Michael Albert Hochwalt

After 37 years of marriage with "irreconcilable differences, values and choices," I was referred to Mike Hochwalt by a friend who had consulted with him regarding her own marriage. Possessing a PhD in Mental Health Counseling plus his law degree, he not only provided wise legal counsel, but he also... understood the dynamics in my marriage. From the moment I walked into his office, I felt safe, affirmed and respected, in the presence of a trusted counselor who just happened to also know the law. What a rare, valuable combination of knowledge, skills and insights! At our first meeting he provided me wise, compassionate counsel with no pressure, encouraging me to spend more time evaluating my own emotional needs, before I decided to proceed with a legal action. Definitely NOT what I expected from a divorce attorney! When I finally decided to move forward with a dissolution, Mike helped me draft the dissolution document, which we reviewed with my husband in a joint session. Although I was very apprehensive about that meeting I had nothing to fear. Mike developed instant rapport with my husband, which not only put him at ease but also eliminated stressful and expensive divorce proceedings. My dissolution is final now, and I am so very grateful that I was referred to Mike. He helped turn a potentially ugly, painful and expensive experience into a situation that not only preserved my emotional health (and finances!) but also helped preserve my relationship with my "ex" so that we are still on talking terms. I thank God for Mike and his capable, caring team! :)

Mr. Hochwalt was very knowledgeable in the area of family law with expertise in custody and military divorce. He answered all questions relating to the needs and best interest of children with disabilities in a divorce situation. He was compassionate, interested and respectful. I found his docto...rate in counseling a bonus in addition to his vast knowledge of the law. He went after my best interests financially where high dollar assets were involved. He was always prepared whether going to Court or an office meeting. He tries to reach amicable resolutions for the best interest of the parties and children and of course to save on legal fees, but was not afraid to take it to trial and fiercely fight for me. Mr. Hochwalt’s advice and ability to read people is flawless. Well worth it!

I wish I read and followed the advice of other reviews. All this lawyer does is engage in sideshows for his benefit to increase litigation costs. Otherwise shows up unprepared, disinterested, and has a knack for focusing on.non-legal issues. When you peel back the onion you’ll see he is not a legal p...rofessional and has a limited understanding of domestic relations law.. His advice is not rooted in case law. Therefore he simply tries to settle cases through agreements. He was more of an adversary than an ally that would go on frequent political rants. I also noticed he has a tendency to berate women’s authority in the profession. Luckily I fired him before any permanent damage to my divorce case. Once I did fire him, he engaged in bill padding attempting to double or triple my legal bill, yet never filed a single motion in my case. Charges were like $400 to review the Kelly Blue Value of two vehicles that he requested I send to him. If you are on the fense about hiring him, look at all the reviews carefully and you can see the character flaws come through.

We hired Mr. Hochwalt to handle a custody case, involving medical issues for children, technical expertise in regards to their diagnosis and care, and many personal attack issues. Immediately listened and answered questions, provided great advice and explanations of events that would occur, set us at... ease and even provided help for us personally to get through case and life! I've been through 3 custody battles from a previous marriage and our blended family and he is hands down the best attorney we ever had. In 20 years of in and out of court personally, I wish I would have met him at first and NEVER had anyone else! He's that good! I would have saved thousands and years of misery if I had him the first go around because he tells you exactly what can and can't be done, how the system works and what the truth is. If all lawyers were like him we wouldn't have an ethics problem in the legal system, a government that's a wreck and people fighting over kids like possessions because they would all be honest and straight up! Highly recommend and will never be persuaded otherwise.