When talking to an attorney friend of mine and later to a business coach of mine, both independently referred Shane to me as an excellent family law attorney. I could never have imagined someone handling my divorce in such an amazing way. From a legal perspective, Shane, really knows and understands the law and really made the opposing attorney look clueless in comparison (not intentionally). He can help you clearly understand all your options and the likely outcome of each one based on his knowledge of the facts and his experience with other attorneys and judges. From a personal experience, I felt a lot of compassion and sincerity from Shane. He's great at calming nerves and removing the unwarranted fears that may be bouncing around in your mind during such a stressful situation. There were a number of decisions that I felt I needed to make that were not in my best interest legally, but I felt that he and his staff were very understanding of that. They gave me excellent advise and helped me understand very clearly the potential consequences of any actions I might take, but at the end of the day let me follow my own convictions. There was excellent communication with me at all times of what was going on throughout the process - to the point that my spouse began contacting me to figure out where things stood rather than her own counsel. read more

If you are in need of a family lawyer, do yourself a favor and add McFarland Law to your consultation list. I worked directly with Shane and found him knowledgeable, steady, and judicious in the use of his time and yours. I have since heard from people who worked opposite Shane in legal proceedings that he is an excellent lawyer; I don't know if there is much higher recommendation than that. read more

I recommend Shane McFarland without hesitation. He handled my divorce 3 years ago and just recently I had some unforeseen issues pop up. Shane responded to me quickly and with the right advice. You can trust Shane has you and you're families best interest at heart even after the divorce is final. read more

You would never say "I had the pleasure of being represented" by your family law attorney, because family law is rarely pleasurable. In fact it can be a pretty downright ugly and the family attorney perhaps doesn't get enough credit for doing what is one of the "dirtiest" white collar jobs you can find -- first they must survey the wreckage of the marriage and often of a whole family, sometimes performing a kind of bedside triage for the individual. From there, the job is to shepherd you from shambles to a hopefully decent outcome. It's an arduous, contentious, and even cantankerous process, and many attorneys will casually bilk their clients by choosing choice moments to let oxygen in the flu, letting their clients run hotter and the proceedings run longer. Amidst all this Shane McFarlane must be a rare species, a total class act, whose equanimity plays as strength, and whose command of his craft ought to put the client at ease--and also at advantage. Shane was successful for me both as prognosticator of outcomes and also as cunning swashbuckler, parrying opposing counsel's attempted blows deftly and tactfully. Thus while I can't say it was pleasurable, I would gladly and vociferously recommend and even marvel at the McFarland law firm. To bear witness day in and day out to this slice of human life while always keeping it classy, to play a custodial role amidst bullshit without losing ones cool, and to somehow do it all with ones wife as a business partner -- these are achievements that probably deserve more recognition than we will ever be equipped to provide. Suffice to say, thank you Shane, I'm proud of myself for hiring you, it was the first good decision I made coming off a streak of bad ones, and I never had to second-guess it. read more

We hired Shane to assist us with a second parent adoption. From the initial meeting, we felt very at ease and confident that we were in the right place. Once we started the process things moved smoothly. After deciding to move - and failing to notify his office of this change - Michelle (Paralegal that works with Shane) BENT OVER BACKWARDS to accommodate us with our move and all of the details pertaining to our case. We definitely made things complicated for her (not intentionally!) but she stayed positive and went above and beyond to get the outcome we needed. I would not doubt the integrity of anyone that works in this office. When they say they are going to do something, they really will try their hardest to make it happen. We will be forever thankful for all of Shane and Michelle's help! I would not hesitate to hire him again in the event we need further assistance. Thank you Shane, Michelle, and the entire office for helping me adopt my son :) read more

R. Shane McFarland - Divorce & Family Law Near Me - Austin, Texas

Shane to the rescue... I can't begin to thank you enough for how much you helped me. I met you during the worst time in my life, full of nothing but trouble and heartache. Finding an attorney was an overwhelming task till I met you. I have to say that having you as my attorney was the answer to my prayers. Thanks for your advice,compassion, and expertise. Going through a divorce is the hardest legal battle I have yet to experience, and I want to thank you for changing that for me. You have taken a burden off my life. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. I will be forever grateful to you and all your staff for the kindness you have shown to me. read more

Shane and his team are amazing. I went through a very difficult divorce. My ex-wife wanted to move with the boys and made every step of the divorce as painful as possible. Shane and his team were always there to calm me down and tell me what would happen. His knowledge of the law was very impressive. Every time we had to go to court he could always tell me how it would go and his predictions were accurate on how thing would turn out. The final trial was a jury trial, something that doesn't happen often for divorce cases in Travis County. Shane was able to explain to 11 out of 12 jurors why it would be best for me, the father, to have primary custody of the children. This is not an easy thing to do in such a liberal county. I couldn't have made a better choice than Shane McFarland and his team. Michelle, his legal assistant, helped so much that by the end they all welt like part of the family. I truly think they felt they had more in the case than just another client. read more

I was referred to R. Shane McFarland from another attorney in 2011. I scheduled an appointment and stated my case to him. The case was about child custody. Shane and his team immediately started requesting information to to build a strong defense. His Paralegal, Michelle Iglesias was a great help in this process and easily answered the majority of my question. I was extremely impressed with the level of communication. Mr. McFarland was able to aid me in settling out of court and got me a positive resolution that I could at least work with going forward. I called upon the services of R. Shane McFarland once again in January 2017. This time to clarify a detail of the original order. With the same urgency and attention to detail, Mr. McFarland, Michelle, and team got to work. Everything was handled in a quick and timely manner. I couldn't have asked for more composure and professionalism. The detail was in fact clarified and once again I am able to move on. During these stressful times, Shane and Michelle were able to explain legalities and procedures in a calming demeanor. I will say one last thing, the key to successful representation is 100% honesty and hard work on the clients part. If and when I need legal help or advice concerning family law in the future, I will be contacting R. Shane McFarland. read more

Mr McFarland has represented me in an extremely difficult family law case for a number of years now. He has always been pragmatic (realistic) about what can be accomplished, he stays calm, grounded and focused, and he clearly has the respect of his peers and the staff at the courthouse. He and his staff are meticulous and thorough, and I've never had any difficulty in communicating with him or his staff, or in understanding any aspect of my case. Mr McFarland's professional approach can certainly help you disconnect from any of the confrontation and grief presented by the other party, and in adopting a business-like approach to resolving the issues in your case. He works to avoid escalating issues. I have frequently seen Mr. McFarland propose solutions to settle issues in a way that would benefit both parties, without resorting to costly and bitter court hearings, and without capitulating. I feel that if there is a reasonable and direct way to settle an issue, Mr McFarland will find it. Mr. McFarland has been excellent in working with Guardian Ad Litems, CPS agents, Mediators, Counselors, Exchange and Visitation facilitators, and many other entities that can become involved in a family law case, explaining their role in the case, understanding their concerns and expectations, and firmly (professionally) standing his ground when necessary. His para-legal, Michelle, has been a fantastic amount of help when I've needed to organize and prepare paperwork demanded by the other party, or in explaining many of the crazy things that go on in court. I have every confidence that my issues will be taken care of, the language in my orders will be clear and concise, all documents are properly filed, and they won't come back to haunt me later. If your intent is to resolve the issues without undue grief and get on with your life, I think it is well worth your time to discuss your case with him. read more

Still using Shane's services since 2007. This is an update, so I hope you'll see my previous review as well. Shane and Michelle continue to be a dynamic duo. They have helped me with yet another suit by my ex-husband. They took great care of everything during the entire process. I provided them with documents and knew they were in extremely capable hands and frankly didn't give them a second thought. Shane (as usual) used his superb knowledge of the law to squelch the efforts of my ex's attorney. At the trial, he made every word count and things turned out very well for me ... ummm ... not so great for my ex. My ex has had 7 attorneys since this all started in 2007. He's obsessive and likes to go to court. Shane ensures we win EVERY time and avoid court as much as possible. He is clearly known well by and respected by the judges. Michelle continues to be compassionate, organized, and stellar at her job. She remembers everything! Shane continues to be the expert I hired in 2007. I appreciate his vast knowledge of the law, and the fact that he is board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization - a truly difficult certificate to obtain that declares him specialized in family law. I also appreciate his calm demeanor (though in the court setting, I have to say it's like a calm viper making calculated strikes lol). I like that he is down to earth, easy to talk to and clearly cares about our case. Winning combination! read more

Shane is a good, no nonsense, family law attorney who represented me in court to recover from a do-it-yourself divorce. He was referred by the Texas Fatherhood Initiative - a non-profit group that helps men in divorce issues. He represented me competently, and within the cost of the retainer that he required initially (there were some very minor $50-ish charges following), and his billable hours always made sense. He's not the kind of attorney that tries to get it done with flare. He's not the glad-handed political type who smiles big and promises you the world. He calmly aims at the target and hits it. I would very much want him sitting at my table (see the 1-star Colby review for the view from the other table). BTW: don't ever do a do-it-yourself'er. People change. Loose ends arise and it gets messy. Find the money to cut the ties the right way the first time. read more

Particularly a HUGE fan of his Legal Assistant, Michelle - I wish she was my lawyer or my therapist, or BOTH! She has a ton of passion for her clients! McFarland lacks the passion or personal interest in his clients but he's well-respected in the Austin legal community and is confident in the courtroom. They got me 50/50 custody and I'm grateful but I definitely felt like a "back-burner" case with Shane. My only regret is not listening to Michelle when she told me to be patient and try to get a better deal from my ex. I was just ready to be free but now I know, I should have listened! ;D read more

Shane and Michelle helped me so much during a very difficult and stressful time in my life. They gave me strength, clarity and confidence during the law suit. His office is beyond efficient and professional. The communication between Shane, Michelle and myself as well as with the opposing legal counsel was timely executed,clear and explicit. I was always given the best expert advice every available option laid out with sincerity. Their dynamic was the perfect balance of empathy/compassion and professionalism/leadership that one would hope to have in an emotional situation that is family court. I hope I don't have to use their services again but if I do I feel confident knowing I have them by my side. read more

Shane was great!! We went to him to help with our custody case for my husbands son. Shane and Michelle kept good contact with us throughout the process. They were professional and realistic about what could and could not be done in court. A lot of lawyers will tell you ANYTHING to get your retainer. Michelle is what clinched the deal for me. We met her before actually retaining Shane and she was so down to earth and professional. She explained the process and was very honest about everything from the beginning. I would send all of my friends and family to Shane for any family legal problems, he can handle whatever is thrown at him. When it comes to lawyers, you get what you pay for. Shane was worth every cent! read more