Letter of Recommendation for Michelle J. Perkins Esq.

This may be a first in the History of Divorce – a letter of recommendation for your wife’s attorney!!! First, a little background: In August 2013, my wife hired Michelle Perkins to represent her and filed for divorce. After 17 years of marriage, we had accumulated assets and had ownership in a successful small business and numerous other mutual holdings and interests. While our children are adults, our agreement did involve spousal maintenance. The point being, it was complicated and there was plenty to ‘fight over’. But we were not “at war”! And if you are reading this in the early stages of a divorce, I implore you, go to a paintball course, but don’t use a divorce proceeding as a means to inflict pain for the hurt you feel! The ricochet will hurt you too!!! The other key factor is that I did not rush out and get my own “representation”. I hired an attorney for “consultation”, but not to “represent” me. This is an important distinction; since I was not being “represented”, I was able to speak directly with Michelle and my wife: Whereas if I were being “represented”, no conversations would have occurred without my attorney being present too….and you know what happens when you get two of them together (sorry Michelle)! I figured I could always go that route if necessary, but in the end, I never needed to. I have no doubt that Michelle is capable of “going to war” on your behalf; I’m just happy that she never had to. What impressed me first with Michelle was rather than jumping-in and saying “here’s how it is”, she took the time to understand us, our tone, and our objectives. She did her job and “represented” my wife. She ensured the issues were clearly understood and made sure the agreement was fair. But she also recognizes that an amicable solution requires negotiation and give-and-take, by both parties. In many ways, I found Michelle to be a facilitator. She has many years of experience and has seen structures and agreements that work, and those that don’t, and was able to provide suggestions throughout the process for us to consider. Perhaps our biggest challenge was not reaching agreement, but the Agreement itself. It was complicated legal document. Michelle took our agreement in principle and crafted a sound legal document that can be clearly interpreted and enforced. A poorly written agreement is detrimental to both parties! Michelle enlisted independent support from other attorneys in her office who were unfamiliar with our case to ensure the Agreement was unambiguous without further explanation. And despite multiple iterations, largely on my part, Michelle never demonstrated frustration or irritation. Lastly, I found Michelle to be personable, yet direct. She communicates clearly and effectively, and always maintained the highest standard of professionalism. Divorce isn’t fun, but we did find moments to laugh. And thanks to Michelle, we did not destroy ourselves or each other, and we remain great friends! With heartfelt gratitude for helping us through a very difficult process, I highly recommend Michelle Perkins.