Michael James Kalanta

Michael James Kalanta

4.6
Rating: 8.2

Licensed for 15 years

Family Lawyer at Modesto, CA
Practice Areas: Family

Centre Plaza Office Tower, 1150 9th Street, Suite 1410, Modesto, CA

About Michael

Practice Areas

1

Practice Area

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in California for 15 years

State: California

Acquired: 2010

Active

No misconduct found

Location

The Kalanta Law Office

Centre Plaza Office Tower, 1150 9th Street, Suite 1410, Modesto, CA, 95354-0840

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Michael James Kalanta's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.6 /5.0

43 Client Reviews

Showing 1 - 5 of 38 reviews | 5 stars

Posted by Derek | November 27, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Lawsuits & Disputes

Performance, Excellence, and Amiability

Michael and his staff were absolutely phenomenal in every way. Both Michael and his staff were helpful, professional, focused, personable, and above all, honest. Their expertise is worth every dime. I would prefer not to be in a situation where I would need to seek legal counsel, but should I ever fi...nd myself in that position again I would not hesitate to call Michael and his team. I owe an enormous thanks to Michael, Alex, and Erin for all of their excellent work on my case.

Posted by Ben | September 21, 2022 | Hired Attorney | Family

The attorney who cares!

What can I say about Michael that hasn’t already been said. He’s extremely compassionate, fair, and caring. He goes above and beyond for his clients, and gets the results you deserve. Michael takes the time to really help you be at ease during even the most stressful situations and takes the time to ...advise you as much as possible. My case was all over the place, but in the end, I got the results I wanted, and as a dad, I can’t stress how important it is to have someone so competent and knowledgeable in your corner! If you want the best attorney, look no further. I highly recommend Mr. Kalanta to anyone in search of a professional and great family law attorney.

Posted by Angela | May 09, 2022 | Hired Attorney | Family

A true master of his craft.

I have been dealing with a very troubling family situation and was nervous about involving an attorney at first. But, I must say Michael Kalanta and his prodigious staff were absolutely lovely to work with, they resolved the matter seemlessly with their expertise and dedication. What I had thought wo...uld be a grueling process turned out to be a very pleasant experience thanks to The Kalanta Law Office. Michael is truly passionate about providing the highest caliber legal care with unrivaled attentiveness and unequivocal professionalism. Thank you so very much Michael!

Posted by A.H. | March 22, 2022 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

Advocate for Children

I don’t recall ever posting a review of a service or business before, however, I feel compelled to write this review for two reasons: encouragement and gratitude. The first and most important is out of obligation to encourage anyone who may be in a situation like I was, secretly reviewing attorneys ...and wondering if any can be trusted with their future and the safety of their family. I encourage anyone who has lost faith in the judicial system, anyone who feels that it would be unsafe to continue in their current situation yet fears putting the fate of their children in the hands of the California Court system to reach out to Michael and his team. Michael was dedicated to me and fought for my daughter’s best interest. I never struggled to reach Michael and often found him responding to emailed questions in the wee hours of the morning or even on weekends. He even answered his cell phone on Christmas morning and intervened in a custody issue with Christmas visitation protocol. Be aware, Mike will not put on a TV show appearance of shouting and banging his fist on the table in court- if you’re looking for a show and empty promises that you’ll get full custody and every penny you’ve ever made- go elsewhere and you’ll likely be disappointed in your outcome. What you will find in Michael is someone who burns the midnight oil on your behalf. In court he is calm, cool and collected. On multiple occasions, I was impressed to hear opposing counsel rant and rave out of emotion and then listen to Michael speak confidently and instantaneously cite memorized portions of the law and case examples to refute. His style always seemed to gain favor with the Judge and resulted in a positive outcome for my daughter and me. Michael is a leader who has surrounded himself with an office team that communicates and shows the same dedication to clients. All team members knew my case intimately and made me feel important every time I called or came in for an appointment. The second reason I write this review is out of gratitude to Michael and his team. I told him my top two priorities on my first visit and he delivered 100%. My case was a marathon and not a sprint. It was a process, but the end results were worth every moment and penny invested. His team was thorough and well prepared. I never experienced anything but professionalism and ease when completing or receiving paperwork. Michael proved that with the right counsel, the “system” does indeed provide justice and the right outcome for children. If you are about to embark on the very emotional path of divorce and need someone to who you feel you can trust your children, based on my experience I encourage you to reach out and see if Michael will take your case. Lastly, I’d like to say Thank you Michael Kalanta and team. I am forever grateful and highly recommend your services.

Posted by Daniel | October 28, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

Thoughtful and an amazing attorney! Wish I had hired him all along!!!!!

Mike is worth the money, he invests back into his clients and makes them feel like family. I wish I had found him earlier, but I will do what he deserves and tell my story, and tell you the kind of attorney he is. Mike is the kind of lawyer I wish I had found the first time around during my divorce.... Due to COVID my divorce was drawn out and my times court dates were rescheduled due to COVID. I originally hired Leslie Jensen as an attorney and I was new to the process. She gave me false hope and when I came with questions she dismissed me. Leslie went to mediation with me, telling me it was in the bag and I would have joint custody, I lost, and she took none of the blame for losing. Because I didn't go with Mike Kalanta the first time around it took me 2 years, a ton of heart ache and a 6,000 dollar private custody evaluation and a private investigator which cost 2500 I then contacted Mike, he setup a consultation and I brought all my paperwork. Mike spent about an hour and a half panning through the paperwork, trying to understand my case and all the issues surrounding it. He stepped in an agreed not to price gouge me like I had previously received. Mike explained every step of the process, and told me what was likely to happen so I did not get my hopes up. When I was down on luck because court was postponed, he had called me multiple times to check in and see how I was doing. He would always say, hey Dan I am not charging you for this I just wanted to check in and see how you were holding up, or what's new with you. He treated me like family and so has Sandra from his office, who is a great paralegal. Sandra is friendly, responsive, and always up to do whatever I wanted or needed. They didn't make me wait and responded in a quick timely fashion. Mike and Sandra would call with updates, and have made sure to get my case handled properly. When I was with Leslie Jensen I felt like a number, a number on a check she wanted to cash. But with Mike Kalanta, he restored a bunch of faith in the law, and courts. 1. I came to Mike with wanting more custody of my kids, due to it being originally at 70/30 to the mother of my kids. He recommended a Private Custody evaluation that has since given me 50/50 custody. 2. I was going to be deal with support issues surround my ex who was capable of working full time but refused to do so. Mike recommended a vocational assessment, which has come back placing her at a full time wage in the courts. 3. I was able to settle my divorce after a long played out game from my ex and her attorney. Mike called multiple times to check in on me and text me to make sure to get the job done and give me closure on that issue. When I started this issue I felt like attorneys were a waste of time and not worth it. After having Mike on my side for the past 2 years, I couldn't be more grateful and thankful. I have nothing but respect for him, Sandra and his law firm. He makes you feel like a person, and cares a ton. My only regret was not hiring him the first time when I was out looking for attorneys to represent me.

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Alonzo Gradford

Criminal defense lawyer

Experience

Rating:  8.2 (Excellent)

Honors

2020

Top Attorney, San Francisco Magazine

2020

Top Attorneys, American Registry

2019

Top Attorney, San Francisco Magazine

2019

Top Attorneys, American Registry

2018

Top Attorney, San Francisco Magazine

2018

Top Attorneys, American Registry

2017

Top Attorney, San Francisco Magazine

2017

Top Attorneys, American Registry

2016

Top Attorney, San Francisco Magazine

Work Experience

1997 - 2001

Master at Arms, United States Navy

Associations

2011 - Present

Stanislaus County Bar Association, Family Law Section

member

Education

N/A

Chapman Univ

N/A

Humphrey's Coll SOL

Languages

English

Hindi

Punjabi

Activity

Avvo Rating

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