tl;dr Amazing all around. Hire them now. I’ll start off by saying I’ve been around the family law block, and handled the beginning part of my case after consulting with a few attorneys. The Curran Law Firm stood out, because they seemed to be supremely organized, and it was very obvious that Mic...haela knows her ish. Of all the lawyers I spoke with, she was the most versed in terms of Rules of Court, Rules of Evidence, and case law. She knew every single pertinent to my circumstances case law off the top of her head, and how to most effectively use it. She stood out. I eventually hired the Curran Law firm, and I was able to relax, knowing with full confidence I was in capable and competent hands. And was I ever. I won on every point except one. And won big. Michaela did such a phenomenal job managing expectations all around, and getting results, all while being humble enough (despite her 30+ years’ experience in many facets of law) to sit in on our newish judge’s courtroom to get a feel for her style. To boot, she has a fun engaging personality, which goes far when you a. have to hang out in court all day waiting for your turn and b. rely on impressions for favorable judgements. Every question and concern was answered promptly, and I was kept apprised of what was going on with my case from beginning to end. I would hire The Curran Law Firm again in half a second, and I would recommend them to anyone needing sensible, take no sh!t and get things done representation.

Michaela and especially Kelli Blackburn did a great job with my initial family case. I dont know what happened after that. My narcissistic ex wife pathologically lied for 8 years eventually leading to me being incarcerated for violating numerous false restraining orders trying to protect my child...ren .I was a highly respected special education teacher for over 24 years with a Masters degree in Early childhood special education. My ex wife made false allegations of abuse. I was eventually jailed for 8 months and lost my teaching Credential after 24 years of helping children. Michaela charged me twice what her initial retainer was She never came to see me once to discuss my case, never gave me my discovery even though I requested it multiple times, and never set up a private line to discuss my case that she said she would do multiple times. I ended up spending 8 months in Vista county jail. She had me plead guilty to a charge I never committed even though I gave her ample evidence to contest the ridiculous charge. She lost valuable evidence I gave her and never even looked at my discovery to prepare any kind of defense. The notebook of evidence I gave her took months to put together and she didnt use it and then she lost it. I finally got my discovery and was in shock. My case was so easy to defend and she did absolutely nothing except encpirahe me to plead to a horrible deal offered by the DA. She charged me $10,000 to do absolutely nothing and letting me spend more time in jail when I should have never been there in the first place. After I got out she said she would file a motion to see my children in 6 months. The. she changed it to after I finished the court ordered classes and conditions. I completed everything thing she asked and she still didnt file a motion for family court. She finally filed a motion for family court. One day before my court date she obtained a 2 month continuance without my permission. I was devastated. She said she needed to prepare better for my case. That never happened. She sent me into family court with a claw clerk that couldn't even represent me. Right before my case was called another attorney came. The lawyer knew nothing about my complex case and just sat there. Now I have to wait another 8 months to request visitation with the kids I have not seen in 2 years. Kids that love their dad more than anything. I have made numerous requests for her to return my notebook of vital and crucial evidence but she lost it I highly recommend you find another attorney.

If you are looking for a family attorney... I know that you are feeling overwhelmed, emotional and do not know where to begin. In our case, Michaela was the second and final attorney. In a perfect world she would have been our first. Michaela is a straight shooter. She is highly motivated attorn...ey with the experience and professionalism you need as representation in Family Court. Everyone on her team was equally committed to our case and our goals for the case. Michaela is realistic. She knows the law. She knows the judges. And, she is very strategic when planning out your case. Without getting into the dirty details of our case, we had an incredibly litigious Custody Case against a complete Narcissist. The case took two years to get to trial. There were bumps in the road (COVID court closures and continuances by opposing counsel for non-sense) and at least 30 or so different motions. All this was meant to increase the cost of litigation and prompted by the opposition. 90% of this was prior to hiring Michaela. Michaela never would have let it get out of hand as it did as she reviewed the history of our case. But, she swung it out of the park come trial for us. As I mentioned, Michaela was our second attorney. Had she been our first, I am certain that the duration would have been cut in half (at least). She doesn't mess around. She knows what she's doing and it's up to you to trust her. Thank God we did. She is ethical and personally involved in all of the details, and that was very important to us since this was our little person's future at stake. I wish you luck if you're reading this. Buckle up and retain Michaela Curran & her team, because it is going to be a bumpy ride... especially in the SD Court System. Good luck to you.