Reviews

I am very grateful and fortunate to have had this firm, and attorney, Michael Hallas, recommended to me and representing me. My experience, though by nature difficult, was made so much easier because of the impressive service and sound legal advice I received. Michael provided excellent and consistently efficient communication in person, in writing and by phone, accompanied by an utmost level of respect, professionalism and sensitivity. I really feel that he tried to save me money, while providing excellent guidance and legal advice along the way. I highly recommend Mr. Hallas and would absolutely trust him and Mckinley Irvin to skillfully handle any future legal matters.

I think this is the first negative review I've ever given on Google, but I trusted these Google reviews to inform my decision to hire McKinley Irvin and I feel like I need to make sure the community is aware of my experience as options are considered. I would like to alert you to two issues that I hope are not experienced by anyone else in the future: 1) Be careful of unnecessarily complex proposals. My solution involved mediators, parenting coordinators, and child counselors that were all supposed to act in concert. This sounded good at the time, but these parties weren't coordinated. My legal team didn't bird-dog these parties' knowledge of the agreement timeframe, ultimately resulting in months lost with my daughter. All of this could have been avoided with a less complicated approach. 2) Watch your billing closely and challenge charges early. Overall I was charged about $12,000 for what I would consider about $5,000 worth of delivered value (this was for a case that didn't go to trial). For example, I was charged over $700 for my lawyer to travel from Portland to Hillsboro (a suburb 20 miles away). I had to contact them several times to review this charge and in the end they didn't wish to revisit it or communicate with me about their decision. Given the lack of follow through referenced in my first point, this was the last straw for me and I cancelled their representation. Good luck! I would strongly encourage you to be represented by a competent 3rd party, but just be on your guard to avoid some of these common pitfalls.

Michael Hallas was my attorney that I hired for my divorce and a difficult child custody case. It was truly a battle. I learned of Michael through online reviews in looking for an upstanding lawyer that I felt would reflect my morals. Michael kept me grounded and helped me to maintain perspective. He helped me to not get angry when the other party would say or do hurtful things. He is witty and genuine. Michael has a gift when talking to opposing counsel, that even when they punch below the belt he always maintained integrity- standing firm yet strong. He is a man of character that you want on your team! I highly recommend Michael Hallas & assure you that you won't be disappointed. #foreverafan

Mckinley Irvin really helped me out during the most crucial time of my life :- my divorce and child custody battle. They worked well as a team with me and looked out for me. They treated me like family and I don’t think any other team could have made me feel this way. I have high regard for the entire legal (my attorney, her para-legal) and the entire administrative team. They have shown generosity and professionalism which is a very rare combination in this business.

My name is Ryan, I hired Annelisa smith to represent me as I was battling with my ex over custody and I thought I deserved a better parenting plan with my child. My ex was withholding my child from me and needed help!! Before my first consultation, I was frustrated, hurt, overwhelmed, stressed, mad and confused! Annelisa changed all that in just one meeting with her! She made me feel like I was in control! She made me feel like I deserved more! She made things more clear! Annelisa communicated via phone, email and one on one and had incredible flexibility! She always responded quick via email! (unless she was in trial of course) We went to trial in May 2015. Her knowledge of the law is spectacular and she took over in trial! I got everything I wanted!! Even with a few battles we had fighting a few things, She gave good reasoning and we won!!!! Annelisa exceeded all my expectations!! Since Trial, my life with my daughter has been spectacular!! I see her double the amount of time and I couldn’t of done this without the help of Annelisa Smith!! I don’t just consider her a great attorney, I consider her friend!!  Trust me, you will not go wrong hiring Annelisa Smith! That’s a 100% guarantee!!

We liked Michael Hallas a lot until we went to trial, then we realized he had procrastinated on our case. 10pm the night before he was asking us questions and to send him pictures and documents. He failed to inform us that not only were we going to trial, but that it was decision day, until the day before. Afterwards, he failed to respond to they other party's attorney for several WEEKS. This made the other party angry because they thought we were intentionally stalling, who then refused to negotiate with us, when prior to that we were working together to come to the agreement. He waited so long in fact, that there other party filled for a default judgment, which would have really screwed us. There were details he failed to catch that a judge easily would have had removed from the agreement that hurt us. After he returned from vacation (evidently that was why he failed to respond, he is supposed to tell the court and have someone cover/file a continuation in that situation) he went back to court but told us it was just too finalize paperwork. Turns out we should have attended, they finalized our case and the he agreed to a bunch of stuff WE didn't agree too because the other party was there with their lawyer to be heard and we were not. He didn't even call. We did not get a copy of the judgment from him for a week. The other party and nice enough to email us a copy she received from her lawyer later that day. Bottom line? If he had continued the level of performance from the first 6 months leading to trial, I would be leaving 5 stars for him, regardless of outcome. He has knowledge and he is straightforward. I might have even left 3 stars had he apologized for the obvious disorganization the day before trial and the failure to notify in our case he was leaving town. Micheal told us however, that he had represented us to the best of his ability and admitted no wrong doing. For this I leave two stars. Mostly because of his work leading up to trial and the professional and always helpful office staff. It is frustrating to me that when we go back to court this summer to fix what was wrong with trial last summer that we must do so with a new attorney and start from scratch.

Michael Hallas of McKinley Irvin law firm is by far the best attorney I have ever had. I would highly recommend him to anyone facing divorce or that needs a family law attorney, and I suggest that you contact them as early in the process as possible. Had I been referred to them at the beginning of my divorce I would have had a substantially better and much less expensive outcome. Michael Hallas and the McKinley Irvin staff conduct business in a very professional, courteous and ethical manner. Michael is a genuinely nice person and he took a sincere interest in helping me solve the problems created by my ex wife. Michael is very experienced dealing with the courts and he worked diligently on my behalf, with integrity and honesty, offering his expert advice on how best to proceed. We would discuss the options and alternatives and he would give his suggestions, but always left the final decision to me. I couldn't have asked for a better arrangement. Having an attorney that I knew I could trust made the whole process of less painful.

I met Michael Hallas during a high stressed and confusing time in my life. His communication and integrity went past my expectations of a lawyer and of a human. He calmed me by helping me understand the system with his open and honest approach. Michael Hallas is a kind man with a lager heart. I'm proud to have him on my side as a lawyer and also as a friend. I couldn't have gone through my custody case without his support and I highly recommend him.

It is never easy to go through a divorce and family separation, but Michael Hallas was there for me! His expertise, knowledge of the law, and connections with the community provided me with a sense of empowerment over my divorce. Knowing Michael and his legal team were there for me and working towards the best possible outcome for me and my family was priceless. And in the end, Michael was able to negotiate far more than my expectations. I highly recommend Michael as an exceptional divorce and custody attorney in the Portland area. I made the right choice when retaining McKinley Irvin, and subsequently Michael and his legal team!

Working with McKinley & Irvin, and specifically Mindy, was an absolute pleasure. I never saw myself needing the services of a divorce lawyer, not that I think many people do. I started by trying to sort out the legal mess myself, but in the end found that I needed legal representation. Mindy and her crew were efficient, professional, easy to work with, and overall provided me with a fantastic experience (as fantastic as these things can go). They answered my emails promptly, even when I sent them outside regular business hours. They explained every step of the way to me, in ways that were easy to understand. And, last but certainly not least, the final bill was much less than I thought it was going to be. It's hard to beat that! You won't go wrong by picking these guys to stand up for you.

When my daughter needed an attorney for a custody issue, the first person I recommended was Mindy Stannard at McKinley Irvin. My faith was not misplaced. First off, Mindy was quick to respond to my daughter's questions and concerns. In addition, she did a wonderful job of explaining what my daughter could expect as she made her way through the often times frustrating Family Law court in Multnomah County. Thank you, Mindy!

I had the pleasure of working with Mindy Stannard to get custody of my son. She did a great job representing my family professionally and efficiently. She was extremely personable, knowledgeable and honest in all our interactions. She made sure to address all our questions and concerns. The care with which she handled the case showed in every step of the way.