Robert Michael Vella

I originally reviewed Mr. Vella several years ago at "HIS" request. Considering the fact that he was handling my divorce, I gave him a good review in hopes that he would do a good job or at least treat me with some consideration or at least decency. Nothing could be further from the truth. He is unre...sponsive and his work is sloppy. Talks a good game and is very personable. However, once he has been paid, and it's time to produce, he puts you on the back burner. He will NEVER return calls, texts or emails without threatening to fire him. Even then, his responses are nothing but empty promises. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND A LOT OF AGGRAVATION STAY AWAY!!!!!

I decided to hire Mr. Vella based on another attorney's recommendation. He promised to fight for my rights as a father and to protect me from a spiteful wife during divorce proceedings. As soon as I paid the retainer fee, he disappeared off the face of the earth. No email, call or voice mail could g...et a reply from him. In the meantime the estranged wife was harassing me, threatening to call police on me with baseless accusations in my own home and she exploited me financially. I finally was able to contact Mr. Vella and asked him to review a document from opposing counsel. He told me to read it myself first and to then contact him to point out the stipulations that I didn't agree with.(If I could read "legalese" I wouldn't need his help, right?) 2 months later I made the decision to end my representation with Mr. Vella. He pleaded and assured me that he was the man for the job, even though 90% of our communication was regarding the inability to communicate with him. We agreed to go our separate ways and he promised to have my invoice and documents ready in a few days, with a partial refund coming within 2 weeks. I got the documents in about 2 weeks and 5 months have passed since the date when I was supposed to receive my refund. He ignored 5 emails regarding that refund over the course of a month. I then reported Mr. Vella to the Nassau County Bar Association and they're now investigating the matter. They predicted that upon being notified of the investigation, he might just refund me to avoid tarnishing his reputation. They were wrong. His office has yet to contact me. I know how stressful a divorce can be, especially when your spouse is a malicious person. Please do not put your future in the hands of Robert M. Vella of Mineola. You will feel like you're trying to divorce him as well. He only cares about himself. Don't believe me? Go to his office for his free consultation and he will point at his family portraits and tell you what a great dad he is and how he will fight for you. But if you retain his services, that might be the last time he speaks to you for months.

Hired Mr. Vella to finish my divorce and put down a hefty retainer. From the start, it was always a challenge to get a hold of him, to receive a response from him via phone was impossible and it was equally impossible to meet with him. When I did get a response it was a brief sentence via email ...and he NEVER returned my phone calls. I repetitively asked for an itemized bill and I was told he was working on it and then I was lied to by his assistant that they were sending it to me. I never received one bill in a year's time and he fell off the face of the earth. After not hearing from him in 5 months, I decided to take a trip to his office in person. When I got to his office, his name was removed from the outside plaque and once inside the office, I was told that he no longer works there and that it has been months since he worked there. I never received notice that he was leaving that office nor did I receive a bill the entire time I retained him as a lawyer. Because of his lack of communication and his disappearing act, it allowed my ex-husband to manipulate the court system and do illegal things that could have been prevented if Mr Vella was handling my case and actually working for me. Mr. Vella took my retainer, showed up to 3 court appearances and did nothing to further my case and I was stuck in the same place as when I retained him. No returned calls. Just empty promises. I have since hired a new lawyer who has finished my case but it cost me double the amount because she had to fix the mess he left.

I am using Robert Vella as my attorney for the third time in a matter of 5 or so years. Each and every meeting, phone call, appearances and all other aspects of my case have been handled in an exemplary, professional and knowledgeable manner. He always made me feel as if I was his #1 client and ac...tually cared about my case. During each and every court appearance, and there were quite a few, Mr. Vella showed up early so he can go over what I should expect and to put all my worries at ease. I am not always a calm person, but as soon as Mr. Vella arrived, I was extremely calm because I knew I was in the best of hands. I cannot stress enough how much I respect him both as a caring man and an aggressive and tough attorney. If you are in need of an attorney, you could not do better than being in the care of Robert Vella.

I retained Mr. Vella about a year ago for a criminal felony proceeding. I was very impressed at our first meeting and have found that feeling only get higher as the cases were moving along. Mr. Vella always kept my wife and I informed every step of the way and always returned phone calls. There was t...remendous anxiety for our daughter involved in a potential life changeing situation. In the courtroom I was comforted by the knowledge and respect that Mr. Vella got from the judge all the way down to the court officers. Mr. Vella even met with detectives and my daughter and I "after hours" where he wanted to be present during questioning. This was so importat for her legal saftey where a young lady could be pressured into saying the wrong thing. Mr. Vella was determined to see this case through with the best possible outcome, which he did. It was truly a life changeing experience and I would highly recommend anyone facing a serious situation to retain Mr. Vella if you want the highest quality representation. When I needed a quality attorney I asked a family friend if he knew anyone. Without hesitation he recommended Mr. Robert Vella. I am so glad I took his advise.