Michael Eric Manely

Michael has practiced law for over 23 years, and handled over 2,000 cases. He is admitted to practice in all Georgia courts and federal courts in the Northern and Middle District of Georgia, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and The United States Supreme Court. Michael has built a progressive practice and a reputation for winning difficult, controversial and high profile cases. He has successfully represented hundreds of mothers and fathers in state, federal and international divorce, custody and child support cases.

In the last 10 years Michael has added three family law associates and expanded his personal case load to increasingly handle international family law, particularly Hague Child Abduction and Retention cases. Michael has become one of the most sought after international family law attorneys in Georgia and the southeast. Michael has handled matters to successful resolution on all continents of the world, with the exception of Antarctica. (Not much family law work in Antarctica.) With the help of his excellent staff, Michael coordinates with The State Department and has always found exceptional cooperating counsel and court systems in jurisdictions throughout the world.

Just two examples from 2010: after a lengthy Hague Abduction trial, Michael brought back two little girls from Cyprus where they had been unlawfully retained by their mother. In November, Michael prevented a mother from boarding a flight to Nigeria with the parties' child after only 24 hours notice, by coordinating the assistance of the State Department, Homeland Security, Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport Police, the Atlanta Police Department, and multiple commercial airlines.

Michael graduated from Georgia State University College of Law in 1989 in the top 25% of his class. He was Student Bar Association President, Lead Counsel of two YLS Georgia Championship Mock Trial Teams, and named Outstanding Student Litigator by the American Board of Trial Advocacy.

Michael’s professional affiliations include the State of Georgia Bar Association Family Law Section, the Cobb County Bar Association, and the International Society for Family Law. He organized the Cobb County branch of the Georgia State University College of Law Alumni Association. He is a past president of the GSU College of Law Alumni Society. He writes and lectures on International Family Law and Hague Abduction and Retention under The International Child Abduction and Retention Act to fellow family law practitioners.