I reached out to Fields and Dennis to get information on Special Needs Planning/ documents and learn how they work. Aside from office staff being incredibly rude it seems Sheryl handles many areas of law and is not necessarily a "Special Needs" planner/ lawyer as she listed on the website and in her video. She seems nice enough in her video but when the office is so rude to potential clients that is a red flag. Its not 100% clear but it appears this is primarily a litigation firm that does estate planning on the side and then maybe?? has some interest in Special Needs? You can tell this from the fact they have an "intake" person - Kelly - who is quite condescending. Firms that take on cases have "intake" staff. This is not what one expects from an estate planning lawyer/office let alone one that claims to focus on Special Needs. This is particularly egregious as too many law firms and planners claim to handle Special Needs planning when really they just see as a slight variation on regular trusts - which is what causes issues for families down the road. They don't have the depth of knowledge or vested interest that TRUE Special Needs planners and lawyers have. Can only hope that eventually these type of law firms will catch on that having staff condescend to and treat potential clients rudely is not a winning formula. read more

Vicki Shemin and Jonathan Fields represented me for a simple divorce. It was a short-term marriage with no children. No discovery was done and we only appeared in Court twice, once for a motion hearing and again to present a full settlement agreement. The emergency motion was filed by my ex-husband and only necessary due to Attorney Shemim's advice for me to change the locks to our former marital home. This was an action I wouldn't have taken otherwise, ultimately escalated the amount of animosity in the case and the judge disapprovingly viewed as a form of self-help. Somehow this all amounted to attorney's fees exceeding $82,000, the last $19,000 or so I am being repeatedly hounded for while several requests to discuss my billing continue to be ignored. Their paralegal has an hourly rate comparable to what many firms charge for a mid-level associate, and over billed for simple administrative tasks (i.e. two hours to divide the numbers on my biweekly paycheck in half). This was not a high-net worth case, there were no unusual or extraordinary issues to be dealt with, and the total amount billed for a matter that was resolved in less than a year actually exceeded the amount I received as a settlement. I would have ended up in a better position financially if I didn't have counsel at all. I ended up negotiating the final terms of the settlement directly with my ex anyway. Perhaps this firm is great for those who are extremely wealthy where the total amount of legal fees is of no concern, but for anyone like myself, making a living as an RN, expect to pay top-notch prices while consistently being treated as a low-priority client. There are certainly better options out there. read more

I hired to get 51A uncontested. On the phone, said job could be done for $5,000. Cost rose to over $10,000. Retainer fee was never returned and kept, although I'm sure they would rebut. My plans changed since my daughter, at the age of 6, asked for more time with me and I asked for contested. Mom lived nearby (maybe 3 - 4 miles away) and we both had full-time jobs. Yet, lawyer (Wendy Murstein) advocated I only ask for 8 hours more a week, rather than asking the judge for 50-50. I foolishly went along. In hindsight, should've let the judge make a decision to see if there could be 50-50. Too late now. Steer clear. read more

Unfortunately I had to deal with James O'Connell during my divorce. The way he dragged my divorce on was purely and solely for his monetary benefit. It is truly sad how he felt the need to carry out a several days long deposition which was totally unnecessary and extremely costly. Think wisely before using his services unless you have unlimited funds and no budget. read more

I came to Fields and Dennis because a friend referred me and spoke highly of them. I was not disappointed. I found Jonathan Fields to be compassionate and knowledgeable, and skillful at managing my aggressive ex-husband and his aggressive lawyer. Would highly recommend. read more

I have been privileged to know Jonathan Fields and Sheryl Dennis in a professional capacity for over 10 years. When my parents needed help and advice with their estate plan, I was glad to recommend Fields and Dennis LLP. They were able to listen and make my parents comfortable and answered all of their questions. With help from Sheryl, they established a plan that met our family's needs and we are thankful that we did. My parents had a great experience and was able to participate in the process. I would recommend the firm to friends and family without hesitation. read more

Fields and Dennis - The main office entrance. - Divorce & Family Law Near Me - Wellesley, Massachusetts

Summary: Fields is incompetent and classless I hired Attorney Fields and his team to represent me in a highly litigious divorce. He was the second attorney I brought on after four years of gross injustice. At the time, I was defending myself with a fair bit of success but unfortunately became very ill and was forced to outsource the process. I take responsibility for failing to diligence him adequately - what a terrible mistake. It cost me dearly. Fields and his partner Wendy Murstein proved to be grossly incompetent. They take absolutely no pride in their work and do not believe in a results oriented approach. Although they charge like Tier One attorneys, their work product, litigation and argument skills, presence and demeanor are abhorrent. They failed at every critical juncture in the case and I later uncovered that they were in collusion with opposing counsel and the myriad of third party leaches ordered into the case by the Court. Under their leadership, I was stripped of custody of my two kids, my right to see and parent my kids, all of my earnings and the bulk of my assets. All of this transpired during months that I was in the hospital fighting for my life. In every legal case there will be a loser and a winner. Fields is not just a loser, however, he is a classless thief. His reaction to his string of failures was to attempt to abandon the case by falsely accusing me of lying to him and the court about my health. He filed paperwork to withdraw days before I almost died on the operating table. I ended up having to fight him (my own lawyer) in Court from my hospital bed. His motion was of course overturned. The Judge found that he was attempting to drop the case before it went to trial despite having already billed hundreds of thousands of dollars for the trial prep. The Court's decision, while gratifying, turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory. Fields was forced to continue to represent me but he did so with a combination of incompetence and spite that the BBO lawyers believe will be grounds for disbarment. I have never been treated with such disrespect, especially from someone working for me to whom I paid such gargantuan sums. I would write the majority of his briefs and would give him a script to read in Court. He would alter my written work and refuse to follow instruction. In Court, rather than read what I wrote, he would mutter extemporaneously, meekly and at times incomprehensibly. It was soul crushing to watch and listen to his (and ultimately my) debacle. In the end, I would have been better off defending myself half dead from the ICU. As I alluded to above, I am working with the BBO to have Fields disbarred but obviously this will require some time. In the meantime, I hope this review will prevent other prospective clients from the devastation of hiring this soon to be insolvent crook. read more

John Fields was a mess. Had no knowledge of our case during the meeting and did not even know our kids names. Then, he charged us over double what he should have. We then had to call and ask why we were charged that much and were told they made a mistake. STAY AWAY! Much better Mediators/Family HONEST Lawyers out there. read more

I highly recommend the Law Offices of Fields and Dennis for anyone going through a divorce. I came to Jon Fields and Vicki Shemin being frustrated with my divorce situation. From the moment I hired these attorneys I felt at ease. In a week they had a deep understanding of my case, came up with effective strategies which eventually led to the best possible result of the case. Jon and Vicki impressed me by their excellent legal expertise, clear knowledge of all aspects of family law, strategic thinking and good judgment. They are very efficient, detail oriented, extremely thorough in their preparation. From our first meeting to our final court appearance, they established goals and set expectations, clearly advised me on the law, kept communication lines open and were very responsive to my questions and/or concerns throughout the process. When communicating with Jon and Vicki I always felt that I receive that best possible advice for my particular situation. Jon Fields represented me in the court. He was well-prepared, confident, very skilled and objective in his courtroom presentations. I am extremely happy with the outcome of my case and with the way my case was handled which made a hard time in my life a lot easier. Many thanks! read more