Arthur John Lacilento

I was initially told my consultation would be free, yet I was later charged for it. Despite my repeated monthly follow-ups requesting invoices (which were ignored), I received zero regular billing statements. Then, I was completely blindsided when the firm suddenly hit me all at once with 3 full mont...hs of representation bills, including $1,700 in surprise charges generated after I had already formally terminated his services. I was charged his full hourly rate (up to $500/hr) for follow-up emails or calls I had to make just to get basic updates (even for one-word email responses). During formal fee arbitration, he claimed his assistant was also a paralegal and justified charging $500/hr for her work. Shockingly, during the arbitration hearing, he even provided completely false information claiming that I had an open criminal case a statement that is factually false and easily disproved by public records. He actively attacked my character, portraying me as a 'terrible mother' during a proceeding meant strictly for a fee dispute. Although the arbitrator explicitly noted clear billing discrepancies on the record, the arbitrator surprisingly awarded the attorney every dollar in dispute, including $3,000 I had already paid and additional fees assessed for transferring my file to my new counsel. During arbitration, he repeatedly derailed the focus by bickering and bringing up sensitive details regarding my minor child. Communication was EXCEPTIONALLY poor.I was forced to initiate all follow-ups. When I asked for updates, the attorney dismissed me as a 'frantic, worried mom.' I repeatedly offered the medical imaging records that our medical expert required, but he ignored my offers, issued unnecessary subpoenas, and filed unnecessary continuances claiming the records were missing. When I tried to explain that I already had the documentation, he routinely insulted my intelligence, condescendingly asking, 'Are you an attorney?' A couple of weeks after I was appointed new counsel, my new attorney coordinated with the expert and quickly located the exact imaging records I had originally provided all along. The office repeatedly lost my files, forcing me to resend the exact same documentation multiple times (and charging me for the communications), and even confused my discovery materials with another client's files; an administrative error his office only noticed hours before our hearing that directly delayed my court dates and severely prejudiced my case. He even admitted to completely missing a crucial meeting with a medical expert because he took on another case in Orange County and simply 'forgot.' My invoices show charges of 1.5 to 3 hours for Zoom court appearances where the actual hearing lasted under 10 minutes, which he attributed to preparation. In almost every interaction, he routinely raised his voice and yelled at me, appearing visibly agitated with bloodshot, veiny eyes. Being much larger than me, his physical presence felt intimidating. At the one court appearance he made in person, he pulled me to the side to give me the same delayed excuses. When he stated that I looked mad, I explained that I was simply frustrated because he was not giving my case the attention it deserved. As I shook from frustration, he became riled up, so I walked away. As I was walking away, he began screaming down the hallway that he was going into the courtroom right now to withdraw from my case. He then followed me down the hall screaming, put his finger directly in my face, and caused an appalling scene. My partner had to step in to de-escalate the situation because of his aggressive physical proximity. When my partner mentioned recording his behavior, the attorney aggressively turned the situation around, screaming penal codes up and down the halls and falsely accusing my partner of breaking the law. A deputy/bailiff inspected my partner's phone on the spot and confirmed zero illegal activity occurred. I genuinely feared for my safety.