Thomas Joseph Piscatelli

I hired Tom to represent me in a very difficult divorce and was extremely disappointed with the representation I received. I often felt that my concerns and explanations were discounted while allegations made by the opposing side were accepted at face value and without scrutiny. Rather than feeling l...ike I had an advocate fighting for me, I frequently felt as though I was defending myself to my own attorney. I believe he consistently gave greater weight to opposing counsel than to the information I was providing. My concerns were reinforced when opposing counsel later attempted to influence my current attorney’s perception of both me and my current wife, to the point that a grievance was ultimately filed. That strengthened my belief that my interests were not being protected in the process. My divorce involved significant conflict, including allegations, restraining order applications, police reports, and ongoing disputes that I believed contained substantial inaccuracies. I repeatedly provided my side of events and supporting information, yet never felt my attorney challenged the opposing side with the level of advocacy one would expect. There was a lack of preparation and follow-through during discovery. I spent significant time gathering documents, while my ex-wife’s discovery responses were substantially delayed and contained major omissions and little supporting documentation. I repeatedly requested that phone records, text messages, and other evidence be pursued because they were highly relevant to disputed issues in the case. I was told those matters could be addressed later, but never were. In preparation for my ex-wife’s deposition, I provided detailed information and suggested questions regarding conduct during the marriage that was directly relevant to the issues before the court. Many of those topics were never addressed. Significant opportunities were missed to challenge statements and testimony that were inaccurate. When I raised concerns about testimony I believed was untruthful, I was told by Tom that my ex-wife appeared credible. Experiences like these further eroded my confidence that my case was being thoroughly investigated and aggressively advocated on my behalf. The final outcome was devastating for me both emotionally and financially. I did not see my children during the divorce process, and I felt my concerns regarding parental alienation were not adequately addressed. Financially, my ex-wife retained possession of the marital home, both vehicles, significant retirement assets, and received substantial child support and alimony, while I was left carrying most of the marital debt. I was left feeling that my interests were not vigorously represented throughout the process. The experience that ultimately convinced me I had hired the wrong attorney occurred after the divorce was finalized. My ex-wife filed yet another contempt motion that I believed was completely without merit. I had mailed a payment to my attorney, but before the check arrived and cleared, he would not provide information about the allegations being made against me. As a result, I spent an entire week wondering what new claims had been made and how I would need to respond. Given everything I had already been through, I found that response lacking in compassion. Once the motion was discussed, I was told that for $3,000, the matter could simply be made to go away. After years of defending myself against accusations I believed were untrue, I was looking for an attorney willing to challenge those accusations and advocate aggressively on my behalf. Spending another $3,000 to resolve allegations I believed were baseless did not feel like an attorney seeking the truth or fighting for his client. Tom was not the strong advocate I needed. If you are looking for aggressive strong representation, my experience suggests you should look elsewhere.