Michael Joseph Haskell

I retained Mike for 5K. He promptly let his paralegal go and never hired another. When contacted, Mike was often out of state, in CA, or working on other cases. I believe Mike was overwhelmed with handling all the duties normally done by a paralegal, in addition to his regular work. Mike filed ...no documents with the court on my behalf. Not one. All I needed was for him to file a contempt motion against the mother of my child, and then represent me in court. Mike neglected to file a change of attorney form, though I asked him to do so. I believe this was intentional. Mike assured me that 5K would be sufficient to file a motion, and appear on my behalf. It took Mike over a month to review the documents with which I supplied him. I have documentation that proves this.. I communicated with Mike for 5 months about relevant developments pertaining to my case. After 5 months without any motions filed, I finally asked how much of my retainer was left. Mike replied with an email showing that the initial 5K retainer was spent, and I now owed over $4000 for "all the communication", in addition to the retainer amount. Mike explained that he was charging me a total of over $9,000 for "reading emails", reading other "documents pertaining to my case", 'talking to 'experts'', and "doing research" over 5 months of time. In order for him to file a motion and appear, I was told by Mike he would need another $5,000. In total, Mike was requiring close to $15,000 to do what he assured me he would accomplish for $5,000 in our initial meeting. I attempted to reason with him saying "if he had acted on my behalf sooner, there would not have been an opportunity for all the communication for which I was charged". Mike became very defensive and adversarial in his communication when I imparted this to him. I spent significant time directing Mike to documents at his request. These documents had already been given to him in the form of a thumb drive, and in the form of a binder complete with a table of contents, so any document could be easily found. Nevertheless, I was charged for Mike to make these requests, and charged for my responses to these requests, though Mike should have been able to find any of the requested document easily, as he had them in both digital and paper form. I wasted a few weeks contacting experts, under Mike's direction, that Mike seemed to be unfamiliar with, as they could not do the type of evaluations Mike insisted that I needed. I was charged for corresponding with Mike when following up with him to tell him the experts I was directed to, by him, could not do what Mike was asking. I felt that during the few telephone conversations we had, Mike kept me on the phone longer than was necessary, regardless of my attempts to shorten the conversation, in order to run the clock. When I finally begged Mike to file a motion and appear in court on my behalf, he insisted that I allow him to put a lien on my house and implied he would do nothing for me if I did not. He then quickly became adversarial in his correspondence when I refused to put a lien on my house. I finally severed the attorney client relationship, secured another attorney, and had a court date within a month. I paid under 7K for TWO appearances with another attorney, rather than 15K, with Mike, for one appearance.

In May of 2013 Mike Haskell was recommended to me through a friend. I previously had a consultation with another attorney regarding my decision to file for Divorce and Custody of my son. Let me say that from my first conversation with Mike I knew he was different and the right person to represent my ...son and I. Working with Mike for months I never thought he didn't have everything under control. I never felt misled or never got the feeling he was in it for the money. Through these months there were things that came up and Mike was quick and ready to act. On most occasions he knew what was coming before the defense did. Mike was always 100% honest. He would answer all questions honestly no matter if it was good or bad and explain everything top to bottom. The most important thing of all is that Mike was always inclined to do what was right for my son. If you want an attorney with outstanding communication skills, judgment, interpersonal skills, analytical skills, and perseverance you have come to the right man. Hire Mike, sit back, and watch a MASTER at his craft.

As an unmarried birthfather dealing with the fraudulent adoption/abduction of my child and a favorable appellate decision (finally!) 2+ years after my daughter's birth, I didn't know what to expect, what to do next, or where to turn. I was literally at my wit's end. I had dealt with the unethical "a...doptive parties" and was very much aware that they would stop at nothing in their quest to steal my daughter. I had already gone through a number of "lukewarm" trial attorneys that ultimately failed to establish my parental rights - even with the documented evidence that the "potential adoptive parties" knew (before birth) that I would never consent to adoption, had legally come forward (again, before my child's birth) as her father ("Kelsey S." status established), and most importantly, that I wanted to raise my own child. Neither they or the courts cared - the "adoptive parents" took my daughter directly from the hospital with only the birthmother's consent and tried everything under the sun in their attempts to call her their own. I had visitation for a while, but that small comfort was also stripped away from me for the year that it took the appellate decision to come down. Okay, I told myself , I have a strong appellate decision. My daughter is no longer even eligible for adoption - but I knew full well that the now "failed adoptive party" would continue to wage their war for custody...one way or another. Enter Mike - and not a moment too soon. He immediately comes to the rescue when the other side tries to file for guardianship of my daughter and sends a " guardianship investigator" unannounced to my former residence a mere three hours after I was served. Legal documents start flying, court hearings are held. Simply put, Mike Haskell has done more for my daughter and myself in three months than anyone else did in the previous two years. Mike's legal knowledge and "take-no-prisoners" approach to folks that think that it is okay to deceive the court continues to pay off. I currently have visitation and have re-bonded with my child after a year of having absolutely no contact with her...undoubtedly over the objections of the failed adoptive party. This is just the beginning. Mike is not afraid to fight for what is right. He's not here to make friends with the legal community or to make deals with them. In my case, my child was taken from me without my consent and he will not let this travesty stand. Bottom line - if you find yourself in a daunting situation that requires an attorney with knowledge, compassion, and an understanding of the broken family court system, stop what you are doing and call Mike Haskell. Now.

As a father involved with the fraudulent adoption/abduction of his child and eventual appellate court decision reinstating his parental rights, I was at my wit's end as to what to do next. This 2.5 year battle continued to rage thanks to my prior trial court attorneys and the unethical actions ...of the failed adoptive party - including their documented knowledge that I never consented to adoption and I wanted to raise my child myself. Enter Mike. He has accomplished more for myself and my child in a mere four MONTHS than any of my previous attorneys did over the long and drawn-out course of this case. I could have never imagined the headway that Mike has made so far. I now have re-established my parental bond with my daughter via visitation after over a year of not seeing her - and this is only the beginning. I have never known another man, attorney, or father such as Mike. He is brilliant in his legal knowledge, style, and compassion and has no fear of fighting a system that is utterly broken. Here's the bottom line - I'm not going to sugar-coat it. You need a darn good attorney? I know this from my own case - this man will stand his ground and will find a way to succeed no matter what the opposing party tries to muster up. If anyone is ever in the situation that you need an attorney that will no-holds-barred fight for what is right - stop what you are doing, don't waste any more time, and contact Mr. Michael Haskell.

As the father of a child that the system allowed the mother to kill, in an alcoholic state that should not have been allowed, I was lost. My divorce was horrible due to my ex wife's extreme narcissm and parental alienation. Her lies, falsehoods and allegations forced me to appear in court sometimes a...s often as 5-6 times in one month. After she killed my daughter, the only thought I had was how to protect our remaining daughter and help her through all she experienced (she was almost killed, too). Enter Mike Haskell. He was referred to me by a few friends that had very little in common. They all knew Mike as an attorney that is fair, honest, but does not play the games that so many other attorneys play. He wants and strives for what is right. Almost four months later, and with an ex wife still battling custody from jail, Mike has made our lives more than bearable. His focus is not on what happened, not on my feelings, not on settling property, but on my daughter. A five year old is safe now and with her father, where she belongs because of Mr. Mike Haskell. He prepares the briefs, keeps me involved every step of the way, removes emotions from my statements and ensures everything is done 100% correct. Best of all, Mike Haskell does not worry about hurting the other attorney's feelings. He is in it for what is right. He is not looking to "have a beer and be friends after the hearing" like other attorneys I've dealt with. As my case progresses, the custody is awarded, my daughter and I are allowed once more to be left alone and be a family and we move into wrogful death suits, I will continue to employ Mike Haskell. He is the only attorney I believe I could ever fully trust. I trust him with my daughter's safety and well being.