've had the pleasure of being mentored by Michael. Working closely with him, I've seen first hand his true passion for the field of Family Law. With 24 years of experience, I am of the belief that you cannot find a better attorney in the Atlanta metro area to advocate on your behalf. He works closely with his client's to fully understand their wants and needs, and is able to effectively communicate those concerns to the court. I fully endorse Michael Manely."

Cherese Clark

International law lawyer | Oct 02

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"It is not everyday that an attorney gets to work with and be mentored by a U.S. Supreme Court winner. Watching Michael in action is like watching life being pumped into family law. His approach to cases is calculated and honest which distinguishes him from the many attorneys practicing in this area. He is great at his craft and has mastered the art of lawyering! I highly recommend Michael to handle any and all domestic and INTERNATIONAL family law matters."

David Purvis

Family lawyer | Oct 01

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"I have the distinct privilege of being mentored by Michael. I have seen first hand Michael's prowess in the courtroom and what truly sets Michael apart is his ability to absorb his client's case and translate the client's needs into something easily understood by the court. He understands the intricacies of family law at a level that very few do."

Lindsey Harrison

Family lawyer | Oct 01

Relationship: Co-worker

"I am proud to endorse Michael. He provides strategic, thoughtful representation to his clients while also striving to maintain a price point that remains affordable to most people. I feel fortunate to have the pleasure of working with him. His many years of experience provide him with a unique incite into the practice of family law and I am continually impressed by his calculated moves, both in setting a case up, during negotiations, and in the court room. His work on Chafin v. Chafin, which resulted in a unanimous United States Supreme Court victory, is simply one example of the extraordinary legal work that he does."

Kimberly Frye

Family lawyer | Aug 30

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Michael is a caring and compassionate family law attorney. He structures his office and practice to accommodate clients in crisis. He is well known not only here in Cobb County, GA, but across the US and the World for his expertise in international custody disputes. Having such a highly respected attorney handle your family law and custody situation is extremely helpful. You are in excellent and very caring hands with attorney Michael Manely."

John Smith

Family lawyer | Jan 31

Relationship: Co-worker

"Michael brings a level of international knowledge and expertise of not only the law but of many other subjects that gives an invaluable benefit to his clients. His professional integrity and pursuit of justice are unmatched. I certainly endorse this lawyer."

Anthony Zezima

International law lawyer | Jan 30

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. He has a great expertise in international family law issues, including recovering children from other countries."

Adam Sutton

Family lawyer | Dec 14

Relationship: Co-worker

"I endorse this lawyer. Michael is THE go-to person for custody disputes with international implications. In fact, he recently argued just such a case before the United States Supreme Court. Very few attorneys can claim such an honor, especially in the field of family law."