James Michael Clay

Our lawyer James Michael clay,was a real professional, we went to him for help in adoption of our little boy, he was very clear in letting us know what we had to do in order for us to adopt our son, he was very upfront with everything,James Michael clay explain to us how much we had to pay and not a ...penny more, he was very reasonable with the payments, he explained the steps we needed to take to adopt our son, and he follow through with everything just like he said would happen, he never made us feel like we were alone in the adoption,and he was never far away from a phone call , we were always able to reach him when we needed him to explain paper work to us, he took the time to explain every step of the way , he made it happen for us , we adopted our son in a very timely manner, and for that we will always be grateful to him.

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 a...gainst 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 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.

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 discov...ery 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.