Michael James Mangan

Michael is the most knowledgeable Property Tax lawyer I have ever encountered. I have known him since he began practicing law, and when I needed Property Tax help he was my immediate choice. I consulted him on some complex issues regarding my mother-in-law's estate and living will. Michael was able t...o explain legal and property tax concepts clearly, and the advice he gave was logical and focused. Given his extensive experience, I would not hesitate to recommend Michael to anyone needing legal assistance.

We found Mr. Mangan to be very good at taking a deposition, however the rest of what he did/didn’t do is questionable, in our opinion. The advice Mr. Mangan gave us was later to be found out incorrect and misleading. For instance, Mr. Mangan told us that if our case was to go to court and the Jud...ge would rule in our favor, because of the nature of the case (elder abuse), the firm would be awarded attorney’s fees. But there was a warning. If they weren’t awarded the entire amount of what they were billing, the clients (78/79 years old, living only on SSI) would be responsible for making up the difference to CVK. Then Mr. Mangan went on to explain why he wasn’t returning phones calls or letters and that was because the Judge will get a chance to look over the CVK bill and any conversations about the same issue would be marked off, again, to be made up by the clients, my parents. His point was, that if we didn’t want to have more legal expenses, he couldn’t talk to us. He told me I could call his legal assistant and she knew everything about the case, but each time I called her, she didn’t have any information. Of the times when I could reach Mr. Mangan, he would say to me “if you don’t like what I am doing, then maybe CVK isn’t the firm for you.” The first time he said this, we had just paid him everything we had just to look over the case in the form of a very large retainer. He had us. We had to be compliant because we were out of money. After months of frustration, we phoned the Oregon State Bar and they said to ask to meet with his Supervisor and bring up the concerns to her/him. We met with Charley Huber (in person) about Mr. Mangan not returning phone calls, no answer emails, the “if you don’t like this, then maybe CVK isn’t the firm for you” and we had no idea of what the plan was for the case. Mr. Huber explained all our concerns were simply the result of a miscommunication error! It wasn’t too long after this meeting that Michael Mangan left CVK. We got an urgent call with only a short time to decide: we could let Mr. Mangan take our case with him or have another lawyer it take over. At first, it seemed like a good idea to stay with Mr. Mangan because we couldn't pay to have yet another attorney to learn everything, but instantly changed our minds because if we couldn’t get straight or timely answers now, how much more difficult would it be at a different firm? Also after we paid the enormous retainer, CVK said they would handle our case on a contingency fee, however we had no idea how that was actually being tracked or charged for almost a year later, so things were a real mess. Mr. Mangan said there were treble (?) damages involved and that is what CVK wanted because that was the largest amount. It took Mr. Mangan months to get us an overview of the case and then I found it to be massaged with facts to fit his timeline based on our prior complaints to his supervisor, supported by my emails. We are still dealing with CVK over how he mishandled our case, the damage it did to the case and mostly the enormous bill we are left with even though it was a contingency fee arrangement but without specific details.

It's Kafka's world and we are just living in it; it's why you need Michael Mangan. He's experienced, competent, and very savvy. He confirmed what a rigged game it is to try and appeal your property taxes in Oregon. Because he's appeared before the Magistrate Tax court and knows the real property valu...ation formula well, he provided much help to us. Such a relief to consult with him. The Multnomah County Assessor's office has massively inflated my property taxes. We filed an appeal with the Board of Prop Tax Appeals, an all-volunteer group who essentially nod politely, ask a few questions, then turn it all back to the assessor's office. That's right. You get a hearing before the BOPTA that is pro forma--they do not make decision and they don't even work for the county. They're friends of the eponymous 'staff,' i.e., the Assessor's office/Department of Revenue. Whatever the Assessor's Office/Department of Revenue chooses to do, they support Not only have I not been able to reduce my super-high property taxes ($11,000 and climbing!), the Magistrate Tax Court is probably not going to even hear my appeal. The Portland Tribune and the court record speak for themselves–there's less than 10% of property tax appeals filed that are successful. About the same number even get a hearing–the Assessor's office just files a motion to dismiss. The Magistrate usually grants the motion. Despite all this, Michael Magnan really knows the system, gave me many good suggestions and explained how hard it is to fight the Department of Revenue. He is very smart. I'd use him again in a heartbeat.