If you're looking for a lawyer that will go above and beyond then look no further that Jack D. for family law cases. He is an amazing lawyer. You give him what he needs and asks for and he will do the best he can to make sure you are completely satisfied with the end result. I wouldn't give it a second thought to hire him again if I ever need another family law lawyer. He is a leader of the pack not cocky about his abilities and can take Charge of that court room without hesitation. I would recommend him to snyona who needs a family law lawyer in a heartbeat. I couldn't be happier with the results he has given me. Thank you Jack you are an amazing person who knows what your doing.

I hired Pete Diamond five years ago to help me navigate my divorce. He has been just an amazing resource, steadfast, smart, willing to listen and advise. I trusted him completely with the process. Theresa, his legal assistant, is highly professional, efficient and timely. I truly appreciated everything they have done for me over the past five years. I highly recommend the organizations services!

I hired Krista to help me get divorced from an abusive partner, and gain custody of my kids. It was a long and ugly process and Krista was my rock. She really knows what she’s doing - she knows the judges, knows their temperaments, and helped me set up a solid strategy to get what I needed. She is fierce, tough and relentless when dealing with opposing council, and didn’t waiver or compromise my terms. At the same time, she keeps things real and tells you what’s realistic and what’s a stretch. She always gave me all possible options and backed me up no matter what I chose to do. She’s extremely hard working, constantly supportive and available, and provided steady guidance thru my high-conflict case. And to top things off, she’s funny and can laugh with you through the grueling obsurdities of getting divorced. Krista really is fantastic.

Richard Hagley
I had a difficult case. I had also talked to other experienced attornys in the area, and was told there was not much hope for my case.One attorney told me there nothing he could do. I decided to hire Jeffrey Mathews. He managed to establish an out of court agreement, saving me money, and I settled on a satisfactory solution. He was very good about keeping me informed throughout the case, and displayed a very good understanding of the laws relating to my case.

I am so pleased with Jack. He put in a lot of time, effort and care into our difficult and demanding case. Very professional but still compassionate. Great attention to detail as well as his organization skills really made the difference for me. Would highly recommend Jack for anyone in need of representation. Choosing Jack was by far the best decision!

After perusing online for a good custody/divorce lawyer in the Portland area, I came across Jack Dekovich from McKinley Irvin and read through all of his reviews. After setting up an initial consultation, I knew that we had found the right lawyer to help us through a difficult and messy divorce and custody case. The comments listed here about Jack being compassionate, caring, easy to work with, in-the-know, etc, are completely spot on, as Jack was not only all of that, but he is extremely intelligent and understands the needs that we had. Our process, through mediation to trial, was seamless and Jack kept us informed of all the actions needed on our end. He responded to all of our emails and would hop on quick calls whenever something came up that was urgent. Most of all, Jack was able to put my mind at ease with anything I was worried about with the case. I recommend Jack to anyone looking for an amazing Custody/Divorce Lawyer.

My initial attorney from another practice made me feel as if she was working for my ex husband and after several off comments, I came to see Jack Dekovich. What a complete 180! Right away Jack demonstrated that he knew family law comprehensively and that he would use that expertise to fight for me, tactfully but aggressively if needed. I am very familiar with my ex husband’s attorney, having worked closely with her for several years on my ex husband’s behalf. She has years of experience and is one of the best, yet Jack was not intimidated and was able to go toe-to-toe in every aspect of our case. He got me the best outcome and I will continue to use his services in the future, with confidence that I have the right attorney by my side!

Jack, Kayla and team helped me through a particularly tough time in my life. My husband decided to leave me a week after we relocated to St. Louis. Their professionalism and understanding made a very dark time in my life bearable. Knowing that I left the marriage with the financial means to succeed in the Midwest made my future bright. I would highly recommend Jack and his team. If you can't stay married you may as well have a top-notch team in your corner helping you set yourself up for success. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

I am so grateful for Mr. Dekovich's quick and excellent council on a tricky legal situation he had helped with. Both his council and legal documents protected both ourselves, and that legal protection was a huge piece of mind. Thank you! I would definitely recommend Mr. Dekovich to friends or family for services in the future.

I can't recommend Jack Dekovich enough. He is knowledgeable, reliable and trustworthy. What I especially appreciate about Jack is how responsive he is. He helped draft some paperwork for a situation that had a tight turnaround. Jack was there for me and able to come through with what I need in a timely manner. I am incredibly appreciative of him and would absolutely use him again and recommend him to family and friends.

High praise

Mr. Dekovich did an incredible job of assisting me with my recent divorce. I am fortunate to have jacks incredible knowledge of the law on my side, as he helped me immensely during the entire process. Jack is extremely personable, easy to work with , and will make you feel confident during the entire process. Thank you so much !

If you looking for a good and compassionate family practice lawyer in the Portland, OR area. I would highly recommend Jack Dekovich, with McKinley Irvin, as he was very informative and did not sugar coat expectations when we met with him to discuss the possibility of moving from Missouri with our grandson that we have full guardianship to Oregon. Jack really did help to set our mind at ease while keeping expectations firmly grounded in reality.

I approached Jack Dekovich during my divorce. I felt that he truly heard my concerns about the process and he was able to offer a clear explanation of what I should expect from the Oregon judicial system and a representing attorney. I would absolutely recommend that anyone unfortunate enough to require family law services get in touch with Jack as the first step toward getting their legal issues resolved.

Jack Dekovich was amazing when he helped me with my will. Quick and professional.

Jack Dekovich prepared my family will shortly after the birth of my daughter. He was so personable and professional. He had it finished in a timely manner and I would highly recommend to anyone.

Jack Dekovich made the divorce process simple and stress-free. I would recommend Jack to anyone looking for positive guidance.

Jeff Matthews best family law attorney in Portland. He represented me for over three years in a very complex and contentious divorce. He always always had the best interests of my children in mind and he is an expert in family law. You can't do better.

Krista has been a fabulous resource for me during my divorce. She is knowledgeable, approachable and easy to get a hold of. I appreciated her ability to make me feel at ease and the empathy she showed me during a very difficult time. I would absolutely recommend Krista to anyone looking for a reliable attorney who will make you feel like your issue is important! Thanks Krista!

I was put at ease the moment I met Michael. He made an effort to connect with me and understand the unique nature of my case. He was clearly a seasoned expert with issues related to family law. Michael and his assistant were always responsive and I felt as if I was their only client over the course of many months. Further, Michael was incredibly honest and enjoyable to work with. He expertly coached me in my negotiating, giving me confidence and helping me reach my goals without going to court. I also felt assured that if I had to go to court, he would be tenacious in his effort to get the results I cared about. Expensive, but securing my child’s best interest was worth every penny. I would definitely hire him again.

I have been divorced for almost a year at the time I write this. Now that I have had time to reflect, I can honestly say you should not hire this firm. No support, no fight, and at the end they coerced me into filing what was not in my best interest.

My attorney was actually upset when I was hesitant to sign the papers at the end due to the fact that she had already given her word to that an agreement had been reached.

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.

I hired Michael Hallas at McKinley Irvin for a custody case. It was not exactly your normal custody case and odds were not exactly in my favor.

Michael worked hard, quick and was very professional. You could tell he cares about his work and isn't a "yes man" type lawyer. I also respected him for his ethical standards. The case did go in my favor but had it not I wouldn't have regretted hiring Michael.

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.

Collin McKean is a professional attorney with an exceptional work ethic. His knowledge of the law is unsurpassed. His compassionate methods will put you at ease, and your needs and concerns will be fully addressed. His understanding of how the Courts view certain issues will give you the confidence you need to make solid decisions.

I recently hired Mindy Stannard at McKinley Irvin, and was nothing short of impressed with her work ethic, as well as her professionalism. Since this was my first time hiring a lawyer, she was able to explain everything in an understandable manor, which only made the process easier for me. I learned a lot about myself during the process from Mindy (both professionally, as well as personally). Although I hope to never have to hire a lawyer again, if I were she'd be my first call. Thanks again to Mindy and the Team at McKinley Irvin.

Annelisa at McKinley Irvin is a wonderful attorney who really loves what she does! She has compassion and understanding for her clients but is also the voice or reason in times of great stress. She is very realistic and honest about which direction you need to take and why. I couldn't have made it threw my divorce with out her! As a client the legal system can seem to be overwhelming, she helped me get threw all the proper steps!

Mrs. Camandona is about as much of a superstar as they come. At first I was a little nervous with how young she was, but my bias expectations were shattered. She managed to handle my divorce with me being 3000 miles away, AND I got custody of my son. A truly phenomenal and professional attorney, I can not recommend her highly enough. She remains in constant contact and is honest and up-front and prompt. Look no further, as far as I'm concerned she's the best there is.