Halligan LLC

"There’s no easy way to get divorced but Christina sure made it feel that way. Not only did she support me throughout the whole process, but she made me feel heard, seen and understood. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes with a divorce and I probably would of lost all my hair without her. Her and her team really took care of me and made sure everything was done efficiently and timely. ANYONE going through this process NEEDS to hire Christina and the Halligan team."

"Thought they were helping etc but can’t provide me with essential documents and court orders and somehow I racked up a $7k+ bill in a single day that’s not in their invoice, just “transfer from trust”. Made a mistake trusting them in the past. Waste of time really. Would avoid at all cost unless you just want to blow your money on a team of incompetent lawyers"

"I do not recommend this law firm as I was not satisfied with service and the firm had chose to withdraw during the process. If I can give zero stars I would. They did not take into consideration the extent of the case and the many factual details that were provided. The firms only concern was to push the paper around and collect the check from the client."

"I had the privilege of working with Michelle during a challenging divorce process, and I cannot praise her enough for her exceptional legal expertise and compassionate approach. Michelle is not just a divorce lawyer; she's a true advocate who goes above and beyond to support her clients during incredibly stressful times. Michelle's knowledge of family law is truly impressive. She knows the law inside and out, and it's evident in the way she navigated my case. She provided clear and concise explanations of the legal proceedings, ensuring that I understood every step of the process. Her attention to detail and dedication to her craft gave me confidence that I was in the best hands. What sets Michelle apart is her caring and sensitive nature. Going through a divorce is emotionally taxing, but Michelle was there to provide not only legal guidance but also emotional support. She listened attentively to my concerns, showing genuine empathy and understanding. Her ability to connect on a personal level made the entire experience more bearable. Throughout my case, Michelle was always accessible and responsive. She promptly answered my questions, addressed my concerns, and kept me informed about any developments. Her professionalism and commitment to her clients are truly commendable. I highly recommend Michelle to anyone seeking a divorce lawyer. She is not only extremely good at her job but also a compassionate and thoughtful professional who genuinely cares about her clients. If you want a lawyer who will fight for your rights while providing the emotional support you need during a difficult time, Michelle is the one to trust. Thank you, Michelle, for guiding me through this challenging journey with grace and expertise!"

"***Dishonesty and Money-Seeking Concerns*** This review is completely unrelated to the outcome of my case. I felt compelled to write it to caution others to consider other attorneys because you may be able to save yourself thousands of dollars. There are 3 main factors that have led me to write this candid review: 1) Dishonesty, 2) Inexperience, 3) Money-seeking. 1) DISHONESTY: Jane Michalakes will give you false hope of success in the name of “optimism”. After losing the initial motion, we started discussing a possible appeal. Jane quoted me a chance of success to be up to 50% when in reality it was less than 5% to 15%. Other firms recommended not proceeding with an appeal. To quote one attorney, "...I still don't feel that our firm will have a high potential of prevailing on the requested appeal". Jane was never candid like this, but instead kept covering her known loss by repeating statements such as “but we don’t know what the judge is going to decide”. When confronted about the drastic difference in appeal percentage estimates, Jane said she’s “not a numbers person”. It's difficult to believe that someone who has a doctorate degree and is obviously intelligent does not have an understanding of basic statistics. One can only deduce that she is after money and not the best interest of the client. Had she not taken this approach of “optimism” and a money-grab, I would have taken my ex-husband/abuser up on a different financial offer that would have freed me from him much sooner than 11 years from now. During my final conversation with Jane (after I had declined proceeding with an appeal), Jane commented “I stopped billing you a long time ago”…yet I was billed for every single item thereafter. I always expect to pay my bills, so this is simply the principle of the comment which turned out to be a blatant lie. Your attorney should never lie to you. When I sent an email to Jane and Gavin Halligan (partner) inquiring what she meant by that comment, I never received a reply. 2) INEXPERIENCE: Jane is inexperienced and will either take a long time to do research or frequently have to go to Gavin to discuss your case. Because the client gets billed for both of these delays, Jane should truly be billing at a lower hourly rate until she becomes more efficient. As an example, I was billed $800 for an email response that took nearly a week to receive from her. I thought my attorney had "ghosted" me because she had set a deadline for a decision regarding my appeal, but the responses I needed from her to make a decision were pending that email response. For the initial filing, I provided Jane with the same information at least 5 times because it seemed like it would very specifically address the court rule we were filing under. She did not include the information in the initial filing. She only included it in a response after I mentioned it AGAIN (but a response is not taken into consideration in the judge's ruling - something Jane did not know). After receiving the judge's order denial, it seems my case would have had a better chance if she had included the information I provided repeatedly. When I asked Jane what she would have done differently if she was filing all over again, she said "oh I don't know" and then didn't elaborate further. Clearly, she had not done any self-reflection to learn from this loss for future clients. 3) MONEY-SEEKING: Shortly after the initial consultation, I was informed by other firms that my initial filing would have cost $3k on the high end. Jane billed me $10k for this. In addition, she mentioned that should I decide to proceed with an appeal the retainer would increase from $5k to $20k and that the appeal itself would likely cost $20k. This was immediately unsettling, but she said most firms increase to this amount for appeals. After discussing with 5 other firms found on the same websites, their retainer remained at $5k to $7.5k and were surprised to hear the $20k fee. Be prepared to be billed promptly every 2 weeks to keep your retainer at $5k."