4.5 stars. My husband's and my school district had tried to raise our property tax assessment based on the purchase price of our house, although they should have used either a 2012 base year or a current market value that was depreciated to 2012. The result was that my husband and I would pay significantly more property tax than our neighbors pay. My husband's coworkers recommended that we hire Flaherty Fardo, a law firm that was founded in 1997 and has expertise in tax appeals, to defend our real estate tax appeal. In April 2021, the attorney Nicole Hauptman Amick, who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Law and has worked for Flaherty Fardo for several years, was assigned to my husband's and my case. Nicole reviewed our case and the sales of other houses in our neighborhood before agreeing to work with us. She offered representation for either a flat rate of $1,000 or a 50% contingency of the total tax savings from the purchase price backward for relevant tax years. (Please note that other clients' prices might differ.) My husband and I decided to pay $1,000, and it included representation for the entire appeals process. Our payment could be made with either a check or an online payment through their website. I had read that house buyers who are unaware of significant damage and repairs at the time of purchase could use that information to prove that their tax assessment should be lower. Although my husband and I had hired a professional inspector to inspect our house before we bought it, the inspector had not noticed a few major issues that we ended up spending many thousands of dollars to remedy. In May, we emailed a two-page document with details and photos to Nicole, but my husband said that he never received a response, so I am deducting 0.5 stars from my review. In June, this law firm notified us that our Board of Property Assessment Appeals and Review (BPAAR) hearing was scheduled for July. My husband and I were not required to participate in the proceedings. I was not sure how to dial in to listen to the proceedings, but we trusted that Nicole would represent us well. In July, Nicole emailed us that the school board had argued that our assessment should be increased based on comparable sales. Nicole presented evidence for three other recent sales in our neighborhood, and she argued that those sales supported a value below our purchase price. *** In early November, Nicole told us that our property appeal decision was to increase our assessment by a small amount (~13%) rather than the large amount (~40%) that the school board had wanted. The school board had 30 days to appeal the decision, and in early December, Nicole told us that the school did not appeal. Nicole was successful in negotiating for a lower assessment! :) *** read more

I had a issue and Noah Fardo cared and handled it with the utmost grace. His attention and care to customer service is top notch. Thank you Mr. Fardo read more

I've read the reviews but mine is not so pleasant. Contacted this firm with my problem and I was thrown by the way site, even though they continued the process. Was only good for my payment. Be very careful who represents you. Will not return my call. read more

Property tax appeal was filed and completed by attorney Nicole Hauptman Amick of Flaherty Fardo LLC, she was excellent from start to finish. Nicole took the case on last minute after another attorney charged us double her flat fee and didn't get the job done. We were kept in the loop by Nicole throughout the process, and although it was protracted (by fault of the courts, not hers), she got us a fair and appropriate settlement and we couldn't be more pleased with the outcome. Thank you Nicole for bringing honesty and integrity to your profession. read more

These guys are great! I needed a consultation and got one for free. I talked with attorney Noah Paul Fardo and he was very helpful. He walked me through the entire process. What I am most impressed with is that he did not try to sell his services. Instead he advised the most cost effective way to help me and actually told me I was better off not hiring a lawyer for now. I think it is very rare for a lawyer to tell a potential client not to hire a lawyer, when it would have been so easy for him to sell his services and charge me, of which I was ready to hire and pay them. Thanks guys, I appreciate it. read more

So glad I found Noah & Nicole! I spent 16 months fighting 2012 & 2013 Allegheny County property assessment values on my own for a new home we built in 2011. I spoke to several attorneys to solicit advise on how to make sure my data and opinion on the right value was communicated to the decision makers effectively, but no one saw my point of view or was willing to bend from their cookie-cutter way of handling these appeals. Then I met Noah & Nicole. They spoke to me several times via phone to provide advice and then met me live so I could share all of my data and information with them. They saw my point of view and knew exactly how to approach the decision makers to communicate our request. Noah & Nicole brought tremendous value to the table and got me a value I didn't think would be possible given the 16 months of work I had put into the process. I recommend anyone with a legal issue to contact Noah & Nicole. They take pride in helping people and work with your best interests in mind. read more

Flaherty/Fardo was a blessing. We found them to be totally professional as well as personal. They were very sensitive and responsive to every aspect of our case. They went over and beyond what we expected. Constant attention to relieve the stress of the case. We would, with confidence refer them. Fee was extremely reasonable. Also, the communication between Mister Fardo and ourselves was more consistent than we would have ever expected. read more

After a building permit for a small exterior repair triggered a crazy hike in the tax assessment of my properties, I hired a different legal firm to make the initial appeal to the Board of Property Assessment. After receiving a denial on the appeal, I turned to Attorney Nicole Hauptman Amick of Flaherty Fardo, LLC for our last recourse, a Common Pleas hearing in front of the Allegheny County Board of Viewers (BOV). Since this was our final shot at appeal my husband and myself were leery about turning this over to another law firm rather than attempting representation ourselves. However, after meeting with Nicole, we were so deeply impressed with her demeanor and knowledge of the process, we agreed to let her handle the appeal. What a good decision! Within WEEKs she met with the representatives of the taxing bodies and worked out a very fair settlement. We were delighted! I cannot recommend Nicole and Flaherty Fardo, LLC enough. read more

We were represented by Noah Fardo in a 2012 and 2013 real estate tax assessment appeal for our home in the Bell Acres/Sewickley area. Noah did an outstanding job. I am a former attorney and business owner with no prior experience with Noah and his associate Nicole Hauptman. They did an outstanding job in explaining the legal issues, giving clear and understandable advice and in communicating with me. I would highly recommend them and would definitely use their services again. read more

I would definitely refer anyone seeking a lawyer to this firm without a doubt! My case was not an "easy one" and the lawyer that represented me in arbitation, was excellent. I was hit by a car and several witness reports contradicted one another, therefore I honestly was 99.9% sure that would prevent me from winning the case. or recieving ANY compensation.But I pursued it regardless, with a "nothing to lose" attitude.Flaherty Fardo worked diligently on my case and the constant commmunication was also on point. My end result was not only a "win" but a much larger amount of money than I'd ever expected. I was steadily treated with the utmost respect, and kindness by everyone affiliated there as well.. Noah Fardo also continued to fight the insurance company for an additional $3,500 that I paid out of of pocket for physical therapy..and I was under the impression the entire case was settled and over. A few months after my arbitration hearing I was shocked when I recieved a letter, sent priorty mail, that they actually got me that additional money. I called and asked how much money the firm was taking for the extra work they did for me, work I NEVER EVEN ASKED THEM TO DO. Noah told me "nothing" "we already took our fees, the entire sum belongs to you". I was quite surprised at the selflessness and honesty I recieved, through and through. They worked so hard AFTER they were paid.. just to pretty much do the kind, respectful, "right thing" to do for MY best interests. I really as feel as if I can't say enough to properly express how pleased I was with their representation...so to sum it up; the person who referred me to Flaherty Fardo described them as honest, hardworking lawyers that will not take advantage you, work to get you everything they possibly can, and all with a very reasonable fee.That proved to be absolutely true. So if you are looking for honest, hardworking, and extremely efficient and intelligent representation in a civil matter, then I would say Flaherty Fardo is the place to choose!!! read more