Reviews

I interviewed 13 lawyers before choosing Neal Simon to handle my divorce, and I'm very glad I did. He is very experienced, knowledgeable, respectful, and honest. He knows how to effectively de-escalate a situation, or bring down the hammer if needed. He would answer my questions thoroughly, and made sure I understood his recommendations at every step. I felt confident he was always looking out for my best interests, and would quickly take care of difficult issues as they arose. I would highly recommend him to anyone.

Neal was my second lawyer in my divorce. The different between Neal and my first lawyer was night and day. Instantly my case got back on track, negotiations with my ex happened and were agreed to. On top of this, Neal was there for me personally as I asked many, many questions. I felt secure in a time of my life where I was at my lowest. He is a very honest lawyer and will tell you what you need to hear; no over promises, no grand statements. In fact, he has told me a few times that something wasn't worth going after. Later in life I was remarried and Neal helped me with those nuptial agreements. He handled them professionally and with haste. I am thankful and lucky to find Neal. If you need help navigating the tricky divorce path Neal will be there for you.

Brilliant guy and Lawyer. Very honest and works hard for his clients.

My divorce matter had a few interesting twists and turns. Neal Simon handled those twists and turns flawlessly. Beyond dotting the "i's" and crossing the "t's", Neal was a calming presence throughout my divorce, provided valuable advice and counsel.

I had an excellent experience with Neal Simon. His professionalism, clear communication, and expertise was outstanding. Most importantly he is very empathetic, guided me through the process seamlessly. I was satisfied with the outcome. Highly recommend!

Neal is very approachable and handled a 5 year litigation case for me with a great outcome. He is very conscientious and thoughtful in handling very sensitive and thorny issues....very good listener and good manner relating to extensive legal challenges and issues with constructive resolutions.

When I met with Neal about handling my divorce case he was amazing and calmed all my fears and answered any and all of my questions about my case. He was aggressive and got the results I needed. Neal always kept me up to date and had a very positive disposition to reinsure me that everything is going to be ok. I also want to add that his patience is of a saint. Divorce is emotional and hard.I am so glad I hired this firm.

Referred to the group by a colleague - and despite having common acquaintances, they still acted unprofessionally. Neal delegated most of my contact to his junior attorney and only ever spoke with me twice. My status updates, questions etc were ignored. Imagine my surprise in the midst of court proceedings, to be sent a note about their withdrawal. He didn’t even have decency to call me and tell me or explain what happened. The Junior Attorney, Nick, made all these grandiose promises to me while relaying who knows what to Neal. They quickly exhausted my $3,500 retainer drafting motions that I had never agreed to and already expressed serious concerns about. Ultimately, they were never filed. My own language was used in the motion that was filed so what was the purpose of paying them?! I’m honestly disgusted that all this money was wasted on a Group that lacked basic professional decency and follow through. The Rookie associate, Nick, talks a big game but has no clue what he’s doing. Neal being the First Chair didn’t care enough nor was he bothered to check Junior’s work. I wouldn’t recommend this Group to anyone- they behaved like wolves in sheep’s clothing during one of my most desperate times of need. Shame on them.

Neal Simon is an excellent attorney that I would highly recommend. He is extremely bright, skilled and responsive, as is his entire staff. Going through a divorce is a deeply emotional, private and confusing experience, throughout the entire process I felt confident that Neal would guide me, in the right direction, each step of the way. Both Neal and Mario are the perfect balance of kindness and professionalism. Thank you Neal and the entire staff of Ventrelli Simon LLC. for all the work you did on my behalf and supporting me along the way, I am grateful to all of you.

Five minutes into my initial consult, I knew I had found the right lawyer. Neal Simon combines a no-nonsense, direct approach with warmth, tact, kindness and sincerity. These winning traits are underpinned by impressive credentials and experience, and incisive, effective litigation skills. Neal does not tell you what you want to hear. Hire another attorney if that’s what you want. Rather, he distills his firm grasp of the law, extensive experience with how the system works, and sharp instincts to deliver expert, realistic, and wise advice. After deviating from his recommendations a few times and regretting it, I learned to trust him implicitly. Before the judge, Neal shines. I marveled at his preparation, eloquence, passion, and effectiveness in advocating for me at every court appearance. The petitions, responses, and pre-trial memorandum he composed for the court were convincing, well substantiated and accurate. Neal prepared me well for every court appearance both in terms of what to say (or not say!) and what the range of possible outcomes might be. He is fast on his feet, quick to seize any opening provided by the opposition that could be turned to my advantage. His results exceeded my expectations in every instance. To say I was grateful to have Neal protecting my interests is an understatement. In collaboration and negotiation, Neal is perceptive, insightful, creative, and savvy. After failed mediation, failed collaboration and multiple baseless petitions in a case that spanned 4.5 years, two mediators and my ex’s succession of four legal teams, I fully expected to end up at trial. I didn’t want that. Neal charted a course that culminated in a crushing pretrial conference victory during which the judge ruled in my favor on every issue. I credit Neal with averting trial and drawing a reasonable settlement from the opposition. This was a huge success as well as a relief because I especially didn’t want to involve my son in a trial. Neal told me in our first meeting that because Ventrelli & Simon LLC is a boutique firm with a small staff, there might be times when another client’s critical juncture would require his full attention. He said during those times he might seem unresponsive to non-critical items. But he went on to reassure me that whenever my case would heat up, he’d be dedicated to me. He was true to his word. At every surprise grenade lobbed by my ex, gearing up for every court appearance and especially as we accelerated toward settlement, I felt like I was Neal’s only client. He kept in constant contact and continually pressed the opposition to move forward until we had signed agreements and a decree in hand. Finally, in spite of my ex’s frequent flip-flopping, recalcitrance, and parade of legal representation, Neal was a class act, always taking the high road. He never said a single inappropriate or disrespectful word about her, publicly or privately. That’s the caliber of the man. He is the complete package. I feel VERY lucky that I happened to be referred to him. I am a client for life and can’t recommend him highly enough.

Mario Ventrelli (Best Attorney in Lake County) Mr. Ventrelli is sincere, extremely knowledgeable and worked diligently throughout my case. He has been an angel on my shoulder. Mr. Ventrelli helped me, and my family navigate a very contentious fight for almost 3 years now. The Pandemic has caused all aspects of our society to turn upside down. My family case was not immune. During these difficult times, Mr. Ventrelli eased my concerns and guided me through a smooth transition from in person court to having court remotely. Mr. Ventrelli communicates clearly and concisely. He answers emails and calls in a timely fashion and makes himself available to hold phone conferences, if need be. Mr. Ventrelli's office does a great job of keeping me informed of my case. Instead of stalling the process, he insisted in pushing the case forward. Saving my family a lot of time and money. As society attempts to return to some sense of normalcy, I am even more confident that Mr. Ventrelli will be successful and continue to do everything we discussed at our initial consultation. I look forward to his expertise to negotiate the best settlement for my family. I highly recommend Mr. Ventrelli and Mr. Simon to anyone that needs a strong advocate by your side. Neal Simon (All you need) My husband has been in litigation for over a decade and for the first time, we believe we hired the best team to represent us. Mr. Simon is everything you need from an attorney, he is extremely professional, caring and compassionate. During this difficult process, he has guided my husband with caring hands. In a profession that becomes easy to differentiate the difference between what is personal and what’s business, Mr. Simon understands the personal nature of the job. Over the past decade, my husband has had several attorneys that only saw the bottom line, or how much money they could exploit from our case. Mr. Simon and his partner are the antithesis of this. He sees the big picture, and understands it is not just the little victories that count. Rather, it is the entirety of the cases success that matters. My family couldn’t be more confident for a bright outcome with our custody dispute knowing that we finally hired the right team. I could not have asked for a better representation.