Michael Albert Dedecker

We hired this guy to represent me and my partner as de facto parents. In the year and a half that this guy “represented” us, he continuously told us we had no legal standing in our daughter’s case. We repeatedly asked him to obtain court reports and minutes and every time he would tell us we weren’t ...entitled to them. He operates from a basis of limitations and misinformed us about dependency law. He told us there is no maximum amount of time that court ordered reunification can go, when California law clearly states a maximum time of 24 months. Even when the judge gave him the opportunity to ask questions or make statements on our behalf, he would refuse to do so stating “I have no legal standing.” This resulted in us losing our daughter who we raised since birth until she was nearly 3 years old and who had never spent a single day apart from us in that entire time. After we fired this guy, we found out from the county clerk that he never even filed the de facto parent order that had been granted to us by the judge. If he had done this, we would have automatically received copies of the documents which Mr. Decker told us we were not entitled to. It was as simple as us filling out a request form to receive all of these documents once we fired Mr. Dedecker. Our new attorney informed us that we do in fact have legal standing as an injured party in our daughters case, and unlike Mr. Dedecker our new attorney actually meets with us to collaborate and fights for our family the way I would expect a family law attorney to do. I strongly advise against trusting this guy with something as important as your family. I sure regret doing so.

I write reviews next to never but felt compelled to write one today to let anyone who may be in a stressful custody/adoption situation to please give Michael Dedecker a call immediately! Michael was referred to me by another attorney and I’m most grateful he was! What started out as a very simpl...e adoption case, turned into a long drawn out stressful ordeal. Michael was supportive and very attentive through it all. There were times when I felt hopelessness creeping up on me but Michaels care and confidence always helped me to recenter myself. We were in the process for over a year and a half and he was on top of everything the entire time. He knows the delicate nature of these cases well and handles them with great care, professional, wisdom, and attention. I will always have deep respect and immense gratitude for Michael. When our Son is old enough, I will tell him about the incredible angel disguised as an attorney that helped to secure his place in our family forever.

I had no clue about divorce, child custody or anything that comes along with it. When I saw my marriage headed down this path I really did not know where to start. A good friend of mine recommended that I talk to Michael and I’m so glad she did! Initially, I contacted Michael for a consultation. He... answered my questions thoroughly and guided me to every single document that I would need to help process divorce and child custody. After trying to fill out paperwork on my own, I got overwhelmed. On top of the paperwork, my ex was being difficult. I called Michael and insisted that I needed help. I work full time and also have my kids full time. Michael was flexible with his time and scheduled time for us to meet. He didn’t throw a bunch of paperwork at me! He explained what I needed and we worked on each document piece by piece. After our meetings he would basically give me homework with reasonable due dates!! I felt like there was finally some order to the madness. I was nervous throughout this whole process, but Michael’s knowledge and calming personality definitely eased me. The process seemed long but I was so happy to have Michael in my corner. Thanks for all your advice and help, Michael!! If you’re looking for a family law lawyer you can trust with the most sensitive/difficult thing you’ve ever had to go through, I highly recommend Michael!

I was referred to Mr. DeDecker through a friend who had hired Michael for his case. I was looking for an attorney who was smart, accessible, and a shark in the courtroom. He is just that. My case was very complicated involving a custody battle with my very young child. Michael was very attentive and ...listened to every detail of my case. He was not afraid to take on my case and start right away with getting things done. He was very honest and helped me navigate the waters as effectively as possible. One thing I truly appreciated is that he was very efficient when it came to email and phone calls. Michael always answered any and ALL of my questions in a very quick time frame and took the time to call me for any and all of my questions. He always kept me in the loop oin what was happening. Even if iI called after normal work hours he would take my call. When it came to the dealing with the very difficult opposing counsel he was extremely diligent on making sure paperwork was handled in a timely manner. Michael did not let the opposing council off the hook and made sure they knew we meant business. In the courtroom he is a means business. Mr. DeDecker is very smart and will to what is happening. I appreciated his strong backbone in the courtroom. I am so grateful for Mr. DeDecker's services. He truly is an amazing attorney. He is professional, persistent, compassionate and very very hard working, He does not simply take his clients for face value but truly cares about your well being and reaching the best outcome possible. He is invested in each and every case. I am so thankful for his services and will absolutely recommend him to anyone seeking a child custody attorney, We could not have done it without him.

I spoke with Micheal on the phone in a panic. He eased my mind right away and was very informative of what I needed to do (before even getting him involved). I would have hired him in a minute, but due to his helpfulness I was able to take another avenue to settle a custody dispute. If I ever nee...d him in the future, he will be the first I hire. I highly recommend him.