Michelle May O'Neil founded The May Firm in 2003 with the goal of providing the client with the knowdedge of a "big firm" family law attorney combined with the personal attention of a small firm. Over her 17+ years as a Board Certified Family Law Specialist (Texas Board of Legal Specialization) family law practitioner, Ms. O'Neil has worked in both large and small family law firms and in so doing, gained expertise with family law cases at all levels of the spectrum - small child custody cases to large value divorce property divisions. The firm exclusively represents clients in family law matters, including child custody disputes, comples marital property litigation, and appeals of family law matters.
Our Attorneys Michelle May O'Neil Ashley Bowline Our Support Staff Christina Garcia - Paralegal Christina Garcia graduated from El Centro College with an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies and has been Ms. O’Neil’s paralegal since November 2000. Ms. Garcia’s professionalism is praised by all attorneys, staff, and clients with whom she comes into contact. Bill Iott - Firm Administrator Mr. Iott, owner of Legal Works Consulting, has served as The May Firm’s administrator for 5 years. He provides services related to client billing, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and human resources.

FAMILY LAW LITIGATION

Family legal matters can be emotionally and financially draining. It is, therefore, imperative that you have legal counsel who can assist in developing a strategy to successfully navigate this difficult time. At The May Firm, we will help you understand the laws that apply to your case, including the various options and potential outcomes. We will assist you in making informed choices when facing some of the most important decisions of your life.

In litigation, we make formidable opponents in the courtroom, presenting your case in the best light for you, with an aggressive stance when necessary. However, there are many times where certain matters may be resolved without litigation. Our attorneys will actively pursue alternative dispute resolution methods, including negotiation and mediation when it will best serve the client’s goals and objectives.

Family law includes the following areas:

FAMILY LAW APPEALS

Sometimes trial courts and juries make mistakes. In almost every case, the party that loses thinks the trial court or jury made a mistake. Since there are very short time periods within which to complain about a mistake made at trial, it is imperative to consult an appeallate lawyer before or very soon after the trial is over.

An appellate lawyer's skills are different from those of a trial lawyer. Where good trial lawyers are adept at ferreting out information through discovery, examination of witnesses, and making persuasive oral presentations in court, the appellate lawyer must be talented in persuasive writing. On appeal, the focus shifts from developing facts to mastering the record, researching legal principles, understanding subtle distinctions and emerging legal trends, exploring creative analogies and guiding policy considerations that shape the law, and then assembling everything in a concise, persuasively written brief.

At The May Firm, we will assist the client in understanding the appellate process while providing high quality legal services tempered with sound practical advice and the wisdom of experience. We have handled appellate matters ranging in importance from leading decisions that will affect an entire area of law to narrow procedural issues that affect one client on a single aspect of an individual case. Some areas of appellate practice include: