Andrew McLain

McLain exhibits a pattern of aggressive courtroom behavior combined with highly timed procedural filings: verbal attacks on opposing counsel, belittling commentary toward witnesses under oath, and scheduling hearings to coincide with critical personal deadlines. Volatile temperament plus procedural e...scalation significantly disrupts families and children.

Andy is an extraordinarily bright, energetic lawyer who craves winning and truly has a passion for helping families get usable outcomes from often terrible situations. He clearly enjoys dismantling poor arguments in court and on paper, and his complete demolition of opposition witnesses' testimony in... court was a joy to behold. He is extremely knowledgable about the law, he knows what is possible and what isn't, and he is sometimes uncomfortably blunt, even with his clients. There were times during our relationship where I wished he was a softer touch. Andy will not act as your therapist, he doesn't dissemble, he doesn't have a lot of patience with a moderate approach when he thinks an aggressive approach would better suit the situation. If you are in a challenging family law situation in the Portland area, and you require the best possible result, I believe that you cannot find a person who will do a better job. He is supported by outstanding associates and staff, as well.

Andy provided amazing representation during a 20 month divorce proceeding. The case involved many different stages of needing Andy not only represented me but helped build strategies for the next stages and worse case situations which actually happened. We worked very well as a team and he was very... open to thoughts I had with the case. Those conversations helped greatly because I needed to know my opinions and research mattered. Andy was very prepared in court and he has many strengths but prepping and being in court may be his strongest. I felt he accurately represented the case in a very logical, no drama matter. He was very familiar with the family/divorce court system. We worked very hard ensuring we had everything we needed to be highly prepared for our court hearing. Even though my case was unusually long it was not due to his efforts to find a solutions so we could avoid court and stretching the case. He was very focused on doing what is right especially if there are children involved. Please realize it is a two way relationship so I highly recommend listening to your lawyer and provide them with the information they'll need to help you. Divorce was one of the biggest moments in my life. Choosing the correct attorney is such a important decision that will effect you the rest of your life. Selecting Andy as my attorney was one of the best decisions I have made. He was with me the entire time during the different divorce stage including post divorce. Always very timely with replies to my emails, and he has a great staff working for him. His paralegals were extremely helpful and made it simple to provide the many documents you'll need to provide during this process. I highly recommend Andy. It was a great feeling in a very negative situation to be highly prepared for court system and the opposing attorney. I will always recommend him to anyone needing one of the best attorneys in Portland.

So Andy was referred to me by another great local attorney, Matthew McHenry of Levine & McHenry...and I am so glad he was. My divorce case was by any stretch of the imagination, ugly, contested and included a child custody battle. Andy and his team at McLain Legal Services put me at ease on day one. ...His staff/associates are all very highly skilled and I feel one of his best attributes. Several of his assistants are actually attorneys themselves in other states or right here in Oregon too, but you wouldn't know that unless you looked into it or asked. The knowledge and service his team provides not only saved me money on countless occasions, but it truly kept my stress level low at a time in my life when stress was a serious concern. Andy always kept me informed along the way. I didn't find the need to ask many questions or have the feeling that I didn't know what was going on or what to expect. If I ever did have questions or concerns, Andy was always just a call away and he even returned my calls late at night, over the weekend...and once while he was on a family vacation. I don't know many attorneys that would put forth the effort and thoughtful consideration to my concerns and goals as Andy has and continues to do for me throughout this case. He is hands down the Very Best family law attorney that I have found within the State of Oregon. If you are considering hiring a Family Law attorney, I wouldn't even think of hiring anyone else but him.

Andy started out great; selling me on his skills, his approach, his tactics. That was the only optimistic moment of my interaction with him. For a year following that initial meeting, he wouldn't reply to emails or phone calls, and when asked why no reply, he would be defensive and tell me how busy h...e was with other cases. He would assign his terribly unskilled office staff on my case - where they would give wrong answers, provide detrimental advice, and ultimately cost me more money. When brought to Andy's attention, he defended his staff's inadequacy and actually scrutinized me for not being more understanding of their mistakes. I asked to be copied on all communication with the opposition, to which Andy ignored my request. When preparing documents, Andy made signifiant errors in facts which I caught repeatedly only after he sent to my opposition. Errors in dates, money amounts, names - and he then charged me his hourly rate to correct his own mistakes. This went on for a year - and is still going on. Andy's poor bedside manner, his aggressive rudeness and insensitivity is cause for my strong lack of recommendation for his services.