If you are looking for a trustworthy, highly competent family law firm, I cannot recommend Melone…read moreHatley enough. They truly go above and beyond for their clients.

My experience with Melone Hatley was ultimately very disappointing and emotionally exhausting…read more Family law matters are already stressful, expensive, and deeply personal, which is why communication, transparency, and client support are so important. Unfortunately, those were the exact areas where my experience fell short. While there were moments where I felt heard and some staff members showed professionalism and genuine effort, the overall handling of my case felt inconsistent and at times neglected. The biggest issue throughout my experience was the lack of communication and responsiveness from the firm, particularly while working with attorney Valerie Fisher. There were long periods where I felt completely left in the dark regarding important updates, case strategy, timelines, and next steps. I often had to follow up repeatedly just to get basic information or clarification. Instead of feeling guided through the legal process, I frequently felt like I was chasing answers and trying to piece together what was happening on my own. When someone hires a law firm, especially for family law matters involving major life decisions, stress, and emotional hardship, they expect communication to be proactive, organized, and compassionate. Clients should not have to constantly wonder whether their concerns are being prioritized or whether anyone is actively paying attention to their case. Unfortunately, that is exactly how I felt much of the time. To be fair, I do not believe every interaction was negative. There were moments where professionalism and care were shown, which is why I would describe the experience as bittersweet rather than entirely terrible. However, those positive moments were outweighed by the ongoing frustration caused by inconsistent communication, delayed responses, and the overall feeling that my case was not being handled with the level of urgency or attention it deserved. Legal representation is not just about filing paperwork or appearing in court. It is also about making clients feel informed, supported, and confident during one of the most difficult periods of their lives. Sadly, I did not feel that support here, and the lack of communication created additional stress during an already difficult situation. I genuinely hope the firm improves its client communication, responsiveness, and case management practices moving forward because those issues can make an enormous difference in a client's overall experience and trust in their legal representation.

My personal experience with this law firm has been very positive in many ways. I found the firm…read moregive an exceptional personalized service with the legal team taking the time to develop a winning litigation strategy. The legal fees seemed to be reasonable for the issue that I brought forward, which was great when dealing with matters of a hurtful nature. Five stars for sure!

We revisited after 17 years to update our wills. Even though ZellLaw has changed from private…read morepractice to large law firm and back again in that timeframe, they still retained our documents and were ready to discuss in detail. We were met with great advice, frank discussions, and shared personal interest. I'm very comfortable trusting my important decisions with Wayne. And the price is still very reasonable, even though they will be completely re-doing our documents.

I am a 73 old married women who had a 15 minute interview with Mr. Zell. I found him to be cold,…read morepompous and dismissive. I have a complicated situation of dual residency and he was unwilling to take it on. He did not even take the time to actually listen to what I was saying and responded to what HE thought I wanted. It was as though these calls are intended to screen out only the best of clients. I wonder if he would treat a man the same way.

Horrible, very untrustworthy firm entirely. I had the intuition not to contract with them, but…read moreneeded prompt representation. They are definitely not for the client in EEO representation services. If a complainant prevails, the firm don't get any more money than you paid them for the services, therefore they usually care less if you win or not. I was a victim of an intricate plan to lose with a guise of a bill credit as good faith. Knowing, that was peanuts compared to what I would have been compensated for. I can't expound because this is a law firm and Todd Hull, I am reviewing and negative but true reviews of this nature are typically never taken well, either they come back to victimize you twice with legal action for sharing your actual experiences, or outright refute the facts which just happen to be what they are qualified to do anyway. Please, I am not some ranting disaapointed client. Beware, of polished professionalism it does not stand in the place of integrity and genuine intent to help a client prevail. It is shameful when the attorney start to throw hints they are working against your case. I hope they enjoyed the tens of thousands of dollars paid...consider it a kind donation to please buy yourselves some values foundation.

DON'T HIRE Kimberly Berry for an employment discrimination matter, especially not on a retainer or…read moreyou will regret it! These cases should only be performed on a contingency agreement and only by a knowledgable/trustworthy attorney. I hired Ms Berry in May 2020 for a "disability discrimination" case which she told me she believed she could settle with my former employer within a month or 2. After paying her $450 for a consultation and BEFORE hiring her for a steep $9,000 retainer, Ms Berry explained the steps she would take in my case in writing which were to be the following: 1- Draft/edit/submit a demand letter 2- Negotiate settlement 3- Draft/edit/submit a settlement agreement She also indicated that there were other methods she could pursue including filing with the EEOC. In her same email she stated, "IF your case is to settle early (after the above 3 steps were completed), there will a refund of remaining funds in the retainer." Ms Berry offered full representation and to fight hard for my case which is ultimately what led me to hire her/firm. Unfortunately, from the onset, there were constantly delays. It took Ms Berry roughly 2 months to submit the demand letter and 3 months before I received my 1st bill. Ms Berry later explained that my case was 'long and drawn out because my former employer changed counsel,' and Ms Berry had to forward the email with the demand letter attachment to new counsel. As a result and at the end of the 4th month, I received a letter from her firm indicating that my entire retainer had been used up, and she needed $2,000 more to continue working on my case. This was despite only completing 1 of the 3 above steps and opposing counsel hadn't even responded yet. When opposing counsel did respond they indicated they would not negotiate and Ms Berry was ready to give up my case and became unwilling to file with the EEOC like she had initially discussed as an option before hiring. She said she could no longer help me, surrendered my case, and encouraged me to hire another attorney who specialized in cases like mine!!! She also said that less than 1-2% of cases she takes before the EEOC are successful! What was possibly even more frustrating was when I asked her if I could file a lawsuit in EITHER a State or Federal court w/o getting the "right to sue" from the EEOC and she incorrectly explained that this was not possible w/o EEOC's "right to sue." I ended up hiring another attorney (on a contingency) who explained that you can in fact file a lawsuit in state court w/o the EEOC's right to sue, directly contradicting Ms Berry's statement. Ms Berry claims to have over 20 years of experience in employment law, but either she was unaware of the law, or intentionally misled me so she could drop my case without putting up a fight. Regardless, she spent more time arguing with me over the billing and how her firm "was very fair and could have charged me an additional $3,000 but chose not to" than fighting for my case. DON'T HIRE! -Justin P.S. Berry and Berry don't bother to respond to this post unless you agree to refund the $5,000 requested. Your firm has caused enough in damages to me.

I had John Ryan draw up my mother's will and create an LLC for her funds. John took his time…read moreexplaining how it worked, how wills worked, how carrying out my mom's last wishes would be done, and he made it all seem so simple. He was so good with my mother, too. It was a relief to get this legally on paper, finally. We had to ask John to follow up on something two weeks later, and he got it done within an hour. Excellent law firm. Thank you John and Patty for taking such good care of us!!

From the owner: Greyson S. Smith, PLLC specializes in Wills, trusts, and estate plansread more

Mr. Weiss was very kind and professional when I reached out to him about a potential tax issue I…read morethought I had. He responded right away to my initial email inquiry and took my phone call the next business day. He took his time to speak with me on the phone for a free consultation. He was also very honest in telling me I did not need a tax lawyer and could have my issue resolved for less money using a CPA or a tax preparation service like H&R Block. I really appreciated that he did not try to take advantage of me. If I ever have a serious tax problem in the future, I will definitely reach out to him again and refer others to him!

I had a free consultation with Art yesterday regarding a dispute I'm having with a contractor, and…read morehe was truly a pleasure to talk to. He was extremely knowledgeable and generously provided me with a wealth of information to help me understand my legal options and decide how to proceed. Art was honest and straightforward in explaining why it wouldn't make financial sense for me to hire an attorney in my situation. Even with that being the case, he patiently answered all my questions in detail purely out of the kindnwasess of his heart. His good sense of humor an added bonus! If it would make financial sense to hire an attorney in my situation, I would absolutely go with Art! If he's that helpful in a free consultation, I can only imagine how great it would be to have him as my attorney.

Tom is the most genuine lawyer you will have the privilege to work with. He takes the time to…read moreexplain everything and answer questions in great detail. Tom has always returned emails and phone calls promptly. I feel he advised us as if he was guiding a family member. I trust him explicitly, he has integrity and the information he provides is precise. He truly has your best interest in mind. I highly recommend Tom to anyone needing his services.

They are both my corporate attorney and when I needed traffic counsel support Rachel stepped up…read more They are very knowledgeable and more important very nice people who care about their clients and their work. I recommend them without reservation.

These attorneys are both dedicated and knowledgeable in their respective fields. My family has…read moresought guidance on various matters and they've gone to bat each time. Both attorneys are well respected in northern VA and know the laws and regulations well. Rachel is an excellent divorce attorney while Sachin does well in traffic law. Both have tremendous experience in the area and know peace officers well. Whether for traffic, criminal, or family matters, this firm comes highly recommended.