Michael Eli Bryant

He got done what needed to be done. But didn’t feel like he truly fought for me and cared about my case. I chose Michael for the amazing reviews and I used every penny I had to hire him to get the best outcome that wasn’t the case. I ended up compromising on everything. Just wasn’t what I was hoping... for.

Michael is a cookie-cutter lawyer. If you’re a father staring down the barrel (figuratively), I would avoid him. Before retaining Michael, he told me that he was confident he could get my CSEA-recommended child support order down. However, during the case (after retaining him), he switched the narrat...ive and wanted me to take the offer from CSEA, a sixfold increase from my previous court order. This was extremely upsetting, especially after I had already paid his retainer fee of $2,500. I have my kids 50% of the time. I take them to school, doctor appointments, and extracurricular activities—I truly have half the responsibility. My original order (at the time of divorce) was based on shaky reasoning. But as I stated, Michael wanted me to give in at every turn, as so many lawyers before him had done. This is what landed me in a bad custody/child support situation to begin with. The positives of retaining him: He submitted papers and got me in front of a judge so that I could mildly argue my case. However, Michael did not want to make the slightest arguments for a father who literally has 50/50 time and expense share; he didn’t even prepare me on how the meeting in front of the judge would go during an objection hearing to the CSA’s ruling. I felt like I was walking into the lion’s den. But even worse, because I was led in by my lawyer, blindfolded. He didn’t coach me on anything. Having this knowledge would have been pivotal. But even after he failed to prepare me, I received a reasonable outcome: a 50% deviation from my order. Of course, Mom appealed the judge’s decision. I felt that this was a moment to push forward with my own objection because Mom’s contest highlighted greed, not need. The best interest for my kids has never been to give extra monies to their mother (sadly). But Michael was still afraid to push. I was not even made aware of the judge’s decision or Mom’s objection until almost five weeks after both had been submitted.  After I was finally made aware, Michael submitted a response on my behalf (which I did not agree to), only to recuse himself from the case afterward (which may have been illegal?). This could’ve been a monumental case for fathers in Ohio. Unfortunately, we will never win because lawyers like Michael are too afraid to use their knowledge, voice, and influence. Stay away from him.

Michael was professional, knowledgeable, and so easy to work with on my divorce. He definitely knew what he was doing and was very easy to get ahold of with questions, etc. He returned calls and emails very promptly. Michael was kind but told it like it is, which is definitely something you want ...out of lawyer. He doesn't waste your time which in return doesn't waste your money, which is a great attribute to have in such a great lawyer that gets the job done!

Michael helped us negotiate a settlement on my husband's spousal support. The judgment decree was terribly written and left my husband with little protection and a support commitment with no ending. We'd spoken to a number of other attorney s about it and each told us we'd have a long and expensive ...court battle. When we spoke with Michael, we felt like getting my husband our of his "never ending" $2500 a month spousal support commitment was actually managable. So we proceeded. Michael was responsive, innovative, and took our desires seriously. Also, and most surprisingly, he didn't pad his hours! About mid-engagment I reached out to see if he needed us to make another payment to our retainer. He did not. Imagine my suprise when at the end of our engagement, we had nearly 50% of our retainer returned to us! While his hourly rate was the same as our other attorneys, his billing practices were far from the same. He did not nickle-and-dimed us, even when I practically invited him to by offering him more money mid-case. After years of getting crappy results from expensive attorneys who did not do what they said they would do, we finally have closure to this situation. No long expensive court case. No 12th hour negotiations where we were pressured to compromise our goals. No cow-towing or assuming we had to kiss a bunch of butt to get scraps from the other side. It was like winning the lotto. Beyond his professionalism, Michael was a joy to work with. He's a straight shooter and has a great sense of humor. He kept us informed at all times and was always quick to respond when we reached out. We now live in Michigan and Michael is in Ohio, where the divorce case was registered. If I lived in Ohio and had another need for legal support, I'd work with him again in a minute.

Very knowledgeable, agreeable, and effective. He laid out a plan for my case, provided me with important information to help me move my case quickly, and was available to answer my questions as they came along. I got what I paid for, which was very reasonable. No hassles, no foot dragging, and n...o confusion. Definitely worth it for the peace of mind alone. He is an excellent attorney.