Finding a divorce attorney is tough. I interviewed several. I hired Kip Micuda because on the initial consultation he appeared very knowledgeable, professional, and seemed to care. Getting to work with Kip I found it somewhat difficult to get timely replies even though he has an assistant. He is not keen on phone calls even though I requested him to call on several occasions as he prefers to communicate largely through email. Also found him to be a passive attorney and not a fighter. In a nasty divorce it helps to have a bulldog in your corner who will work hard every reasonable angle. Kip is a soft spoken professor type. He also appeared to over hype the worst-case scenarios in my divorce, and he did not even catch in my ex- wife’s reply to my petition her attorney was in agreement that no spousal support was warranted. My new attorney caught that and pointed it out to me. That’s significant.
I was a client for three months and in the end left extremely disappointed by Kip and Chris Hildebrand the owner. About 2.5 months in I simply questioned a large legal bill which I paid, and shortly afterwards was told they no longer wanted to work on my case even though we never had any real disagreements. I emailed Kip several times very respectfully to try to understand what the issue was as I truly had no idea, see if there way any way to fix it as I was also willing to make changes on my end which I stated, and if we could not fix it then we part on friendly terms like mature adults do. No email response saying why. I then emailed asking to have a 15-minute call to discuss what the issue was like two gentlemen should and do. Again, no response at all. I then emailed Chris H asking for a phone call and also zero response. None. This is from the owner of the company. This is simply not a way to treat a client and it is extremely unprofessional. It is just plain disrespectful, rude, and cold. I am in a very high-end sales profession, and I would never think to treat my customers like this. If there is a problem communicate with your customer.
Also, this law firm will absolutely nickel and dime you at every opportunity they get. I have no doubt I was over charged. This law firm is simply not worth the cost and they are not special in any way. Just your typical law firm trying to squeeze what they can from you in a tough period of your life. They are a purely transactional attorneys and not relationship based. They are the kind of attorneys that give their profession a bad reputation.
In the end they did me a real favor as I found an excellent attorney who is more much more knowledgeable, communicative, actually cares, and is a fighter. He also has a lower rate and more importantly does not nickel and dime. He will call you too to discuss the case. Call him old school but he is very solid. His name is John Gaertner. Good luck.
The entire team at Hildebrand Law was excellent in every aspect of my custody case. Kent Millward and Karla Spaulding-Huft were fantastic. Everyone was extremely helpful and professional throughout the entire process. Their preparation and dedication to my case helped ensure a winning ruling. I have and will continue to refer anyone going through a challenging situation to speak with Chris and his team.
Michael Clancy worked with us on 2 cases. He was thorough and always listened to our concerns and needs. Very professional while still being personable. He and his staff made us feel as though our cases were important and gave us realistic expectations of the outcomes.
When it comes to civil/family law matters that needs to be resolved in the court , I highly recommend Hildebrand Law Firm. In my case an international abduction of a minor was involved - a very sensitive and risky topic. They handle everything very professionally, and we won the case due to their experience and expertise in State Law / Federal Law & international Law (Hague Convention). They are great, in every aspect and I highly suggest Hilderbrand Law Firm for a matter as such.
K.I.
I've worked with both Chris himself as well as other lawyers at his firm such as Chris Noel. I found them trustworthy, compassionate, great advisors, and very serious and strong advocates for my rights. I would recommend them to any friend without reservation. I hope you never need their services but they are good people to have in your corner.