I retained Steven H. Klein in a matter involving escrow/IOLA funds and to seek dismissal (with prejudice) of a case filed against me by attorneys Heather M. Abissi and her companion Stephen M. Santoro, which I demonstrated involved fraudulent service, billing and evidence. Despite strong documentary evidence and regulatory findings of fraud. Mr. Klein did not file the requested dismissal motion. In Department of State v. Clemens W. Pantaleo (File No. 2019-0764), based on my complaint, the NYS Division of Licensing Services issued a Consent Order (September 30, 2024). Pantaleo admitted notarial fraud in the Abissi/Santoro action, surrendered his Notary license with prejudice, (recorded as a revocation) and admitted collaborating with unlicensed process server Patrick J. Ruto, Santoro and Abissi on fraudulent affidavits and evidence to secure default judgments. A Department letter confirms the admissions but notes they lack authority to discipline attorneys. Mr. Klein also held over $120,000 of my funds in escrow. Despite repeated written requests, I did not receive a complete escrow accounting compliant with 22 NYCRR 1200 Rule 1.15, including: * No bank identification; * No account statements; * No contemporaneous ledger with deposits and withdrawals; * No cancelled checks; * No reconciliations; * No accounting of accrued interest for 3 years. He also lied about filing a Notice of Pendency (lis pendens) per our retainer agreement -- I prepared, filed, and paid for it myself in Orange County, NY. Mr. Klein burns through retainers quickly with minimal work, then demands thousands more or files a motion to be relieved as counsel. Before retaining any attorney where retainer/escrow funds are involved, please research them, their prior firms and partner's disciplinary history. Mr. Klein was lead managing partner at: * Klein, Varble & Greco, P.C. * Klein & Varble, P.C. * Klein & Sanchez, P.C. Public Appellate decisions: * Matter of Kevin R. Greco (2016 NY Slip Op 01846) -- resignation while under investigation; disbarment. * Matter of Michael R. Varble (2019 NY Slip Op 01422) -- resigned while charges pending; disbarred; admitted failure to return unearned fees. * Matter of Cindy L. Sanchez (2024 NY Slip Op 06201) -- six-month suspension for neglect of client matters after multiple admonitions. In Mid-Hudson Properties, Inc. v. Klein Varble & Greco, P.C., 167 A.D.3d 862 (2d Dept 2018) (Dutchess County Index No. 2015-50818), the Appellate Division affirmed the lower court's determination against Mr. Klein/the firm regarding alleged unpaid commercial rent exceeding $345,000. All these cases are publicly searchable on nycourts.gov and NYS Department of State sites. In addition to his Klein Law, P.C. law firm, Mr. Klein is also a Town of Poughkeepsie NY Justice (elected 2023). Formal channels for written complaints against Mr. Klein are: * (For judicial misconduct: File with the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct: Empire State Plaza, , Corning Tower Suite 2301, Albany, New York 12223 | Phone: 518-453-4600 (online form or written complaint at cjc.ny.gov). * For attorney misconduct: Submit to the Grievance Committee for the Ninth Judicial District (covers Dutchess County): Address: 399 Knollwood Road, Suite 200, White Plains, New York 10603 | Phone: (914) 824-5070 * Alternative for attorney issues: Contact the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, Attorney Matters, 45 Monroe Place, Brooklyn, New York 11201 (they oversee the region, refer to the appropriate Grievance Committee and take complaints seriously). In my opinion, given the retainer and escrow issues, false filings, material misrepresentations of fact and his former partner's disciplinary records when he was the lead managing partner, I would have NEVER retained Mr. Klein or anyone associated with him. Do your own research and due diligence - it will save you significant time, money and stress. If you're interested in working together to hold Mr. Klein accountable, please reach me at NurseCece@gmail.com. There is power in numbers when seeking accountability for attorney misconduct. read more

On the initial free consult, Klein sounded highly confident that he would settle my divorce with an abusive ex swiftly. I paid him over 20k in a year. He was unable to honor his promises. I needed to spend money on a new attorney...Please be wary of him... read more

A Divorce is hard enough. You're loosing the love you shared with someone who you thought you were going to be with for the rest of your life. It can be debilitating. It makes it much worse when an attorney sees only dollar signs and seeks ways to capitalize off of your sadness. Please read the reviews for an attorney before retaining them. Steven Klein not only did not help me, he confused my paperwork and acted against my wishes. It's only a matter of time before he loses his license. read more

I've used Mr. Klein and his firm for a couple issues and they have never let me down. I can't recommend them enough. They will always be my go-to. read more

Took a year to get an annulment filed. Had to send repeat copies of documentation to the firm 3 different times. Received multiple versions of the status of the case from 4 different people in the firm. Then to top it off, poor judgement on our part. They keep the remaining retainer fee which was a heck of a tip. Terrible unprofessional and completely non customer friendly law firm. Go anywhere else read more

Klein & Sanchez are thorough, "no nonsense" professionals. Mr. Klein has supported me through an arduous court process. I've felt supported and my concerns have been validated. Mr. Klein and Mrs. Sanchez They are top-notch! read more

This guy (Steve Klein) turned out to be the greatest nightmare of my life. I am going through a divorce and he couldn't care less about anything to help in any way or form. He comes to the sessions 100% unprepared and unaware of the situation and has let the other party do whatever they want as he stays so quiet about everything. My case is almost over and he has not said a single word to help with my case. On the other hand, he is money charging machine. Imagine, he never talks to you period! not over the phone and nor in person and so far, he has charged me over $10,000 just to start yelling at me in front of the judge and to blame me for the NO JOB that he has done in this case. As another reviewer said, "don't just walk away from this beast, run away from him". That is the best advice I can give to you and God knows I am speaking the truth! read more

I'm not one to write positive reviews for people doing their job but Steven H. Klein & Associates far surpassed my expectations. After a horrific experience with a local attorney, my family stumbled upon Steve through online reviews. He immediately responded to our inquiry ON Thanksgiving Day! I travel a solid hour to the office but it is worth every mile I travel and penny I pay. Steve is incredibly knowledgeable and confident in his work but most admirable is his professional and calm demeanor during stressful times. He is undoubtedly well respected by judges and courts alike. I took a leap of faith with Steve and he has not failed me. My family would not be where we are now if it were not for this firm. We are incredibly thankful for Steve (and the reviews that led us to him!) read more

If you are going through a divorce and care about yourself and your kids, DO NOT use Steven H. Klein. Unfortunately, it was too late for me and my children and I will have to spend more time and money fixing all the damage that he and his law firm did. After being in an abusive relationship, I met with Steve and he put on a great show about him being able to handle the situation at hand. After all, he had experience with these cases. After receiving payment after payment over the years, there was never any actions that matched that initial conversation. Emails went unanswered, concerns were not taken seriously, and he actually made comments to me that it was my fault that the proceedings were taking so long. He allowed the courts and my ex to continually abuse me and my children through the system and provided no guidance in the case. I begged to go to a trial, yet there was no follow through. It came down to the judge saying settle on one court appearance to settle or the trial will be that exact day, with no prep. How did he even allow this to happen?? While we were the plaintiff, he let the defendant's lawyer take the lead on everything and simply sat back doing nothing, even after I kept voicing that there would be issues with this. There were many billing errors that never got corrected, and the kicker piece was the the final documents were mailed to my ex-husband. This is not a professional law firm that will have you or your children as their best interest. read more

I have used a few attorneys in my life for many different reasons. Steve Klein happens to be one of the better ones . He can be aggressive when he needs to be and he can be subtle when he needs to be. Over the years i've used Mr Kleins services for many different cases . Tenant landlord cases .Whistle blower wrongful termination cases, misplaced annuity cases against large insurance companies, hurricane damage to properties when the insurance company refuses to pay what they owe. In all these different cases Mr Klein knew what laws applied : and i prevailed in each and every one.He is thoughtful in his approach and doesn't fly off the handle easily. He knows how to negotiate a good deal and just how much to push to get the best out come for his client. His response time was very reasonable in getting back to me and he was patient with me when i became irritated at the other sides attorneys for dragging their feet . Over all i would recommend he and his law firm for any kind of legal work you might need read more