Michael Kevin Rathel

After choosing my exwife as my partner choosing him as my lawyer was the worst mistake of my life. I hired Michael Rathel. Flat rate for filing, flat rate for my exwife to respond. Total $7500. This was a long distance divorce and a case of parenting alienation. After I filed for divorce it took me ...more than 9 months to see my child. And more than a year to have him visiting me in my home town. He sent an associate to my deposition, another to my mediation and after he made me travel to Florida one day before the trial to meet with him to explain my case he cancelled the meeting. So he went to the court during the trial date unprepared and probably without even knowing my name. The opposing attorney aware of my attorney’s incompetence and disregard for the case took advantage of me. They were able to frame the alienation as abandonment. I am still paying the other lawyer attorney fees because he was not able to defend even that. (So I am paying more than I paid Mr. Rathel) My exwife violated the parenting plan claiming my child when it was not her turn in the taxes and his answer was go and see what you can do with the IRS. The child support was completely miscalculated. Multiple times I asked for the explanation on how it was computed. He never provide me with that information. He gave me all the other documents late too. I would know for example that my exwife had won the case because she was bragging about making me pay her attorney fees before my attorney had sent me the judge resolution. I received my final judgement roughly 3 weeks after it was given to him and it took me a week to get contact with him. It was too late to file an appeal. I went with another lawyer and computed the child support. He is impressed by the result of my case. My child support calculations include day care for a child that goes to school, my exwife’s but not my retirement mandatory fees are included, zero overnights for me (though he spends more than 80 nights a year with me). My exwife was able to modify the parenting plan as she wished because Mr Rathel would not contact me for the hearings. So he would probably just concede. I lost days with my son because she went to court ans ask for those days and he probably just conceded. Additionally, despite me providing him with all the checks of the money I had given to my exwife, the judge did not consider them because. I assume, Mr. Rathel, did not show them. So I have to pay inflated retroactive child support twice. He never answer calls. Now I need to hire another lawyer to solve whatever can be solved from the mess MR Rathel created in my life for his lack of professionalism. I am suspicious that he may have received money from the opposing side in order to screw me.

I called this attorney for my husband that was arrested for a criminal charge. This attorney is worse than public defense. Do yourself a favor and stay away! He was not helpful and would not give basic information. Thank God I fired this guy before moving forward to making the payment for remaining b...alance. If you are looking for someone that is good at their profession by performing honestly this is not the one. He was reprimanded before and all the negative reviews are listed for a reason. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and was BURNED!!!! Be careful.

When I was seeking help with my case, I was looking for an attorney that would help me every step of the way and give me advice. After all, the reason I needed help was so emotionally draining and intense, the reason you hire an attorney is to take as much of the weight off your shoulders as possibl...e right? All clients want to feel that their lawyers understand their interests, priorities, concerns and hopes. It really does not take much to engage around these issues or to explore, encourage, facilitate and develop ideas through conversation, by listening and validating your interpretation. Michael Rathel or should I call him Harry Houdini should be absolutely ashamed of his performance as an "attorney." To give him the title "attorney" should be an insult to the attorneys that actually care about their clients and give them the time of day. Rathel was paid and then quickly disappeared. I made the mistake of putting trust in the hands of someone I needed to be there during such an awful experience and he couldn't do the simplest of things, pick up the phone and ACT like he cared about my case. If you want to pay someone to do a disappearing act, this is your guy! If you want someone who you can trust, confide in, and that will be there every step of the way, I'm sure there are many other attorneys that are much more deserving of your hard earned money than this thief.

THIS WAS THE WORST EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER HAD WITH A LAWYER IN MY LIFE. I WENT INTO HIS OFFICE THE DAY AFTER MY EX-WIFE TOOK OUR SON AND RAN TO GA. I EXPLAINED TO RATHEL THAT THERE IS NO PROPERTY TO DIVIDE THE ONLY THING WE WOULD DISAGREE ON IS OUR 3 YR OLD SON. RATHEL TOLD ME NOT WORRY HE COULD HELP... ME. HE TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD BE $2500 TO RETAIN HIM. ONCE I PAID THE $2500 AND AFTER OUR FIRST HEARING THAT HE DID NOT EVEN ATTEND (SENT AN ASSOCIATE) HE CALLS ME AND SAYS I NEED YOU TO COME TO MY OFFICE WHEN I ARRIVE HE TELLS ME I DID NOT REALIZE THIS A CONTESTED DIVORCE IT WILL BE ANOTHER $2500. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO PAY HIM OR FIND AN HONEST LAWYER I WISH I HAD GOTTEN A NEW LAWYER I PAID THE ADDITIONAL $2500 AND STILL GOT SCREWD. HE WITHDREW FROM MY CASE LEAVING ME TO ATTEND THE MEDIATION BY MYSELF AND THEN I FOUND OUT THAT I HAD TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT AND BACK CHILD SUPPORT ALL THO WE HAD 50/50 PARENTING PALN AND I HAD TO PAY HER LAWYER. AVOID RATHEL AT ALL COST.

I hired this guy over a year ago for a simple uncontested divorce. After 10months he decided mediation was the answer. Another $2500. I gave $1000 with the remaining in 30days. Mr. Rathel decided he did not want to go to mediation and withdrew from the case before I could make final payment. He had... his phone person leave a message for me while I was working that he needed $1500. in 12hrs or he was withdrawing. Meanwhile he had already notified the wife's attorney that he withdrew from the "SIMPLE DIVORCE". This guy is the ultimate LOSER. He is an embarrassment to his children.