Reviews

I want to thank Mike and his firm for saving my life. I was going through a very hard time from 2000-2005 and managed to keep my freedom and my profession because of his lawyering and emotional support. He is a very dignified, caring person who understands the trauma of arrest, awaiting trial, and the ultimate resolution. Thank you.

I have nothing but praise for both Attorneys Michael Iaria and Annamarie Valdivia! They worked in collaboration to help me petition for the Governor’s Pardon – and did so successfully! I want to give God the utmost praise for the great blessing of leading me to these two talented and hardworking lawyers, and for the favor of the Governor’s pardon itself. Because of this, I am free today. Not only me, but my entire family. This most recent Fourth of July is our first when words like “freedom” and “independence” have really meant something to each of us. Below I want to briefly enumerate my thanks to each lawyer. What my family and I appreciate about Atty. Iaria is his honesty, fairness (especially in the fees he charged), and reliability. When we called with questions or just wanted to talk over a process, he always answered right away. He would even answer when we would call him at night, or he would call us back after office hours. With so much of the process that I didn’t understand, I really appreciated knowing that I was working with a lawyer who made a point about making himself available to and reachable by his clients. He is thorough not only in matters of paper work but also in following up with people! As for Atty. Annamarie, she was remarkably friendly, positive, easy to talk to and therefore easy to relate to. She helped me throughout the whole process, and especially during my nerve-racking court hearing in Olympia. She was genuinely passionate about helping me and my family, and this showed in the way she stayed in the courtroom with us, waiting for hours for our turn to arrive. Over and above this, her genuine care showed in the way she related to me not just as a client but as another woman. She shared enough about herself and her background to let me and my family know that we were in good, capable, and caring hands. When approaching Atty. Valdivia with questions, I never felt worried or intimidated because she was consistently attentive. Sometimes, I had questions I didn’t know how to phrase, and she would still “hear” me. She really listened! She answered my questions and concerns kindly and, when she missed my calls, she called back right away. Overall, she is the best lawyer I could have worked with, and am confident she could help so many other women with special cases like mine. I am so grateful to Attorney Iaria and Valdivia for helping us fight – and win – this great battle. Other lawyers I consulted with easily dismissed my case as hopeless or too difficult. I heard over and over that it would be a “long shot.” However, from the start, Atty. Iaria and Atty. Valdivia focused only on making this long shot hit target. They did an incredible job together, and I praise God for the kind of people that they are, for the challenge they rose to, and for the passion they have in helping deliver justice – no matter how great the odds. I know that my Lord and Savior, Jesus, could not have placed me in better hands!

I felt comfortable and I felt listened to. Michael is straightforward. He was very informative and very supportive. I also worked with his paralegal who was really good at providing breakdowns of fees on a weekly basis. How they handle financials is very transparent. I was potentially going to have charges brought against me and was in the process of meeting with a detective to give my side of the story. I wanted someone to come alongside me to guide me through the situation. I also wanted to get an understanding of how the legal system works. I hadn’t been charged but could have been depending on how the interaction went with the detective. So I hired Michael to guide me through that process. He did an initial consult and gave me some recommendations. He was upfront about costs in order for him to provide the services I needed. Everything sounded great to me. The best thing about working with him was that I felt supported. I felt like someone was there for me and on my side. I never felt like my case was less important than others or that he was too busy. I felt important to him and that my case was important. I felt like he was giving it all he had. I did not feel like the little guy. I was really at a loss as to where to begin. Because of the sensitivity of what I was going through I wasn’t comfortable to share it with too many people. I wanted to start with a consultation to get a sense for what I was up against. I went on the public defender's website and they had some type of lawyer referral service. Michael’s name was the first referral they gave me. He was in a convenient location. I checked out his website and then talked to him on the phone. During the short phone conversation I just felt good. I went to the office and met with him and one of his other lawyers. I told my side of the story and felt comfortable with him. He was willing to hear what I had to say. I felt that he would do his best to represent me well. He felt personal to me but also professional. It was a seamless unproblematic scenario for me.

I reached out to an attorney/friend in a time of need hoping she could provide me with a recommendation for a criminal defense attorney. She consulted fellow attorneys and came back with a clear recommendation that Michael Iaria was the attorney for me. I am a 50+ year old professional woman and mother of four with a 25-year career. At the time of my arrest (based on a complaint from my husband), I had never been charged with a crime. Not only was I dealing with the criminal charge, but I also had to hire a family law attorney at the same time. I was devastated and terrified. I felt that my husband was willing to spend our entire life savings to bring me down. Michael clearly explained the law, the process, what mattered, and what didn't. He explained what would be handled by him, and what would be handled by the family law attorney. He communicated directly with the family law attorney to obtain and share information pertinent to my criminal case and discuss strategies, which saved me time and money. He put me at ease and helped me to focus my energy. During the five months I worked with Michael, I knew he was busy with multiple cases. If I couldn't reach Michael directly, his legal assistant (also extremely competent) would typically inform me that Michael was in court, and would provide a time when he would call me back. And Michael always did. Michael was also very warm and appeared to be personally concerned about my situation. I felt like he cared, and not just because he wanted to add another win to his portfolio. He advised me in ways that would serve me for the rest of my life. In summary, I give Michael Iaria perfect marks across the board in handling my case. Thank you again Michael!

Michael was referred to me by our business attorney for a civil case with potential of criminal charges. I met with him at his office and I felt welcomed. He genuinely cared for my me and my case, did a lot of research into the issue I was faced with and laid out all the facts, pros and cons for what he recommended as the part of the plan of action. He followed up with me on a regular basis. He truly went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the final outcome of the case was as favorable as it could be, given the circumstances. Thankfully no criminal charges were filed and the civil matter was resolved in a more-than- favorable resolution. During the course of my case, I came to talk to a couple other attorneys who also practice criminal and civil cases. One in particular referred to Michael as Perry Mason of our era. He said you have to see Michael in court to truly appreciate his work. Although I never had to go to court (thank-goodness), I must say that I am really glad that Michael was on my side and took my case, and, his integrity and commitment to me as his client never wavered and I truly appreciate everything he did for me. I highly recommend him.

After much research we chose Michael for our son's case because we knew we needed someone with an excellent track record, who would understand the unusual circumstances of the case, and we wanted only the best. Michael went above and beyond to get him the best possible outcome. We felt he saw the unfortunate mistake made, but still saw our son to be a good person. It was important to us that he fought hard, researching, bringing in specialists, and really getting to know every in and out of this case. Without Michael, it would have been a much different outcome. Michael is a family man, besides a bright, savvy, well seasoned attorney. He gets to know the person he is representing, and knows what a stressful process it can be for all involved. Make no mistake. He is tough when necessary. He is also well connected with the legal system in the area. But most importantly, he has a commitment to help those who want to learn from their mistakes, and makes every effort to make the best of often terrible situations for his clients. One meeting with Michael, and you will know what I am saying is valid and true. I can't imagine going through this experience without Michael Iaria in our corner!

I have been in the criminal justice system for over 27 years and I would highly recommend this attorney....

Ran into a little misunderstanding a few years back and was lucky enough to hook up with Michael. He spent a lot of time on my case, charged very fairly, and was really concerned about me as both a client and a person. He knows everyone who is anyone in the legal system in Seattle (always important). The case was difficult and he did the best possible job that anyone could and I walked away from the scurilous accusations scott free and now my life could not be better. BTW, I work with statistical models all the time and the one that they're using that rates MPI a 6 out of 10 is clear evidence that it needs work--they don't provide the scores that they use to measure the rating and its impossible to really get a clear picture of its faults.