Edward F S Deignan

I am a non-practicing attorney and developer with 20 years real estate development experience having worked for national institutions including REIT’s. My partners and I were operating a restaurant in New York City and unfortunately found ourselves in a very complicated commercial landlord-tenant sit...uation on the tenant side. There was much at risk and the situation required unique representation. I was fortunate to have been referred to Ted Deignan from a trusted attorney colleague. He quickly understood the complexity of the issues and the the various nuances of the matter. He mapped out our legal strategy and effectively administered the case. He anticipated every situation and aggressively pursued the appropriate response as well as making legal maneuvers that I did not consider - which is rare. Ted’s services were some of the best I have seen and his fee was very fair. I highly recommend Ted. .

Ted provided insightful advice to me during our initial conversation over the phone, and suggested I meet with him as soon as possible (in two days, as he was booked in court). Unfortunately, for me, I decided to go ahead and go to court by myself the following day, rather than wait a day and have m...y sit-down consultation with him. I thought this would save me time and money; I think I may have made a costly mistake. When we met for our pre-scheduled consultation the following day, he had already been tracking the case and knew I had been to court. He spent much more time with me than any other lawyer had, answered all of my questions, helped me think about things in new and different ways, and ultimately he decided that it was not in my best interest to retain him at this time. He didn't ask for money, or try to get me to sign a retainer, as several other lawyers have. He simply said that if the case changes and develops, I should call him down the road. Well, three months later, it did. I called him up after my very favorable experience with him months earlier -- he's a guy I felt is honest, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. I explained to him that the landlord was coming after me for more money (rent, fees, legal expenses, etc) to the sum of a fairly large amount of money (in my book). He remembered my case, asked more questions, discussed it with me, and then decided that I would be needlessly spending more money by retaining him than by resolving the case on my own with the landlord. I explained to him, "I'd rather pay you $X than pay the landlord $5X-$10X." He said he understood, but after fully understanding the case, felt that it would not be possible to save me more money than it would cost to retain him, however. I was surprised, and in some ways impressed, that he was, in a sense, walking away from the money I was obviously willing to pay him. He was happy to offer many helpful tips to me, however, of what to do and what not to do, what to say and what not to say, and what to write and what not to write. Bottom-line, Ted makes time for you, talks to you, takes time to understand your case, asks you questions you hadn't thought about, answers any and all questions you may have. Above all, he's honest has the client's interests in mind. It's been my experience with other lawyers that they don't take time to understand your case, answer your questions, or show great insight -- they just want a retainer fee. Ted is completely, and refreshingly, different. The next time I need a lawyer (hopefully never), I'll contact Ted again -- and I highly recommend others contact him, too.

I called him for advice regarding a former landlord; I wasn't sure where I stood legally in terms of filing a suit, especially as I'm now living overseas. He asked me a lot of questions, was extremely thorough in answering mine, and (since he has experience working abroad) offered additional advice ...(such as assigning Power of Attorney, etc.) to make my life a little easier later. He also suggested ways to solidify my case now should I bring it to court later. Overall, he was knowledgeable and quite nice; the consultation answered all my questions, and there was no charge. I definitely recommend him.

I hired Edward for a commercial landlord/tenant matter after seeing his many positive reviews, which was ultimately the main reason I retained him. Unfortunately, my experience was the opposite of what his reviews suggested which now causes me to question his many positive reviews. During the ...initial consultation, Edward provided good advice and was very responsive, scheduling me for a consultation right away. However, once retained, his responsiveness declined significantly. Emails regarding important matters often went unanswered for days, and sometimes I never received a response at all. Calls he never answered unless I scheduled the call and even then he would rush the call. He often showed up to court unprepared, forgot important facts regarding my case and with none of the documents provided to properly litigate my case. I had to appear at every court appearance because I had no confidence in his legal representation. At one point, he even threatened to withdraw from my case because I did not want to accept a settlement that was not in my best interest. He ignored critical facts, including that I was renting an illegal property with no rear egress, illegally removed by the landlord, which the Department of Buildings confirmed. Despite this, he continued to pressure me to settle because it seemed as if he just wanted the case over with. When the settlement was finally drafted, I had to consult a separate attorney before signing, as Edward pushed me to agree to terms that were harmful, including a judgment against me and language allowing the landlord to sue me again even after settlement. Only after I followed the advice of another attorney were the terms corrected before I signed. I regret hiring Edward for this matter. I felt he did not properly advocate for my rights, pressured me into settling because he just wanted the case over with. I would not recommend him to anyone seeking an attorney who will truly fight for their legal interests.