648 Client Reviews
Showing 16 - 20 of 26 reviews | 1 star
Posted by anonymous | February 02, 2019 | Hired Attorney
Speeding ticket
I received a speeding ticket, along with other violation ticket, saw the great reviews in this website, and decided that I didn't want to risk going to court by myself, and hired the lawfirm. Maybe I was not as lucky as everyone else. I actually did a walk-in, and spoke to the gentleman in the fron...
I have no clue as to whom this person is and I would encourage them to call me so that I can get more details and, if I do, will amend my responses herein. The criticism is so disjointed that I am going to have to do the best I can to interpret the complaint comments to give an adequate response. First off, it is an impossibility for us to "make up documents" without talking to and consulting with the client. We cannot create a file without input from the client. We need their name, address, phone number, e-mail address, as well as the details on what they were charged with doing (i.e., "speeding...fail to signal...reckless driving, etc.0). So we had to have interacted with the person. What I believe his main complaint is that he did not understand one the documents that he was signing, which is the authorization to appear and plea. This is the document a client must sign and have notarized if they do not want to personally come to court with us. It has certain language in it required by the state. The language must give us the ability to plead our client guilty to SOMETHING. The language reads as follows: "I hereby authorize Palumbo & Associates, PC to appear in my stead on my behalf and enter a plea to a reduced offense." In other words, we resolve most cases by plea bargain, in that we negotiate with the prosecutor to plea our clients guilty to a REDUCED OFFENSE. For example, our client is charged with a 6 POINT SPEEDING we plead them guilty to a 0 POINT WINDOW TINT. A plea bargain avoids the risk of being found guilty and having a large fine and insurance increase by paying a small fine on a violation that does not trigger insurance increases. In his review, the reviewer on the one hand claims that he felt he was being compelled to pleading guilty as charged, yet on the other adequately describes that we explained to him the plea bargaining process. He then said that the lawyer he spoke to "did not even bother to help me understand why if I was paying over $500 I was pleading guilty." To retain us only takes signing two one page documents. We explain these documents all day, every day, to dozens of people whom are normally on the phone. To claim that we did not answer all of his questions and explain the documents to him while he was in our office strains credulity beyond its breaking point. From the comment it is hard to tell if this person is a current client. If he or she is I encourage them to call us we are happy to re-explain the paperwork and the process. Moreover, while I appreciate everyone's business I do not need a client who is suspicious of our commitment to them. In addition, a client can relieve a law firm at any time. So I would encourage this person that, if they are not satisfied with our representation to contact us and discharge our firm as their counsel. Our law firm is dedicated to serving the public in traffic ticket and auto crime defense. We have over 350 positive online reviews. If you have a ticket or a question about a case, I encourage you to see for yourself the service you will get when you retain our office. We go ANYWHERE in NY, VT & CT to defend an auto crime or moving violation case. You can call us anytime at your convenience our phone is always staffed 24 / 7. Our number is 914-777-2990, and we'd love to talk to you. So call today!
Posted by anonymous | January 01, 2019
Waste of TIme
I consulted with this attorney based on a a speeding ticket for allegedly going "approximately 65 mph in a posted 35 mph zone". The officer made a visual estimation and noted on the ticket that the speed was approximately 65 mph. The officer also candidly admitted at the traffic stop that he could no...
Thank you for this review! It really does give me the opportunity in response to showcase and highlight the services we provide actual paying clients. People who read my response can learn a lot about traffic ticket defense, the purpose of an initial phone consultation, and the value of the services we provide. As anyone can see this person did not even retain us. Which calls into question the credibility of his opinion. He is not giving an honest opinion about the services we provide, but trying to hurt our reputation. However, all it does is make us stronger. This reviewer couches himself as a "potential client." Nothing could be further from the truth. First off, he never even called our office. This communication occurred through an online forum where I gratuitously answer basic legal questions for people. He asked a question, I answered it, he asked a follow up question, I answered it, and then he asked very technical and specific questions in the hypothetical. I then told him what he wrote above. By the nature of his questions it was obvious that this person had no intention of hiring us. He was trying to commit intellectual larceny to pick my brain on how to represent himself. My legal knowledge is my inventory of intellectual property. That, in addition to my legal acumen, legal acuity, and reputation is what I sell. While I am happy to answer basic legal questions either in an initial phone consultation or via an online forum, I am not bound to answer every legal question that shoots through ones grey matter. I am happy to provide focused information about the nature of the charges, the problems a finding of guilty can cause, the nature of the services we provide, and what would be a reasonable outcome of the case should you retain us. We need to discuss those issues so that you can make a decision as to whether or not it would be worth it, in your case, to retain our office to fight the ticket on your behalf. However, like I said, this guy never so much as picked up the phone and called, and did not ask questions online in good faith. Rather, he was seeking a written legal treatise of step by step instructions on how to represent himself in court. Again, that is the inventory of which I sell to paying clients. If someone wants to represent themselves in court they have that right. However, they should not expect a professional lawyer to give them step by step instructions on how to do it. When one represents themselves they must do their own legal research to understand the law and process. Myself and my team provide a yoeman's service to our clients. We go to court for them so they don't lose time from work. We save truck driver's from losing their CDL's, prevent thousands of dollars in insurance increases for passenger operators, prevent Uber driver's from having their licenses suspended, deal with difficult issues of suspension and revocation, thereby getting people back on the road who have been restricted from driving for years, and even have the know how and the knowledge to reverse convictions to restore driving privileges. We also represent clients in specialized hearings in the DMV such as fatality hearings, refusal hearing, and other due process hearings. We are very proud of our work, and as you can see have hundreds of positive reviews from actual paying clients. Just look at my web site and review our money back guarantee - the first law firm in the State of New York to make such a guarantee, and to my knowledge still the only ones that give such a guarantee. If you have a speeding ticket, moving violation, or have been charged with an automobile crime, I invite you to check our or AVVO profile, our web sites, and our hundreds of positive reviews from actual clients. Then, pick up the phone and call us toll free at 1-877-99-No-Tix (1-877-996-6849) for a no cost, no obligation phone consultation. This way, you can judge for yourself whether what we have to offer is right for you!
Posted by Amro | November 23, 2018 | Hired Attorney
Do not waste the time or money
TL:DR - Law firm is significantly more expensive than other firms, service is no better/actually worse imo, license almost suspended cause Michael's office was negligent. I hired Michael Palumbo's firm to handle a ticket I received in which an officer stated I was texting while driving because I "...
Armo, your review is vindictive and misleading. You have leveraged a non-issue to trash our firm because you are disappointed that you were found guilty. You had to admit that we did not guarantee you an outcome, because I not only told you that but your signed retainer disclosed that, so you misdirect your negativity towards a trivial ministerial internal error that had nothing at all to do with the quality of our work. Armo came to us as a bundle of nervous kinetic energy, literally hyperventilating because he was on the brink of having his license suspended and needed his license for a living. His license was in jeopardy because, despite being a regular consumer of traffic ticket prosecutions, he was so irresponsible in handling his affairs that he failed to answer his ticket after (1) being handed it with instructions, and (2) being sent two warnings from the DMV to answer the ticket! Armo complains about us, yet his "regular" lawyer is so unprofessional and inefficient that upon going on vacation his operation grinds to a halt. Armo goes on to relate that I reassured him of a favorable outcome - I did. However, this was a favorable outcome regarding preventing his license from being suspended. I guaranteed him that so long as he timely hired us we would make sure his license was not suspended - a promise we delivered on. In saying that I am a "good salesman" and reassured him, Armo is saying that I have a high vocabulary, am articulate, and explained to him in a manner that he understood what we could do for him. Call me crazy, but superior communication skills and delivering on your promises are traits you seek in a lawyer, not one you look to avoid. It is critical that a client timely receives closing information regarding the outcome of a case and how to pay the fine. That is why we have fails safes in place to ensure multiple methods of making such communication. While Armo is correct that we failed to internally update his address, what he FAILS to tell you is that he did timely receive the information via e-mail. He also fails to tell you that we also updated his address with the court, who independent of us also sends the fine notice. In other words, Armo timely received the closing information from us and the court. When he contacted our office with questions about the trial we did not answer him in the "generic" but his questions were answered by me and another lawyer with specificity. That we failed to update his address is a false flag pretext for this negative review. I never denied it, apologized, and took responsibility. I explained to Armo that while we have written policies and procedures for everything, I am not so naive to believe that mistakes never happen. This is why we have in built in redundancy so that if the ball is dropped critical information still gets timely transmitted, and critical evolutions still take place. For example, I am sure that our office has made over 40,000 court appearances. We have never once missed a court date. I also explained to him that I addressed the failure with the employee charged with file update. We don't shut down because the owner or any of our lawyers goes on vacation. Or has a dentist's appointment. Or is hit by a bus. Our operation still keeps ticking and you and your case is still being properly and zealously represented. In fact, we are here and available 24 / 7 / 365. If you have an emergency such as Armo our answer will always be "yes." Yes, we can fix the problem, can avoid a suspension, can get you un-suspended forthwith. In NYC there is no plea bargaining every case goes to trial. As Armo admits, we made numerous court appearances for over 2 years. We pushed the trial back to a point whereby even though he was found guilty his insurer cannot surcharge him. He still saved thousands by preventing insurance increases. He was timely transmitted the closing information. We stand behind the work we did for Armo.
Posted by Michael | May 18, 2017
Desperation will cost you...
License revocation consult is $750 - not free. He won't tell you whether you have a chance or not without $750 - which I would have paid if he was more mature in his manner. When I asked what it would cost me to find out that there was no hope he said "$150...no wait, $750 and I'm gonna make you sign...
This guy contacted us having a complex issue he needed answers on. Specifically, he is a recidivist DWI convict (5 times) and because of that cannot get relicensed in the State of NY or anywhere for that matter. He has been spinning his wheels for years trying to get his license back with negative results. He needs to retain a lawyer to review his lifetime driving history, analyse it, and consult him on what, if anything, he can do to restore driving privileges in NY. What he needs us to do is employ the body of our knowledge to advise him. Spending the time to give him the advice for which he seeks is what we sell. As Abe Lincoln said "our time and advice is our stock in trade." When you call us for a free consultation the consultation centers around what we can do for you IF you hire us. It does not consist of us spitting out answers to complex legal problems as if we were a legal computer terminal. Not only would it be impossible for us to give any accurate answers without doing the research to know the facts to apply the law, even if I could I would not do so because the advice he seeks is what we sell. That he claims he would have retained us but for my "manner" is an out and out lie. He started out the conversation stating that I was taking unfair advantage of him because he was"desperate." At that time I told him that he had to trust the lawyer he would retain and if he thinks that of me he cannot retain us. He then apologized and stated that he was just "stressed." I then continued to discuss what we could do for him if he hired us. He continued to try to give me a verbal run down of his driving history since he got his license since he was a teenager, and I explained to him that the review of that and answers are what he would be retaining us to give him. He then told me to send him the retainer, but added that "you know, you are taking advantage of me." To that I told him that he has twice expressed distrust with us and that I would not be accepting any work from him. He then began to literally beg me to do the review, stating that he has spoken to dozens of lawyers and looked at countless material online and that he knew I was the only one who knew what they were talking about. I then continued to decline representing him and hung up. He also lied when he claimed that I first gave him a quote for $150.00. No way. If you need a driver's license history review and analysis to get you back on the road we charge a minimum of $750.00 for that service, and often times more. So there is no way we would quote a price for $150.00. We take a lot of pride in the work we do for the motoring public and the high level of service we provide. It's rare when we decline work from someone, so the fact we did speaks volumes as to the veracity of this false review. However, you don't have to take my word for it. If you have a speeding ticket, have been charged with an auto crime, or have a suspended license and do not know what to do, see for yourself. Give us a call now anytime (24 / 7) at 914-500-8929.
Posted by anonymous | October 27, 2016
He is Horrible!!!
Michael J. Palumbo is a horrible attorney! I consulted with him for a traffic violation, and I couldn't get one word in. He started off by telling me that I will need to hire him today before he even ask me anything about the traffic offense. In addition he kept cutting me off mid sentence just to as...
My office receives over 50 phone inquiries a day and just as many e-mail inquiries a day. They are all handled professionally and with courtesy. Often times we do not e-mail a retainer to the person because they end up not wanting our services or cannot afford our services. Sometimes people really don't want the service but just want to vent about the stop. In those instances yes we terminate the conversation because we are lawyers here to defend people and cannot help persons who do not want what we can provide. However, in those cases we never get to the point whereby we send them a retainer agreement. In this case, I believe this person is totally confused. First off, I have no personal recollection of such a phone call. Second, my office procedure is such that the only time I make a follow up phone call after we sent a retainer is if someone from my office staff initially took the call and e-mailed the retainer. But again, we would only do that if we DID NOT terminate the conversation with them because they did not want or need the services. What likely happened here is that this person has likely spoken to many traffic ticket lawyers and got confused between the experience he or she had with our office and the experience he or she had with another law office. This is common, as when our office makes follow up phone calls many times people have spoken to so many law firms that they are confused about which firm is calling back. We are very proud of our responsiveness to new client inquiries. We pride ourselves in immediate response to inquiries and having a staff that is fully trained in traffic ticket and auto crime defense, so that ANYONE who answers your call can give you the information you want on the first call without waiting. We are proud of the fact that many times your initial call is handled by a lawyer and not a clerk, and that within the day you called if you did not initially speak to a lawyer, an attorney will call you back. We are proud of the fact that we have a 24 / 7 after hours answering service, and that after hours calls ALWAYS get sent to an attorney to return the call and that we return calls off hours and prior to the next business day. As you can see, this person did not even retain our office. Again, I have no knowledge, recollection, or record of this occurring, and in fact based on our office procedure it is an impossibility to have occurred the way this person relates. I am 100% confident that this person has confused us with another law firm. However, you don't have to take my word for this. If you have received a speeding ticket, traffic ticket, or auto crime, I invite you to judge for yourself. Pick up the phone and give us a call right now toll free at 1-877-99-No-Tix (1-877-996-6849). Your call will be answered at all times by a live person who will be able to give you immediate and substantial information about your case, provide you with more information electronically, and answer all of your questions professionally and accurately. Thanks so much for giving us the opportunity to service you!