Arthur John Lacilento

At one of the lowest moments of my life, during a heartbreaking custody battle, I felt completely powerless. My children had been exposed to a traumatic situation, and I was overwhelmed with guilt and fear, feeling like I had failed them. A friend referred me to Arthur Lacilento, and from our very... first conversation, I knew I was in good hands. He was direct, grounded, and consistently reminded me to stay calm and focused. What truly stood out was his accessibility, he was always available, whether by phone or text, and never left a single message unanswered. On the day of court, Arthur clearly laid out how he expected things to unfold. He was strategic, confident, and incredibly well-prepared. Thanks to his representation, I was awarded sole custody of my children. The court also ordered the other party to pay attorney fees, and I was granted child support. Arthur didn’t just represent me legally, he gave me hope when I had none. I am forever grateful.

I had done a lot of research before hiring Art. I knew I needed not just any lawyer but a Super Lawyer to represent me in my case. I had never been in a position like I found myself in late September 2020. I had also never required legal assistance before this nightmare event in my life that I also ...never imagined I would ever be in. Prior to hiring Art, I was originally given a court appointed lawyer. For those of you that are unfamiliar, as I was not, my personal advice is to get rid of them as fast as possible. I never once felt that mine was there to represent me nor cared about the truth and/or the outcome of my case. I have also heard this after the fact from many others that had ever encountered requiring one. This was shocking to say the least but also a wakeup call that I needed to find my own representation and quickly. My only regret was not dropping my court appointed lawyer sooner. I was in such a daze and had a lot of confusion of what was taking place, I had naively assumed that since I was innocent the truth would set me free. Boy, I could not have been more wrong. It was only 3.5 months before I concluded that the truth was not going to set me free and began my search for my own legal representation. Unfortunately, those 3.5 months that I had already lost had been crucial, I didn’t understand the legal process and my court appointed lawyer was not forth coming or fighting for me that entire time while supposedly representing me. By the time I retained Art, I had already lost some valuable time in my case and didn't even realize it. If you are reading this and are in the beginning stages of a JV case or later stages for that matter, please do yourself a favor and don’t make the same mistakes I did. Drop your court appointed lawyer and retain real legal assistance. I wish I had been given this advice sooner. I was extremely thankful when Art & Sue came to the rescue in my case. As I have read in other posts, Art can be gruff and very direct when speaking with you. But to be honest, I didn’t care because what mattered most was how he performed in the court room and at my trials. All I can say to this, Art was phenomenal in the areas that I hired him for. I did not hire him to be my best friend, I hired him to be my best lawyer and that’s exactly what he did and was. I was impressed with Art's understanding of all the facts and details of my case. There was a lot going on and a lot to have to know prior to our trial. Art took the time to research and not just take my word or not take my word but to see for himself what the true facts were of my complicated case. I knew it was important to always be honest with your lawyer, how can they represent you and do a good job if you are not truthful with them? I am sure there are many out there that are not upfront but that does not help you or them, it only hinders you and makes their job that much more difficult and near impossible to help you overcome the case against you. I did not take it personal when Art wasn’t quick to believe or not believe what I told him as I understood it was not personal to me but more of what again makes him a great lawyer. He needed to review and research the facts for himself to know what he believed to be the truth. This is important because if he hadn’t done his own investigation of my case and I was lying, then it would have come out in trial. Because of what I personally do for a living, I understood this on a different level and understood the true value in this. I also cannot say enough great things about Sue. Sue is Art's right-hand woman, and she is amazing at what she does. You can see both Sue & Art's true dedication and concern for your case throughout the entire process. I can’t say there was ever a time that I could not reach them or that they did not return my call or text within a reasonable amount of time. When you are in a desperate situation, as I felt I was in, there is a lot of value in this alone.. My case i

I found myself in a position I NEVER thought I would be in when my children were removed from my custody unexpectedly. Looking for an attorney in this field is not easy (I spoke with a few) especially when the world has been pulled out from under your feet. I am SO GLAD I found Art. His office was... incredibly helpful and supportive from my first contacted with them, and his pricing was competitive. I just felt better once I spoke with his office and knew I wanted Art on my side. I was able to retain Art and he appeared with me the following morning for our first hearing. I had read other positive reviews and can truly attest that Art knows his stuff. He cited numerous laws and cases so quickly he kept opposing counsel on their toes to say the least. He is clearly well known and highly respected in the court room. Although we didn't get the outcome we had hoped for initially, and with COVID delaying everything, it was a long four months until we got to court again. Art was always available to answer my questions with no BS, he definitely gives it to you straight and he will hold you accountable (which I consider to be a really good quality in an attorney in this field). If you do what you're supposed to and are responsible for yourself, he believes in you and your case, he will fight tooth and nail for what's right. I have an immense amount of respect for his ability to see through the BS, hold ground in the courtroom and his unparalleled expertise in litigating. I am SO THANKFUL for Art. He fought for me, let me know where I screwed up and praised me for my hard work and the progress I made. If you find yourself caught up in this incredibly dysfunctional system, LISTEN TO THIS MAN, HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING. If you do your part and work hard, Art will work HARD for you! He's clearly devoted to this field and he's in it for the long run (as long as you are too). Best possible outcome. Although my dependency case was dismissed, I am have been in and out of family court for 5 years and would never consider using another attorney. I am elated to have found Art. I can't thank you enough Art!!!!

Looking for an attorney is overwhelming, finding one that can actually fight for you using the law is even harder. I was desperate looking for someone who could help me and had a lot of options. From the moment I spoke to Mr. LaCilento, I knew he made me feel protected. In juvenile court, he appeared... to know more laws and codes than the judge as I saw her look a few up after he cited them. He dominates in a multi-entity courtroom. He was able to get my case dismissed because I followed his instructions. Do NOT argue with this man, you will not win. He is really in this field to help and has so much knowledge to navigate within the law. I was so pleased with his dedication and response time that I hired him for family law after my juvenile case was DISMISSED in what seemed to be impossible or a huge rarity considering the position I was in! I will forever have respect for this attorney and would recommend him to anyone I love or like, but never an enemy. I would not want to go up against his ferocious litigant. I am still in family court and he is doing a superior job. I have had a few attorneys and can attest that he calls back, he gets the job done and works hard, he does not send other attorneys in for him. I’m not sure I would be able to find anyone better. Thank you Mr. LaCilento, you rock and so does your staff. ***review on google and yelp***

I used him for 5 long months. At the initial consult, he spent time talking to me so that I would pay him retainer fee. After this; however, I sent numerous emails/calls requesting much needed paperwork/investigation to be done. They did not respond or he would talk on the phone for 1 minute before c...utting me off, handing the questions over to less qualified paralegal wife or the secretary. They usually responded frantically at the last minute before due dates for certain forms. These forms were poorly written by the paralegal and I doubt that he even proofread them. I sent many useful documents to support my case, all in vain because they never read them nor organize these in any meaningful way. After 5 agonizing months of struggling to get them to work on my case, I finally switched to another real attorney. He was astonished by the mess of a case I was in. The paperwork was not organized at all and forms filed were useless or even wrong. He said he had never seen such a chaos from any attorney. Many things needed to be corrected, rewritten and resubmitted, costing me more money. I hired him because of good reviews, which I cannot comprehend. In summary, he likes to go to court because he can charge more. He does NOT spend time going over the case carefully nor gives you an overall strategy, but instead shoves your case aside. He does NOT prepare your legal paperwork nor proofread as if he is too important for these vital tasks. The attorney who took over my case fortunately corrected his mess and got me on the right track. I am so glad I switched. If you want a conscientious, professional attorney, choose someone else. Just because an attorney is aggressive does not make one a good representative. The court/judge looks at the facts and documents. If they cannot produce well-written documents because they don't have time nor interest to formulate your battle plan, how can they properly represent you? This was a good learning experience to know that attorneys vary widely in quality and professionalism.