Reviews

Although the area of law for my legal issue was not the same as the attorney's specialization, he answered my question answered clearly and in a timely manner. I appreciated very much that he was able to assist me.

Tom represented me in a contract dispute with a former employer. From the day he started working on my case, he guided me through the process and prepared me for each stage. As this was a very stressful situation for me, Tom's ongoing reassurance and support made it much easier. He was extremely thorough in understanding the entire situation to determine the best strategy and the first thing he did was invalidate their claim that I violated my non-compete clause. After that, we tried mediation, but they were unwilling to move an inch. Ultimately, the case went to arbitration and the judge found in favor of me on every point...including fees and expenses. Tom built a very good case by doing his research, making sure we had the right witnesses, discrediting the opposing witnesses and being more prepared than the other guy. I remember one of the first things Tom told me is he would never lose because the other guy worked harder or was more prepared. He proved that to me. Tom demonstrated what a trusted advisor can be...he really did care about me and my family and worked hard to take care of us. I would gladly hire him again if the need arose.

Thomas Richelo was very competent and caring in my lawsuit against a former employer for pension benefits. He had experience in litigation of similar matters involving my employer's affiliate. He was extremely conscientious in pursuing every avenue and preparing for court. He steered my lawsuit through a long discovery phase and was firm and relentless in his interrogation of the defendants. I always felt that he was a passionate advocate and succeeded in obtaining a just settlement through mediation. I believe that he truly cared about me and my rights.

Best attorney I have ever hired. Smart, strong, trustworthy, and won't quit. Will not back down from anybody. Very detailed and creative. He will be worth every penny you pay him.

I first hired Tom as president of a construction firm and needed an experienced construction and corporate attorney. Tom assisted us on a wide range of matters including issues involving corporate structure, customer issues, and intellectual property concerns with competitors and lien law questions. He provided excellent service. Tom’s approach in an arbitration case led to quick resolution on very favorable terms. I also sought Tom’s advice on several partnership issues involving real estate investments. His practical approach to problem-solving helped resolve complicated matters I value his extensive experience and am pleased to recommend Tom.

We first hired Tom Richelo in 2007 when we had issues to resolve with an owner on a private construction project. Our company was owed for extra work we had performed and the owner was objecting to things to offset our position. Our lawyer got the matter resolved on satisfactory terms that saved us a lot of money. In the process, he demonstrated that he understood the applicable law in ways that out-maneuvered the owner’s lawyer, he kept the entire dispute out of litigation by asserting our right to arbitration, he dealt knowledgeably with the construction details involved in the dispute, and he represented us effectively in the mediation that resolved the case. Tom also understood the role of an insurer in this situation and helped produce an insurance recovery that sealed the deal. Our company’s recent focus has been on government and public projects. We have called upon Tom Richelo on several such projects and he has given good advice that helped us prevent having small issues become bigger problems. One such matter involved a subcontractor having done improper work; Tom guided us through a remedial proposal that avoided any adverse action against our company. On another job, we faced unwarranted efforts by the contracting officer to increase our scope of work without additional compensation; Tom helped us with a letter that led to our position being upheld. Tom was referred to our company by a relative’s business that he began doing legal work for more than 20 years ago. I knew Tom had been successful on several matters for them. Our company intends to look to Tom Richelo for advice and problem solving in the future whenever legal expertise is needed.

Farid Termei, Archimetric Design & Construction, rating of Attorney Thomas Richelo Tom Richelo was recommended to us as a construction attorney in 2007. Our company offers design and construction services. For one very difficult client we had performed design and were underway with construction when the owner was not meeting obligations to our company. This project was highly challenging because in an effort to avoid paying for some of the work the owner took very contrary positions and repeated failed to fulfill promises made to us. When Tom got involved things started to change dramatically. First, he helped us bring about an agreement that let us get out of the project with adequate payment for what we had completed so far. When payment obligations were not met by the owner, Tom filed a lawsuit and aggressively pursued that to a judgment. Several times he negotiated a settlement to pay on the judgment, but the owner repeatedly missed payments on that plan. Tom continued to push the matter until we forced a final settlement payment. The resolution to this conflict was very important to our company’s reputation and ongoing operations. We have since called on Tom for a variety of construction law matters. His knowledge of both our construction services and our design services enable him to serve companies like ours effectively and efficiently. I also know that his service as mediator and arbitrator helps enhance his ability to propose and negotiate settlements for clients like us. Tom’s overall experience also makes him a valuable business advisor. We plan to continue using Tom Richelo for our future legal needs.

Jay Hillebrand, Business Executive and Owner, rating of Attorney Thomas Richelo I’ve known Tom Richelo since 1991 when I hired him for a case against a software company for which I had served as president until terminated without being paid several categories of compensation and severance pay I had negotiated. Tom filed suit and enforced my oral agreement that was detailed in a set of notes but unsigned. He fought past a summary judgment motion and won the case in a five-day jury trial in Cobb State Court. The details were later made confidential, but the verdict set a record for that particular judge’s court. After the verdict was announced and the jury dismissed, the judge called us into her chambers. She told me that Tom’s trial presentation was the best she had ever seen in her court and that I was fortunate to have him as my attorney. I had already concluded that myself! The payout from that case funded a start-up company that I formed with a partner that became my biggest business success. In 2000, I again needed Tom’s representation to disengage from my partner, set up a separate and new company, and address litigation pursued by my former partner. Here, as with my first case, I witnessed Tom totally outshining his opposing counsel, resulting in a win that dismissed all of my opponent’s claims and got us a judgment. In 2006, Tom eventually collected on that judgment and sent me a framed copy of the check, with a quote below it from my adversary, who had promised, “You’ll never collect a penny of that judgment.” Well, Tom collected 100%, with interest. In addition to these successes Tom Richelo had for me, I was greatly impressed by his work ethic and determination. For example, during the jury trial we had a critical moment during my two-day cross-examination, and Tom and I worked until the early morning hours on preparation for the next day that ended up being crucial to our success. Tom works very well with business professionals because he learns their business as well as their case and has a mastery of the facts, the documents, the details for his examinations, the whole works. Because of his experience, Tom is someone I would go to, and send anyone seeking a lawyer to, regardless of the type of matter, because if he can’t help you he’ll know someone who can and he’ll give his time to make sure you are pointed in the right direction. My daughter became an attorney a few years ago, and she spent a summer clerking for Tom to “learn the ropes.” On top of everything else, he was a helpful mentor. I enthusiastically endorse Tom Richelo as an attorney who gives top quality services.

I was referred to Tom Richelo about 20 years ago, when my employer refused to give me my promised share of proceeds from the sale of his company. I did not have a written agreement with my employer, but Tom was able to put together a strong case with circumstances supporting my claims, leading to a satisfactory settlement. Five years later, with Tom’s encouragement, I decided to start my own company, in competition with the new owner of my company. When my new partner and I resigned, we were owed a considerable amount of money which our employer refused to pay. This time, Tom recommended mediation, which he guided us through with very good results. The money recovered through this process became the seed money that enabled our new company to start with a strong financial foundation. Tom also referred us to his associates to help us organize the company and file the necessary legal documents as we got started. As our company grew, Tom was an occasional adviser, guiding us through expansion, business challenges and a partnership with a major European company in our industry. Our companies prospered, culminating with their sale in 2006, enabling a comfortable retirement, which is about to begin. I could always count on Tom to: • Listen carefully to my issues and question me until his understanding was sufficient • Formulate courses of action that were most likely to achieve the desired results—quickly • Fight doggedly to protect my interests • Conduct himself professionally and with complete integrity • Relate to me as a friend, as well as a counselor I would be pleased to recommend Tom to handle business-related legal matters.

Our company has used Tom Richelo on a number of matters for the past 20+ years. He covers what a construction company needs: He knows our industry, he knows business, and he knows how to resolve disputes in the best way. As a general contractor we sometimes have issues involving owners and sometimes they involve subcontractors. Tom has helped us contain the size of problems and bring about a favorable ending. One thing we like about working with Tom is that he helps us set realistic goals for outcomes. He is then very effective in going about pursuing those goals. In two different matters over the years, we have had cases where a disgruntled subcontractor brought a claim against us and Tom helped us assert valid counterclaims that gave us the leverage to get the subs to take nothing in a settlement. Tom handles construction matters involving both government and private projects and has in-depth knowledge about how both situations work. He's also available to advise us on contracts, bidding of projects, and even some matters that are more business questions than construction law. We feel that Tom helps level the playing field for a small contractor and we are very happy to have him on our side!

Tom Richelo began representing our company about five years ago. We are a masonry contractor and found ourselves owed money by developers of residential and commercial projects where lien rights were lost because of foreclosures on properties. Tom was persistent in representing us and through a lawsuit he filed and persistent pressure on a general contractor, we got payments on two projects resolved in ways that we could not have done without his help. In particular, the second recovery we had came about despite the owner being an out-of-state player who was using his personal wealth to prolong the litigation with the general contractor, and our chance to get paid was tied to the general’s case. Tom got involved with the general’s attorney, contributed some strategies for how to keep the pressure on the owner, and his input was critical to getting some money to finally flow. From our work together I have come to know that Tom is very experienced and well-informed about the construction process. Companies like ours need an attorney who knows our industry and business. As a small family business, we benefit from the pointers Tom gives us about preserving our rights, whether on liens, bonds or others, good practices regarding changes and other areas of the business side of our work. Greenway Construction feels well represented by Tom Richelo and we know he’s our strong advocate whenever he’s needed.

We were having issues with a General Contractor refusing to pay us for work that was completed on our behalf. After numerous attempts to have conversations with the General C ontractor as well as the end-user and trying to collect our funds for almost over a years time, Thomas Richelo was contacted and his services were requested in order to try to collect the funds that were rightfully ours. Thomas Richelo was very thorough in obtaining all the facts with this issue and then advised us that he would pursue our rights. Arbitration was the course of action that had to pursued with our case. Thomas Richelo rightfully won our case in Arbitration with a positive outcome for us issued by the Arbitrator. However, the GC and their Attorney refused to abide by the Arbitrator's ruling. Thomas Richelo then proceeded with the next course of action and pursed our case to the next higher authority in the judicial system. Well...this is where the GC's decision as well as their Council's backfired. The final outcome of the Verdict was overwhelmingly in our favor. When the smoke cleared and it was all said and done.....we ended up no only obtaining 100% of what was initially due to us, we also obtained interest on the amount due us plus enough to cove our Attorney fees/expenses. The GC ended up having to pay well over twice the amount due us...not counting what they had to pay out for their Attorney. So.....YES I can Highly Recommend Thomas Richleo, when he gets a hold of a case....he will NOT let go until a rightful verdict is achieved.