Michael Jay Upton

Hiring Attorney Michael J. Upton has been one of the most disappointing and unprofessional experiences I’ve ever had. I paid him $10,000 in late July 2025 for what he described as a “pre-warrant investigation.” He was involved for only about two months — from late July through early September 2025 — ...before I terminated his services due to lack of progress and professionalism. During that entire time, there was never a warrant, no arrest, no indictment, and no formal charge ever filed. Despite that, Mr. Upton has kept every dollar of the $10,000 I paid him. From the start, I struggled to get basic communication or updates. When I reached out for information, instead of professionalism, I received demeaning and disrespectful text messages. His tone was rude, condescending, and completely unprofessional — this occurred while he was still representing my son, simply because I was asking for updates. His messages felt bullying and dismissive, especially considering that we were a family under immense stress. When I later asked for a refund, he refused. He eventually offered a partial refund only if I agreed not to file a grievance or lawsuit — which I refused. His justification for keeping the money was that “anything could happen even five years down the line.” So apparently, he believes he can hold a client’s money indefinitely, even though my son has already met with law enforcement. Out of disbelief, I contacted the Alabama State Bar and obtained his official disciplinary record. The records confirm that Mr. Upton has multiple prior reprimands — both public and private — for professional misconduct, including issues involving client communication, excessive fees, and mishandling of client matters. These are official Bar documents, available to anyone who requests them directly from the Alabama State Bar. My experience mirrors the same pattern seen in those reprimands: poor communication, lack of accountability, and disregard for clients. I feel deceived, bullied, and completely disappointed. If you value honesty, transparency, and professionalism, I strongly urge you to look elsewhere. I regret ever trusting him with my family’s case, our money, or our peace of mind.

My son was arrested for a minor in possession of a fake ID in the fall of 2021. Will not go into details as to how bad and corrupt the TPD is. We hired Michael Upton to handle his case. Mr. Upton was responsive and to our knowledge handled the case ensuring the case would be expunged from his reco...rd and my son was even allowed to pay a charitable contribution to the court in order to avoid community service. A couple of fees were paid by my son directly to the court. Others including the attorney fee was paid by Venmo to Mr. Upton. Cased closed, all good.... so we thought. Fast forward to the summer of 2024. We received a letter from the court stating my son had failed to appear in court and assessed another fine of $1,190. My son appeared in court the two times he was advised to attend. My son paid the attorney to submit on his behalf. Now the court is stating my son has a warrant for his arrest in the state of Alabama. Of course, we paid the $1,190 to avoid an arrest. So my complaint is what happened to the money paid to Mr. Upton? Why is the court assessing additional money to be owed? Why is the court stating my son was never in court? IS the court system flawed, corrupt or correct and we had no knowledge provided by Mr. Upton? Did Mr. Upton make a mistake? Did he scam the money? We have called and texted Michael Upton several times without a response. Leads me to believe something is not right in this situation? how many other kids out there walking around with warrants without knowledge? You make your decision but what we thought was a pleasant experience turned out to be a disaster and the attorney was nowhere to be found. I do not normally right reviews but it went from a 5 to a 1. Disappointing no one will take accountability.

Mr. Upton is a true professional. He not only represents you well he exceeds what one would expect. He has excellent communication skills through the entire process. He is someone that keeps his client the top priority and as a result you end up with the best possible outcome and completely satisf...ied!

I received an open container ticket while visiting Tuscaloosa with some friends and since I live in Chicago I had no way to attend my court date. I got a call Sunday, the day before my hearing notifying me of my court date. I called Michael no more than 14 hours before my hearing and Michael handle...d my situation perfectly. He clearly explained me to my options and eventually got my case dismissed. I would definitely recommend Michael to anyone in need of legal help.

I hired this lawyer thinking he would be able to set a meeting with a law enforcement officer, not even to defend me in court. I paid him up front for three months as he required in good faith. He had three months to simply set up a meeting. After I paid his fee, I only heard from him two or three ti...mes during the three month period, despite my reaching out to him. Each time he told me he was planning to contact the officer the following week. I don't know if this ever happened or what ever happened as a matter of fact. DO NOT HIRE THIS LAWYER. He will take your money and you will never hear from him again. I have never been treated so poorly in any business situation before. If I could give zero stars I would.