I recently had the privilege of working with Matthew Kalwinsky of the Taff, Davies and Kalwinsky…read moreLaw Firm. Matthew Kalwinsky was referred to me by a close friend who used him when her mother passed away a few years ago.
My mother passed unexpectedly, and we were all thrown for a loop. It was a very difficult time for all us and as we continue to navigate life without her, we are still dealing with the loss.
Since I was named the sole Executrix by my mother, it was my responsibility to carry out her wishes which I did to the letter. In grieving for my mother, I was also fulfilling my responsibilities as Executrix in addition to putting work into her home so it would sell it for more than what was owed on the mortgage.
I felt the need to have professional guidance from an attorney to ensure I am fulfilling my Executrix responsibilities correctly, especially since I knew I would have some difficulty with a family member not even mentioned in the estate.
The initial consult with Matt was an hour long. He explained the process to me, answered all of my questions & showed me nothing but respect. I did not feel rushed during that meeting and Matt put me at ease. Another thing I appreciated was the fact that when speaking to me or listening to me, Matt looked me in the eye. Those that don't look me in the eye makes me uneasy & I find it hard to trust them, especially if its' in a professional setting. In a sensitive situation like losing a family member, it's important to feel you can trust your attorney and I can say from the moment of our first meeting, I trusted Matt implicitly.
At that time of our first meeting, Matt also explained his fee. He made it very clear this is what you need to pay and if it goes over such and such amount of hours, this is what it would cost above and beyond. Due to unforeseen circumstances & additional bills that came in, the estate was charged more than the initial fee to cover the additional hours they spent on it. There are emails and phone calls to substantiate the extra charge.
Although Matt encouraged me to reach out whenever I had any questions, during the time in which Matt & his team were working on the informal accounting, I did not hound them with phone calls or emails. I did take into consideration that I am not the only client. I would periodically reach out to them for updates and they were forthcoming with their progress. There was a lot of paperwork in the file that had to be accounted for and although I did a lot of the work, Matt and his team had to verify it themselves before they could sign off on it. I would prefer an attorney take the time to go through everything rather than take my word for it & give me the green light to distribute to my sibling only to find out something was missed in the process which then comes back on me.
There was a negative review left for Matt by a family member that I would like to address.
There were 3 parties listed in my mother's will. My daughter, my sibling and I. No spouses were mentioned.
Although Matt's office sent an email to my sibling, along with documents that needed a signature, my sibling nor the spouse had any communication with Matt. My sibling was advised that it would be a conflict of interest for Matt to represent anybody other than myself or the estate and if they felt the need, they could hire their own attorney. My sibling and the spouse did not hire Matt to represent "their" executrix as mentioned in the negative review. As a matter of fact, they did not want me to hire an attorney and in doing so, it caused a great deal of friction.
Despite not having contact with Matt at Taff, Davies and Kalwinsky, the spouse left a 1 star review. Although I feel everybody is entitled to their opinion, when leaving a review for a company and/or a representative of the company, the reviewer should have had direct dealings with the party the review is being left for. That is not the case here.
Since I was the only one from the family that hired Matt & his firm, I should be the only one from the family to leave a review. The estate was not charged extra due to a negative review despite what my family member is claiming. As a matter of fact, before the negative review was posted, I was made aware of the extra time spent on the case. I was not blindsided by the extra charge nor do I feel as if we were charged extra due to a negative review.
I have no complaints about Matt or his team. On the contrary, I am very pleased. Throughout the process, I was treated with respect & compassion. Matt & the firm maintained the utmost professionalism as expected from a firm. They helped me navigate a legal process during a very difficult time. Matt and his team made sure that all paperwork pertaining to the estate was filled out and properly filed and they advised me of what steps to take in order to oversee the estate to the end.
If you want an attorney that will show you kindn
