Barton Michael Pokras

Hired Barton due to his reputation for collaborative divorce. However, when my ex retained a litigation oriented lawyer, I specifically asked him if he felt comfortable dealing with this. He bragged about how he has a reputation for being a tough in the court room when need be. Turned out he didn't k...now which way was up. Opposing counsel threatened to file a domestic violence restraining order and he immediately turned tail and ran. He told me I had no choice but to sign my wife's stipulations. Per Barton: during the restraining order hearing, I would have to testify thus incriminating myself for my criminal hearing. I found out later this was completely untrue. The family judge would not have forced me to incriminate myself, she would have just issued a temporary restraining order until after the criminal hearing, which was refused by the DA. Barton had NO CLUE that this is what should have been done, in spite of his bragging. Instead he strongly advised me to sign orders that put me at a severe, severe disadvantage from which I had to spend a lot of time and money to fight back from. When I pointed out my ex violated the very orders she had me sign, When Barton didn't want to make a big deal of it, he didn't want to "anger" opposing counsel! Really?!!? Only after arguing with him for 10 minutes he reluctantly agreed to write a letter to opposing counsel. After he notified me he sent it, he had the audacity to brag about how he is normally easy going except when his client's rights are being trampled! I couldn't believe he said that! It was at that point I decided to switch lawyers. The other big mistake he made was when I initially hired him, I instructed him I wanted to file for divorce while pursuing a collaborative divorce at the same time. Thus if the collaborative process failed the court process would have been started, "hope for the best, prepare for the worst." He advised against it because that would send a bad sign to the other side. He seems to be more worried about opposing counsel than his own clients! So when I did have to go to court to fight the orders to get my rights back and to start the divorce process, it was delayed due to the delay in starting the divorce process. If you're absolutely sure both sides are pursuing a collaborative divorce, then Barton might be for you. If there is any chance whatsoever that the divorce might become contentious, either stay away or switch lawyers immediately!

Words cannot express how tremendously grateful I am to Mr. Barton Pokras for his sincere compassion and legal guidance during the most challenging event in my life. Barton's level of expertise and professionalism went far beyond even my greatest expectations. Mr. Pokras is genuinely committed to hi...s clients while preserving the family bonds during the most difficult of divorces. Regardless of his busy schedule, I always felt that my case was the most important to him. He provided a support system while serving as a mentor, something unheard of in today's field of law. He could take mountains of information I gave him and present it to the courts in a concise and professional manner, which is probably why we never lost one single motion. Simply put, attorneys like Barton Pokras are truly and exceptionally rare and I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a strong and intelligent advocate for their corner.

Mr. Pokras was the 3rd attorney that represented me in a family court proceeding.. Words cannot express the gratitude that I have for both him, and his assistant Christine.. They both helped me achieve what I had been trying to accomplish with the other 2 attorneys I had previously had.. I k...now that all lawyers need to graduate from law school and then pass the bar in order to practice law, but that definitely doesn't mean that all attorneys are equal in their abilities.. Mr. Pokras is not only an amazing attorney, he is also an amazing person.. He listens to his clients, and doesn't make you feel like you are just another number.. He was always there when I needed to talk to him, and I never felt like I was bothering him.. He truly loves what he does, and because of that, he will fight for his clients every step of the way.. If I ever need a family attorney again, there would be no question as to who I would call.. Thank you Mr. Pokras..For everything you did for my family..

I found Barton after almost a decade of malicious "legal abuse" surrounding child custody and the failure of 6 other attorneys. Barton not only understood the psychopathology involved, he outsmarted it without resorting to underhanded tactics and was amazingly supportive as a human being. He un...derstands people, knows the law inside and out, and is tremendously well respected on the community. I recommend him without question.

Barton Pokras was the 5th family law attorney I had hired. He stood by me through a long and complicated trial and helped me to receive the exact custody and parenting plan I had been seeking. Following an extensive custodial evaluation which recommended a severe limitation on my parental rights, Mr.... Pokras was able to convince the court to grant me the equal co-parenting rights I had sought from the beginning. He was careful with expenses without compromising the level of service, which was better than what I had ever received from any other attorney. Mr. Pokras is an extremely intelligent man of true integrity. In a hard fought case it was always clear to me that the opposing counsel afforded him the greatest respect. He really listened to what I had to say, understood my deepest concerns, and wisely counseled me throughout. He has been absolutely wonderful to me and I can’t thank him enough. I highly recommend Barton Pokras to anyone in need of a great family law attorney.