Carol Ann Crossett

My experience with Carol Crossett at Tully Rinckey was extremely disappointing and counterproductive. My 88 year old Mother and I retained the firm for a serious matter involving breach of contract, fraud, discrimination, ADA failures and retaliation under New York Real Property Law § 223-b. Despi...te having the necessary information, documentation, and a detailed timeline directly in front of her, the draft demand letter I received was fundamentally flawed. The work product contained significant and avoidable errors. It was addressed to an employee who no longer worked for the organization, failed to direct the demand to the correct corporate decision-makers, included factual inaccuracies, and omitted critical claims. Rather than producing the strong legal demand we retained the firm to prepare, the draft minimized our claims and read more like an informal customer-service request than a serious legal document. The most troubling part was that the firm expected us to spend additional money correcting mistakes that occurred because the materials already provided had not been properly reviewed. My interactions with Ms. Crossett were dismissive and condescending. She refused to meaningfully consider our request for reassignment of the property manager and characterized that request as potential tortious interference. She also minimized our concerns regarding accessibility, safety, and my mother’s well-being with comments such as, “This is not a nursing home.” Her legal analysis was also deeply concerning and disconnected from the reality of our living situation in Latham, New York. She asserted that the parking lot was not a common area and suggested that sidewalk maintenance might be the responsibility of individual residents whose apartments they front, rather than the landlord. Ultimately, I did not receive the capable representation, courtesy, consideration, zealous advocacy, or best professional effort described in the firm’s own client materials. The failure to properly review the information provided, combined with the insistence on billing for a defective work product, only added to an already stressful situation. We were left with an unusable draft and a nearly depleted retainer. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Carol Crossett or Tully Rinckey.