I utilized Steve Sercu's service for a criminal matter of allowing my grandson. He was responsive,…read morecommunicative, and effective. Highly recommend.

marilee is a fraud, do not hire. Charges thousands for no legal aid services providedread more

Several months ago, I was in the unfortunate position of needing to find a divorce attorney. I made…read morefour appointments with various area law firms (based on Yelp and Google reviews) and then I met with Alison at Bates Family Law. I immediately felt a sense of relief despite the incredible emotional stress I was experiencing. Throughout my divorce case, I was impressed with the efficiency I observed with Alison and every person in her office. Whenever I emailed or called with a question; I received a very quick response. Unfortunately, my case was incredibly complicated for a 15-year marriage without children. Despite the complications, Alison was able to manage my case successfully but I believe it required a professional with her depth of knowledge. Also, the final cost of my case was significantly less than I had estimated, and I am very grateful. I am highly satisfied with the outcome. I am confident the result could not have been achieved if I had signed with a different firm. I highly recommend Bates Family Law.

I am giving an update of my case. 18 years later, I am still fighting to get my life back and…read moreundue this nightmare after getting played in Monroe County Family Court by Support Magistrate Linda Lohner Pilato. Mr. Michael Schmitt was my attorney when I first was served papers. This is a long played out drama. I want my story told to this community. I cannot stop the harassment from the Title IV-D agency (child support agency) I have been alienated from the child since his birth 23 years ago, but supported him from birth up until he was 18 when he ended his mother's control over him and moved out of her home, his departure was extreme, he dropped his birth names. He disowned his mother because she was not going along with his life decisions, which are bad,... but I do not know him and cannot help him, nor do I trust the DNA testing that was controlled by the support unit. I don't believe for the life of me that this is my child. The mother told me from day one when she informed me of her pregnancy (January 15, 2002) that she had set me up to shake me down for money. I offered marriage, so the child would have two parents,... she told me that I was f-cking dumb to think she had interest in me. I gave her what felt like ransom payments. Supervising Judge Stacy M. Romeo can stop this, but she won't, she refuses to engage but is watching it play out. Stacy is Mr. Schmitt's spouse. I am sure Stacy is reviewing every filing that I am making at the moment, and the judge that I am running into right now is Judge Maria Cubillos Reed, who is tossing my motions into the trash based on that I sent a copy by certified mail to the mother,, she claims I am violating CPLR 2103, she is wrong, Ms. Cubullus Reed is playing this game with me because my last motion, addressed that Mrs. Pilato reclassified the Paternity Petition as a Support Petition, The mother's paternity petition controls jurisdiction and she indicated that she DID NOT WANT THE SUPPORT UNIT INVOLVED. Mike, you should have brought this up at the hearing on December 6, 2007, when Linda Pilato said, that the mother filed a Support petition (Article 4) She never filed a support petition. Mike, you needed to object, you allowed Linda Pilato to frame me as noncompliant. Judge Cubillus Reed is hiding behind CPLR 2103, regarding mailing of service, because my last Motion filed that was tossed by Support Magistrate Mary Teator, addressed a forged document from the Support unit. In October 2012, the support unit sent a Request form to the mother, asking her if she wanted to increase support under a Cost- of Living-Adjustment (Family Court Act 413a) the mother never mailed the request form in. CSEU was supposed to drop this matter. They increased it anyway and justified it by sending me a fake unsigned order that they drafted, it never came from a court of competent jurisdiction. You cannot make this story up. The legal process on a private case is that a request must be made by the parties. The mother never made the request, she told Ms. Pilato 8 times in a hearing on January 23, 2013, that this had nothing to do with her. Further, the mother advised me on January 20, 2012, when I mentioned the alienation.... "I don't need your f-cking money, go to the court and stop it but you will never see him" That was my last communication with her. Ms. Pilato stated later in a decision on October 26, 2018, that the January 23, 2013, hearing that she presided over never existed and that there was no proof of my objecting to the COLA, though Ms. Pilato stated at the hearing that I filed a timely objection. Really? Mike, we had a meeting at your office on the COLA? you advised me to withdraw my objection and that I could not beat Ms. Pilato at this, you said you could call her for me, I said, don't bother, I have another hearing on March 11, 2013, I'll do it. When I learned of the rules, motioned for closure. The support unit sent me a copy of a request form with the mother's signature on it, dated November 1, 2012, I found it odd that Ms. Pilato never made mention of it. I sent the document to a Forensic lab at the price of $1000. It came back that the request form is a forgery committed by the support unit... the federal funds attached to these cases is driving this madness. Stacy, you addressed me in a letter on September 12, 2012, you made mention of the March 11, 2013.....you could not have possibly know of it, Pilato demanded it on January 23, 2013. Mike, why did you not challenge the Title IV-D application filed on September 17, 2007, that falsely charged me with deserting the child in February 2002? he was not born yet,.. desertion is not a legal charge in a nonmarital case. The game now, is that the other party is not noticed of hearings to keep her off record; that forgery is damming evidence. The last two virtual meetings were disabled, forcing a phone-conference only. Stacy, terminate this case so I can live out the rest of my days in peace.

Mr. Michael Schmitt assisted my daughter in her custody and child support and family court issues…read more. Mr. Schmitt is professional, attentive, cordial, responsive, focused on needs with detail. I am impressed and satisfied with his ability to communicate with the courts and with others in the courtroom.

Do Not Use This Law Firm. There website offers Free Consultation you get them on the phone and…read morethey make you pay $450 before even talking to them. Michelle Cimino is rude and unprofessional and doesn't seem to have anymore knowledge then what you find on basic online search. After taking your money she provides the most basic divorce information then after 15 minutes asks if your going to retain them and if your not sure she gets rude and ends the call. Save your money this firm are crooks they lie and steal your money

I was attempting to start a family court case which was started with an initial letter, which…read more required response. Called the law firm multiple times and was told that they've been no response. That was a lie. A response had been sent, and they just never let me know. The communication was horrible, and when I asked the attorney directly why this was the case, she had no answer, no apology, nor any sort of compensation for her massive mistake. Once I saw this, I decided to not use and warn others over her very unprofessional manner.

Mrs. Palumbo was a life saver for me! She listened and was very empathetic. I truly trusted her and…read moreshe went above and beyond for me. She is professional, very responsive and affordable. I highly recommend Mrs Palumbo and her staff!

I have known Marilyn Palumbo since 1979, in grade school. She has always been a person of great…read moreintegrity with a great work ethic. I have recently needed her professionally in a few capacities. I am more than pleased with all of her legal advice and all outcomes. I will continue to use her services in the future. I highly recommend her for your legal needs.

I found Michaela to have both common sense and wisdom to help people navigate through sticky…read morepersonal times in their lives. The feedback that she gave me helped dramatically reduce the stress of the situation with a very positive outcome. Michaela is a great listener, asks fantastic questions and ultimately will help you with your situation. I highly recommend her to any person who is in need of mediation services

I had a business mediation session with Finger Lakes Mediation to help with some staff…read morecommunication struggles. She was incredibly patient and kind with my staff as well as my management team. We were able to get through some of the roadblocks and even hug at the end. We all know employees move on, but it was helpful to have some insight on how to keep communication open when the first thing an employee wants to do is shut down. I highly recommend Finger Lakes Mediation for your Business Mediation Needs as well as Finger Lake Mediation for Divorce Mediation. I will be using her again.

HORRIBLE!!! On March 19, 2024, this attorney agreed to add a simple Codicil to our Last Will and…read moreTestament. "I'm happy to assist you with updating your estate planning. I can also prepare a Health Care Proxy, Living Will and Power of Attorney if desired" she boasted to us on that date. We informed her that time was of the essence..it needed to be done before June 4, 2024. "We have plenty of time" she responded with. On March 22, 2024, she wrote "I'll review and will contact you to discuss any necessary modifications." It is now 5 weeks later, and this woman has gone AWOL. Not a single communication of any sort, nada, zip, zero! When you call her office, you get a recording stating "my preferred method of communication is through email." OK...we obliged. Result from that email 6 days ago as of this writing? Nada, zip, zero! So...now we call her office a SECOND time, but this time we left a voice message (since her "preferred method of communication" has obviously fallen on deaf ears). Result from our voicemail message 3 days ago as of this writing? Nada, zip, zero!! This woman doesn't even have the decency and common courtesy to return messages. Update! Today, FINALLY we received an email which reads: "Sorry, I was on vacation visiting my mom in Florida when you emailed last week. I have a lot going on right now and I know that you're anxious to proceed. I am referring you to......" Uh what? Are you kidding?! We've just lost 5 full weeks! We have NOTHING to show for our trust in this attorney. If you've got unlimited time and patience for a bait and switch attorney with zero communications skills to massage a document as important as a Last Will and Testament...then by all means, this is your attorney!!

October 20, 2015…read more Betsy is by far the best divorce attorney!! I went to several consultations, spent over $1,000, and didn't feel comfortable with any of them. They all made me feel that in NYS it didn't matter who made what financially, or who was in the wrong, you couldn't change the law. Basically, the less time you were married, the less you were entitled to. Divorce is a stressful time for anyone, especially when you are the victim. Most attorneys' treat it strictly as a business contract, forgetting the emotional turmoil you're experiencing. They just want to hear the facts, and paint the realistic picture, which is usually pretty bleak. Betsy Album is the exception. From the moment I met her, I knew she was the person I wanted to represent me. She is extremely professional, and her bedside manner is superb. She took the facts, and came up with a game plan. I was hesitant to ask for much of anything with being told "I wasn't going to get it in NY." Well, turns out I didn't have to, with Mrs. Album. Using her expertise, she developed a proposal with all my best interest in mind. She is continuing to fight for me, and the end is near. Using the old cliché, I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and with Betsy Album it's bright.

When my father got sick and needed to Go into a nursing home full-time we called Greg's office to…read morehelp with the financial side of things. My father had saved his whole life but had not planned for this step. Greg and his staff were great and planning out how to protect some of my dad's assets when they had not been on protected from the state/federal government. While we ended up not needing his true service as my father passed away unfortunately, fairly quickly, the real value came afterwards in splitting up assets between myself and my sibling. It had already been completed by Greg's team and made being executive of the estate extremely easy. I cannot imagine how difficult things would have been without Greg's help. Not only at the time of my father's death, but afterwords, and continually for over a year as questions arose. Never once did I feel like I was bothering them with the litany of questions I asked. I highly recommend Greg and his team and helping protect a loved one's assets.

Have not heard from them after sending them my phone number and email address. I was looking for a…read morefirm for planning documents to include wills, estate planning, power of attorney and living will for my wife and I. I have moved on to another law firm for my needs.