Michael C McCaslin

I'm intelligent but was convinced (someone swore to me) during a low point in my life that this guy was incredible however he was worse than I could have imagined any lawyer being. He lacked basic family law knowledge; he nickel and dimed me including for communication correcting his lack of kno...wledge, he refused to research special (relevant) circumstances; he gave me no guidance (such as what I'm entitled to, etc), he backed down on EVERY issue; my easy to settle case went to court, he refused to do things that legally he had to do if I said-so, he set up meetings I didn't want or agree to (he gave me no choice) and in court he made no argument about anything and I (stunned and scared) resorted to countering the plaintiff's attorney's questioning in court because McCaslin didn't. He cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses and got around $25,000 himself and if I had taken the miniimal advice he gave me, would have lost at least $130,000 more. (I didn't have the money to get a new lawyer when I realize how bad he is.) I wish this review was here before I hired him.

Michael McCaslin was recommended to me as a great family law attorney. I called him looking for an attorney to assist with my adoption case. He was with another client at the time I called, so I left a message. He returned my call within the hour, unfortunately, he had to turn down my case due to ...his current case load, but directed me to other attorneys that he recommends. Because I was not able to use his services for this case, I am not able to rate him on knowledgeable or trustworthy, but I am giving him a 5 and rating the his responsiveness and how well he kept me informed. I appreciate him taking the time to get back to me so promptly.

I retained Mike McCaslin after having been through a very costly and negative experience with a well known Portland law firm dealing exclusively with family law. Therefore, Mike had to pick up my case in the middle of the process, a difficult thing to do. He promptly consulted with my former a...ttorney, immediately completely reviewed my file and stepped right in and took over the case. He immediately made contact with opposing counsel and made sure he was up to speed so nothing adverse would happen in the matter. Opposing counsel was not easy to deal with, yet Mike handled interactions successfully and professionally. He was unfailingly responsive. I would write Mike emails on various matters in the evening and early morning assuming he would respond to them when appropriate in his office. In fact, he generally responded immediately to them even when they were at night and, on occasion, on weekends. Mike is highly ethical and well versed in the law. He could have taken an aggressive low road approach at any number of turns but refused to do so with opposing counsel. He correctly advised me that should the matter go to court, nasty personal claims wouldn't have anything to do with outcome and therefore it was simply destructive to so engage. He was right. I emphasized that I did not want my matter to go to court. He did everything he could to ensure that the matter settled favorably. It did settle. The terms were close to what I would have wanted and my understanding is a good compromise is when no one gets exactly what they want. The resolution was fair if not truly "in my favor." Fees, for what Mike did and the results obtained, Mike's fees were more than fair. He never overbilled or overcharged. I paid Mike less than prior counsel who did close to nothing. His fee is not inexpensive, but the fee of a good attorney is rarely if ever inexpensive. Looking for something evaluative to say, to have a balanced review, I would only say that at times I felt that Mike could have been somewhat more forceful in trying to gain me a bit better result, but, then, my result was acceptable. Mike is by no means an aggressive "bulldog" attorney. But, he is a good, ethical and highly competent attorney. Overall, I would strongly recommend Mike for anyone going through the difficult process of divorce.

When my ex wife filed for divorce, I was told that it would cost me X per month in spousal support and that I would end up losing all of my real estate. I checked around and this same dim news was repeated to me again and again. Then I went and saw Mike. He said that the news was probably right, b...ut that it was just a starting point. After some pointed factual and legal research, Mike was able to save me finanically and work out a settlement that was 75% of X and allowed me to keep much of what I worried that I would lose in real estate and investments. He charged me roughly 60% of what my wife's lawyer charged her and I didn't have to pay her legal fees. Mike was smart, practical and to the point. I would clearly recommend him to others and have done so repeatedly.