With nearly 40 years of experience, Michael Yates is recognized as one of Oregon’s preeminent family law attorneys. He has been included in the annual editions of The Best Lawyers in America since 2003, and is consistently named as an "Oregon Super Lawyer", a recognition of the top 5% of practicing Oregon attorneys, as determined by a rigorous peer review process. Michael was recently named in the 2022 Edition of Oregon Super Lawyers Top 10. Michael was also named the Best Lawyers' 2011 and 2016 Portland, OR Family Lawyer of the Year. The Lawyer of the Year award is an extremely prestigious honor named to only one lawyer per practice area within each metropolitan region, based on the highest peer ratings received. In 2016, Michael received the Oregon State Bar Family Law Section’s Professionalism Award. He maintains an AV® Preeminenttm rating from Martindale-Hubbell - the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards.
Michael obtained his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Kent State University, and graduated from The Ohio State University College of Law with honors in 1983. He is admitted to practice law in the state of Oregon. Michael is a member of the Multnomah, Washington County and Clackamas County Bar Associations.
Michael sits as a Judge pro tem for the Multnomah County Circuit Court Judicial Settlement Conference Program. He also is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and is active in its Oregon Chapter, currently acting as its Treasurer. Additionally, Michael serves on the Board of Directors of the Oregon Academy of Family Law Practitioners (OAFLP) and was its 2003 board president, and has volunteered for the Legal Aid Services of Oregon’s Pro Se Assistance Project (ProSAP). Michael is a frequent speaker on family law related topics.
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