James Michael Clay

Mr. Clay assisted me greatly during my divorce. He was able to quickly familiarize himself with the specifics of my case and issues, and facilitate a smooth ending to my divorce while I was stationed overseas. If you are military and out of country, it can be easy to feel like the system is stacked against you. Mr. Clay knows the military system, and it was a huge help to feel like you have someone on your side. Thanks again sir.

Mr Clay was always helpful and most important available. He is extremely knowledgeable and always let me know what was going on and the steps he would be taking.

The experience I had with his firm was as smooth and painless as one could hope for. Always professional and punctual on all set deadlines. The price is competitive compared to other private firms out there and very easy to get a hold of any of the helpful staff in regards to questions which were answered with great haste. I continue to thank him for finalizing this unfortunate bump in the road so I can move on with my life.

Mr. Clay represented me exceptionally well over a 14 month custody modification process. I was pursuing custody modification on behalf of my 15 year old son against two women (my ex-wife and her attorney) who were absolutely unreasonable. We immediately won temporary orders after a failed attempt at mediation. This process was filled with challenges including my moving outside of the County, discovery, a Jury request, continuance of the jury trial and finally a successful final trial. Unfortunately, I have had the opportunity to work with multiple family lawyers in San Antonio over the last 14 years.. However, I was fortunate to find Mr. Clay and although I hope to never need a family law attorney again, if I do Michael will be my first and only call.. I will also say that after my experience with other attorneys over the years, Mr. Clay is the only one who billed me in a way that I felt was a more than fair manner.. Never once was I "nickle and dimed" and for that I'm very appreciative.

As a former military member, my custody and support challenges were complicated by short notice moves and an ex spouse who had long term anxiety and anger management issues. I had been forced to negotiate child support much lower than guidelines in order to move with my children and report to my new duty station on time. When my former spouse then also moved to a Texas few attorneys were even willing to work with me to try to figure out how to modify child support across three different states, and 5 years after I had agreed to compromise guideline support. In the meantime I was not only supporting 4 kids on my own, but was also giving my ex a significant portion of my military retirement check. I tried to work a modification through my own state's child support enforcement agency, and then the Texas Attorney General's office - both to no avail. (My ex refused to respond to their inquiries and they dropped the case saying there was nothing more they could do). I then had a friend who suggested her brother in law could give me advice. It took him 9 months to give me "advice" that I had already found online, and a surprise bill for $8000 (we never had any contract) which he "generously reduced to $2000" - and still nothing had been filed with the courts. When I found Mr Clay online I thought this was just one more attempt. Within two weeks of our initial conversation, he had filed a request for modification, and set a temporary orders hearing. It did take 5 months and two trips to Texas for me, but he managed to get the court to bring support up to the standard guidelines. He always responded to my inquiries VERY quickly, and never more than 24 hours later. He was more concerned with succeeding in my case than in earning a huge fee, and actually reduced his own fee in order to facilitate the final settlement. He was well regarded in the courtroom (by judges and staff alike) and always treated everyone (even my ex) with respect. Very competent and very professional for this sort of case!

I needed assistance for a divorce on a short turnaround since I was moving out of state. Mr. Clay set an appointment with me quickly. He helped me understand what steps I needed to take and what paperwork to complete. He communicated with me about what to do next when my ex-husband didn't show up for the hearing. He attended court a second time, at no additional charge, when I flew into Texas a few weeks later to attend the hearing myself. He treated me with respect. My only (minor) complaint was that he was not as prompt as I would have preferred; I am nervous and tend to arrive to events early, so I got a bit squirrely when he was held up in traffic.

I do not recommend J Michael Clay. Hired him to handle my divorce and paid him the $2,500 retainer. The divorce was becoming very messy. After a several weeks, it looked as if we'd need to go into discovery for financial reasons. Mr. Clay told me he'd require an additioinal $5,000 to cover the discovery process. Before giving him the additional money, I specifically asked for a detailed billing statement of services up to that point. He was obviously annoyed and said he'd get it to me at a later date. I didn't feel good about it, but gave him the additional $5,000 two days later. Days passed by and my wife still was not served with the discovery documents. I asked again and again as to the status and was given one excuse after another. I also never received the initial detaled billing statement I requested. During this time, my wife and I found a solid path for reconciliation! I contacted Mr. Clay a couple of months later to request a refund of the $5,000 I had given him. He said he'd get most of it out to me shortly. A day or so after that conversation, Mr. Clay calls me to inform me that he was mistaken and I would not be getting any money back. I contacted the Bexar County Dispute Resolution Center to hear my case. They've set up a time to have us both go in. In the interim, I've received a generic invoice from Mr. Clay. Just a quick glance shows he charged me over $4,200 for emails between him, myself and 17 emails to my wife's attorney. Many of the emails I sent were me feeding him information on tax filing that I researched MYSELF because he didn't know the info himself. He also had the audacity to charge me for preparation of a hearing date, setting the hearing with the district court cleark, and agreement to pass the hearing date. The only reason we needed to pass on that hearing is that he booked another hearing at a different court and didn't realize it until the day prior. Now he's charging me $500 for that!!! THESE ANTICS ARE THE VERY REASON WHY ATTORNEYS ARE DISLIKED. So my wife and I are doing great, but I'm now having to try to recoup several thousand dollars that we planned on funding a special vacation for us and our special needs children to celebrate our family reconciliation. I told that to Mr. Clay, but that also has fallen on deaf ears. Once again, I emphatically urge prospective clients to find someone else for their legal needs.