Michael Leonard Rutkowski

Reached out to the firm during a very stressful time and it was a great choice. They came to the hospital when my father needed their services. I was so impressed I called them 3 months later to create something for my mom. They made every accommodation available, visits to the house, handling forms they didn’t need to relieving stress, dealing with outside businesses that didn’t understand their needs, and always explaining things in as many times as needed without making you feel small. They get to know you and your family and try to live in your shoes. They are trained in many different areas and bring more skills to the team all the time. You will come to consider friends you can lean on.

My wife and I were thinking about what how we should protect our assets and what we should have in place to distribute them should, heaven forbid, something happens to us. We did some research and found that a trust is the best route to take because if we did a will, then it would have to go through a time-consuming and expensive probate process. We searched for law firms in the area and we eventually were referred by a friend to the Rutkowski Law Firm. So we called and set up an appointment and met with business owner and attorney, Mike Rutkowski. We were greeted by Office Manager, Coleen at the Bloomfield office and she was warm and friendly. She showed us to the board room where we would meet Mike and she explained that he would go over estate planning. She offered us some water or coffee, so we asked for water and she brought us a couple bottles of water. You can tell a lot about a business by the demeanor of its employees and Coleen was a happy person with a great attitude, so obviously we were in good hands. The law firm was extremely clean too, which means the employees obviously take pride in their work. Everyone was professional, polite and friendly. Mike walked in and greeted us by introducing himself and giving my wife and I a firm handshake with eye contact. We exchanged some small talk and eventually got down to business. We found that it was easy to relate to Mike because he was clearly a family man based on our small talk and family is most important to Mike. He reviewed the differences between a will and a trust and the importance of a trust and advised that it's a set of instructions for what to do with our assets should something happen to my wife and I. The following pieces would fall within the trust: 1) financial power of attorney, 2) healthcare power of attorney, 3) will, and 4) trust. He explained each of these four pieces in great detail so we could make an educated decision on who we wanted to designate for every piece and at what percentages, if applicable. More specifically, he spoke to the why, which is extremely important to me-why we were having the meeting, why we were setting up a trust, etc. Then we discussed next steps and the next step was to have a conference call with Client Relations Manager, Trisha. Trisha and I talked on the phone for about fifteen minutes and she asked me who I wanted for each piece of the trust and who would receive our assets and at what percentages. She advised that she was going to e-mail my answers to me so I could verify that everything was correct and then we would set up a meeting to review and sign the trust. We ended up changing things several times via e-mail and she was patient and understanding with us, which we appreciated. Once everything was finalized, Coleen called me and we set up a meeting to review and sign the trust at the Rochester office. Once again Mike reviewed everything in great detail and spoke to the why. The meeting lasted about thirty minutes and one of the exciting aspects of the trust that he pointed out was that this trust could be used as a beneficiary on our investments. He said that financial advisers will try to tell us that that is not true, because that is the case with most trusts, but we would in fact be able to use this trust, executed by the Rutkowski Law Firm, as a beneficiary on our investments. It would be a contingent listed after my wife for me and after me for her. The key to Mike's success with us was his ability to demonstrate value. He demonstrated the value of working with the Rutkowski Law Firm and the value of having a trust. We could have piece of mind now that we knew that the Rutkowski Law Firm was going to take care of our family and make sure that important decisions would be made to our liking even after we were gone. It's a feeling of safety knowing that our family will receive what's owed to them.

Mr. Rutkowski has handled 2 recent matters for me including preparation of my Revocable Living Trust. Both matters were handled professionally and on a timely basis. It was a pleasure dealing with his friendly staff.

We went to Michael Rutkowski to review and update our estate planning. Michael worked through every detail and put together a comprehensive package that will ensure that our later years are worry free. Michael and his staff a true professionals. They understand the law and make the process easy and understandable. Many Thanks.

Met Mike a few weeks back at one of his seminars. Finalized my paperwork today with him. Very pleased with his promptness and detail to attention. A+++++++++++++++

I am fortunate to know Mike both professionally and personally. Mike is as good of an attorney as he is a person. Despite practicing in a highly competitive market, Mike continues to thrive by providing first rate legal services to all of his clients. I have the utmost confidence in his legal skills and abilities and would trust him with any matter involving me and my family. I highly recommend Mike for any estate planning needs.

Mike and his team were responsive from the start. They handled our tax situation with minimal effort on our part. The team answered questions at every stage, and Mike was available any time we wanted to talk to him. Thank you for everything!

Mr Rutkowski and his firm were very professional and experienced.

HUGE THANK YOU!!! to Rutkowski for helping me execute my estate plan. If you want to ensure your loved ones are taken care when you are gone whether it's for a will, trust, power of attorney, etc. reach out to them. Mike, Colin, and Trisha were fantastic to work with and made the process easy.

After procrastinating for many years I finally decided to get my will and trust done. I expected it to be a lengthy and cumbersome process but I was pleasantly surprised! I chose Rutkowski Law Firm because I saw an ad in the local paper and they were convenient to where I lived. What I got was “white glove” treatment, a very professional and friendly staff, and most importantly, immediate response to all my questions and concerns. I worked with Michael Rutkowski and Trisha Harris—a great team! Without hesitation I would recommend them to anyone looking to get their “affairs in order”.

We saw Mike Rutkowski to update our Will, POA & funeral. He was very professional , kind &, took his time to answer all our questions ( & we had many ). I would highly recommend him !!

I recommend Michael Rutkowski to friends and business associates who are looking for legal assistance. I feel confident doing this because I have known Mike as a friend and business associate for several years. As my attorney, Mike has assisted me with business, personal and real estate matters. Because he has handled all situations in a professional, capable and timely manner, I'll continue to use and recommend him.

Negotiating the legal system can be an intimidating and twisted road. Having someone there to guide you through those turns and dips is so important. Mike Rutkowski does just that. Having had a minor legal issue that I needed assistance with, I called Mike. He personally called me back promptly, then followed up with the issue immediately. With one phone call he had straightened the path out so that I was able to have the issue dismissed. He is professional and caring, two characteristic that can be hard to find in his profession. I will recommend Mike Rutkowski and his law firm to any I know who might be in need of legal services.

It wasn't until I talked to Michael that I realized how much information I was missing on understanding estate planning. Not only is he extremely helpful and informative, but for someone who doesn't understand legalese he was very down to earth and explained things in a way that even I could understand. Michael will be my goto guy for estate planning from here on out.

I had the pleasure working with Mike and his team when we launched a new venture. We engaged The Rutkowski Law Firm to handle a number of contracts needed for us to conduct business. The experience was great, they took the time to explain each line section and the verbiage. I have recently recommended this firm and will continue to do so.