Shelley W. Akamatsu

Shelley was recommended to me and I’m so THANKFUL I chose to go with her. From our first visit to our last she was informative and helpful, incredibly knowledgeable, experienced, dedicated to my case, quick to respond…an absolute pleasure to work with! She has extensive experience and knowledge ...of the laws and that was evident during the process. Not to mention her rates were incredibly competitive. I would recommend her 1000 times over to anyone going through a divorce and needing to be represented.

Shelley was an exceptional advocate who looked out for my best interests in an acrimonious divorce. Her explanations and counsel throughout the divorce process were clear, concise, and thoughtful. She set realistic expectations for me, and was good at keeping me informed at all times. I also found h...er rates to be very competitive, considering the amount of time and effort she put into my case. I highly recommend her for anyone looking for a well-informed and experienced divorce lawyer who wastes no time in getting things done as expected.

There are a thousand adjectives to describe Shelley, but these are some of the most apt. Experienced. She was an Ada County Prosecutor for 26 years, she knows our local court system, prosecutors, attorneys, and judges inside and out because she has worked with them for decades, and trained many o...f them. Caring. I was referred to Shelley by a friend who worked with her, after my wife was arrested for felony domestic violence against me, in the presence of our young son. At the time Shelley was quite busy and unsure she could take my case, but after hearing my story of abuse, she made the time. Even though her only duty to me was to represent me in my divorce, she attended every one of my wife's criminal hearings, sitting by my side, supporting me. When I poured my heart out to the court during my wife's sentencing, Shelley was there. When I needed advice, Shelley was there. No non-sense. Shelley gets straight to the point. She will tell you what you need to do, and what you need to hear, even if you may not be ready to hear it. She will call a spade a spade, and she will call BS when she sees it. You can trust her to give you excellent advice at all times. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not hiring Shelley, one of the second biggest is not taking her advice. An Incredible Value. Shelley's goal is to give you the best possible outcome for the lowest possible fees. She could easily charge twice what she does and be worth every penny. The Best. I had no idea how find a good attorney, and I am incredibly fortunate to have lucked into Shelley. While going through the process of my divorce I found myself talking to many people "in the system". They all confirmed what I suspected, Shelley is one of the best attorneys in the state of Idaho. Do yourself a favor, skip the big firms with all the advertising. You may get a good attorney, but more than likely you're going to get a junior associate, who charges more than Shelley, with far less experience, who is incentivized to drag out your case to pad their hours. Shelley is the real deal, you can't go wrong, and you won't regret hiring her.

Savvy, golden and knowledgeable are three words to sum up how great of an attorney Shelly is! I chose her because of her background in being a former prosecuting attorney. That experience alone shows that she can call “BS” on what is on the forefront in her cases. I gained an awesome attorney... in selecting Shelley and a “confidante” that is very genuine and precious and rare in today’s world! She represented me in a property divorce that was lengthy and helped me keep my home and retirement funds. When it came down to almost going to trial she pulled things out clearly and concisely showing that she was prepared to win at a trial against opposing counsel and it all settled out of court. Shelley cares and was driven to create positive results for me! As a client you can tell her you disagree or ask for find another way. She is straight up in saying if something is possible or not and if you are adamant about something she will work diligently to figure out a way to meet your needs. One day she worked all day on my case to rework everything/reinvent new possibilities and it was money well spent by me. She figured it all out and we made a great team! She is all about helping others and not the paycheck. Shelly was very honest and forthright in her billing to me and time spent on my case. I gained an awesome attorney in selecting Shelley and a “confidante” that is very genuine and precious and rare in today’s world! Hire her and no other for positive driven results!!!

I hired Shelley after finding myself in a very unfortunate circumstance when my ex husband suddenly became a non-functioning alcoholic. I had to protect my kids (15, 13, 6) as we shared 50/50 custody. Her empathy and wisdom at our very first meeting helped me make what was quite possibly the hardest ...decision of my life. As time went on, while seeing my kids’ dad make a pretty strong comeback, having her continue to support me with her knowledge and experience was invaluable. Now that our case is over, I know that what I did was right the thing to do, and I’m so very glad I hired Shelley. Through the whole process she was 100% professional, ethical, sound, and supportive. There was never a moment I wondered if I hired the right person, and I can not say the same thing about my divorce attorney who helped me with the initial custody arrangement. If you want an attorney that is mentally sharp and intelligent, full of experience and wisdom, is incredibly emotionally intelligent, will work their hardest for you and make you feel like you’re their only client, then you should definitely hire Shelley. She knows what she’s doing, and I promise that you’ll feel incredibly supported in the journey. Lastly, I want to add that she’s a great listener- she let me steer the ship the entire time, but was always there when I leaned on her for guidance. She never pressed her opinions on me, but her incredible wisdom was hard to ignore when I needed to make decisions. If I ever need an attorney again, it’s a no brainer that I would hire Shelley again . I ended with better results at the end of my case than I could have ever anticipated. Having her by my side through the whole process was honestly priceless.