Review of Attorney Galen Criscione / Criscione Ravala, LLP…read moreI hired attorney Galen Criscione to represent me in a defamation lawsuit after I spoke out about poor dental work. By the time he became my attorney, it was too late to file a dental malpractice claim. I paid him a flat fee of $20,000 for representation in two cases. After receiving payment, he went on vacation and I didn't hear from him for about a month. He had promised to come to Florida to meet with me but never did. Over the next eight months, he did no meaningful discovery -- he never reviewed the ledgers, notes, or other evidence in the case, and he did not perform the basic groundwork any competent attorney would do. At one point, a Florida judge gave him two weeks to revise a motion he had filed. He refused to make the revisions, and the judge sanctioned us about $6,000, most of which I had to pay. When I asked him why he didn't fix it, he told me he "wasn't worried about the sanctions," which clearly showed he wasn't acting in my best interest. When I later filed for binding arbitration in New York under his own written contract, the arbitrator awarded me $10,000. His agreement specifically states: "You waive your right to a de novo review of the fee dispute arbitration panel's decision, which you agree shall be final and binding." Despite that, he refused to pay anything, offered me $1,000 instead of the $10,000 award, and then filed a lawsuit against me -- violating his own contract. He's even claimed that he "spent more money than he was paid," despite the fact that he agreed to a flat fee and did little to no substantive work. Because he took the $20,000 I needed for legal representation, I was forced to represent myself (pro se) for over a year while dealing with this ongoing defamation case, which has now dragged on for two years. I'm a 67-year-old first responder and former employee of the New York Supreme Court. I've always tried to do what's right, but this experience has been devastating. I'm sharing my story so that others can make an informed decision before hiring this attorney.

My experience with Criscione Ravala is outstanding! Always professional, courteous, and generous…read more They have a way of making me feel like I am the most important client and give me a sense of true connection and significance. I encourage anyone who is reading this to give them a call and start working with them now.

Best attorney in the area! Being represented by Mr. Ramadan is like having a heavy weight champ in…read moreyour corner only with the finesse of a skilled surgeon. Incredible attention to detail. Highly Knowledgeable, Best representation ever. Excellent law firm, very caring and professional staff. I would recommend to anyone in search of attorney in NY and North NJ.. Incredibly compassionate, insightful attorney. You could NOT do better than Mahmoud Ramadan!

If I could give this guy a minus one thousand stars I would. I paid him to represent me, and not…read moreonly did he do nothing, he couldn't be bothered to return my calls. Completely worthless. Long story short, a company I did business with was claiming (in error) I owed them money, when in fact my account was paid in full. Month after month I would have conversations with their bookkeeper and manager, trying to get my account straightened out. I had cancelled checks that were not applied to my account or only partially applied, you name it. Their records were a real mess. I would send them a check, see it clear my account and then a week later they would call and tell me they hadn't received it. After a year of trying to fix this, I was astonished when they filed a suit in court. I went to Mr. Ramadan with all my cancelled checks, records, contract and a spreadsheet that detailed all my payments and showed him what had not been applied to my account. I sat down and explained everything to him, showed him in black and white with proof and hired him to get them to correct their records and dismiss the case. He said he would handle it. I called him a few times over the next few weeks and he did not return any of my calls. Finally, the night before the court date, I cornered him in his office. And he says ... they faxed me a statement showing you owe $$$, so he can't do anything because I "owe them money". No you freaking moron, I don't. I hit the roof. I told him again that I had seen that statement at least two dozen times and my point was that I had made nearly $1,000.00 worth of payments that had not been credited to my account, and it was his job to get them to correct their records since all I ever got from them was the run-around. I was livid. I seriously thought I was going to start foaming at the mouth. I paid Mr. Ramadan a lot of money and he did nothing. I ended up having to hire another attorney that night (and believe me, getting someone at the last minute was not cheap) to represent me the next morning, and to file a counterclaim on my behalf. Months later, the attorney for the company agreed they had made a mistake and offered me a token settlement on my counterclaim ($500). That didn't even come close to the legal fees I paid, and if Mr. Ramadan had done his job to begin with, I wouldn't have incurred most of those fees. My only satisfaction was that the bookkeeper and manager of the company that screwed up both lost their jobs.

We were recommended to Mr. Wei and his paralegal Adina Savu by a friend who had amazing…read moreresults--and we're so glad we listened. From the very first day, they were professional, responsive, and truly reassuring. We came to them feeling hopeless, but they saw us immediately, gave us real answers, and helped us get a response faster than we ever expected. Their guidance and support made all the difference. We only wish we had found them sooner! Highly recommend to anyone navigating the immigration process.

I don't know where to start ! Gary ... help my husband and I know it wasn't easy ... We come back…read moreto help me and Gary send Us to Adina . Adina ..... you are the best ! from the beginning she's was so profesional and so friendly , explained everything to us one by one so we could understand , make easy for us with the papers , basically she treat us like her family ! I cannot describe how much me and my husband are thankful to you . We trust her from the very begging . All the questions, phone calls , texts message , we didn't have to wait long for her respond , didn't matter if it was Saturday or Sunday she was always on the other end !! we are very happy and grateful for all of your help . Thank you thank you thank you Adina !

I hired this woman for a divorce case in 2007. I originally got the feeling from her, that she…read morereally cared, and wanted to get the job done. Instead, she allowed the case to drag along for nearly four years.She never protested the numerous delays caused by the defence, and only seemed to care about the money. Her attitude toward me became cold, indifferant, and totally uncaring, and seemed to care more for the defendant, and her well being, than me. She never communicated with me regarding the case, unless we were in court, and even then treated me as if I were an imbicil. Were I to have had the financial resources to fire her, and hire a Male lawyer, believe me, I would have. While divorce is never plesant, one's lawyer is supposed to give support, and some sort of confidance to the Client She , as previously stated, allowed the case to drag along for nearly four years. Upon completion, and at a cost of over ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) for her fees, not including the Spousal support of eight hundred dollars ($800.00) a month, refused to even assist me in obtaining the Paperwork (Final Decree of Divorce) from Queens Supreme Court. If you are a Male, DO NOT USE THIS LAWYER FOR A DIVORCE!! As far as I am concerned, if there were to be a negative rating for her, I would give her the absolute lowest of the low ratings!.

I found Ms Torchin to be an honest and capable advocate. She helped me through a rather complicated…read morelegal issue with efficiency and good humor. Highly recommended and yes my friends have used her also

I was referred to attorney Dan Brecher at Scarinci Hollenbeck through the New York City Bar Legal…read moreReferral Service, which advertised a $35 consultation. Unfortunately, my experience was very negative. During the consultation, Mr. Brecher reviewed a simple three-page agreement that I had provided in advance at his request. I reasonably understood that this review was included in the advertised $35 consultation. However, after I signed an engagement letter, I was later billed an additional full hour at his regular rate ($750) for reviewing the same document again--work that I did not request and that was not necessary for the limited task for which I retained him, namely assistance with drafting a Repayment Agreement. I only became aware of this charge when I received the final invoice after the matter had concluded. While the consultation fee was clearly advertised as $35, it was not disclosed that reviewing the same document immediately afterward would be billed separately at a full hourly rate. This experience reflects a broader lack of transparency regarding fees during the representation. Despite requesting periodic billing statements multiple times, I did not receive any until the end of the matter. As a result, I had no meaningful opportunity to monitor, question, or address charges as they were incurred. Several charges also appeared duplicative or unrelated to substantive legal work. For example, I was billed for a brief phone call that the attorney initiated after the matter had already concluded. The call did not involve legal advice or substantive work, and I initially understood it to be a routine courtesy or check-in until I later saw it listed on the invoice. The billed time also appeared to be nearly double the actual duration of the call. Based on my experience, I would not choose to retain this attorney again. I share this to help others make an informed decision.

Dan Brecher represented me in a very challenging case and did a superb job of convincing the judge…read moreto provide the relief I had asked for . He was supportive, very reasonable in his billings and I recommend him to anyone with a challenging matter

Horrible firm. They settled my case for what seemed like a fair amount, but then told me I would…read morereceive a certain payout. When I went to pick up my check, it was $17,000 less than what they had told me the day before. They also held back a portion of my settlement for an additional five months, saying it was due to standard paperwork processing. When they finally called me into the office to pick up the remaining money, it ended up being $11,000 less than what I was told the previous day. One lawyer, James Neville, seemed honest and trustworthy, but the rest of the team was very disappointing and untrustworth.

Please avoid these unethical ambulance chasers! My s/o was involved in a serious car accident and…read morewhile attempting to recover in the icu these folks sent text and a paralegal to see him (while sedated and on the ventilator). Attached are the text messages sent and the picture and business card from the paralegal that came. The incident was immediately reported to hospital police, FDNY (fdny ems transported him to the hospital and I'm not sure if the breach occurred with ems or hospital staff) hospital administrators (as this was a HIPPA violation).

Elizabeth Barna is considered one of the foremost attorneys in the field of refugee law. Quiet and…read moreunassuming but very knowledgeable, she has helped hundreds of people. She is very caring, and takes a personal interest in her clients. I have seen her talking with equal respect and care with an old woman who didn't speak any English and a young executive. She remembers details of her cases and names of her clients and seems to really care about her work and the underlying cause. Her fees are reasonable, and she can offer a comfortable paying plan to clients who need to pay in installments. She is also well connected and has a staple of expert witnesses that she calls on to write affidavits for the court.

Never thought I'd say I love a lawyers office before but I do…read more The staff is friendly and professional, the office is clean and cool, the lawyer is knowledgeable and understanding. At first I thought they just dealt with immigration but I was immediately corrected. They are fully versed in all realms of law. So feel safe knowing that they can help you with any and all issues. Documents are filed in a timely manner and they continuously follow up to remain abreast to your situation. Again they are very helpful and unlike many other offices I've been to this one isn't st all pushy. I'd gladly give them six stars if they got a bigger office, lol.