Reviews

My ticket was reduced from passing a stop sign to improper door opening. It went from being a 3-point ticket that would appear on my NYS abstract to being a simple (but expensive) violation. I found Riotto's rate to be reasonable, considering the implications of getting points on my license vs. paying the few hundred dollars. His office is also responsive to emails, and he is accessible, making communication with his office fairly straightforward. Overall, I would recommend him, but I would also recommend myself to just be more careful next time.

I hired this law office to handle one of my traffic citation of 4 points. They took their time to get me out of it without any penalties and no points. Moreover, No bad driving record. I really appreciate the way they handled the case.

I received a speeding ticket in upstate NY and Riotto's law firm was able to get the points and fees reduced. The staff was always very professional and kept me abreast of the case, this was important since I'm from CT and could not drive back to NY to handle this. Their fees were also very competitive compared to other firms in the upstate area. I would definitely recommend Mr Riotto's firm for representation.

Mr. Riotto was able to reduce my ticket from a 3 point moving violation down to a 0 point parking violation with a small fine, which has saved both my (previously pristine) driving record, and my insurance rates. The entire process was fast and painless, and either he or his secretary made sure that I stayed fully informed throughout the entire process. I highly recommend Mr. Riotto to anyone that requires a lawyer for a traffic violation!

We found out our son was in trouble on Thursday and James Riotto took the case with a court date the following Tuesday. He was phenomenal! His previous expertise in law enforcement and prosecuting cases surely gave him advantage and I highly recommend him!

My experience with Michael Schmitt, Esq. was anything but good. I'm not sure where all the 5 star reviews came from, but my experience earns him 0 stars. I retained Michael Schmitt for what I thought was an easy win against my ex wife. After our 23 minute initial consultation (10 mins was the discussion of fees) I still had no idea what was going to happen in court 3 days later, but his fees were reasonable so I hired him. I had to hire someone, and relied soley on his online reputation to do so. He cashed my check. The next day he had his staff call me to tell me they have informed the court he had a family emergency. They said that I should appear and give the court a list of available dates he had for the following week. I said "isn't this the firms job?" They said they don't normally do that but would fax the court the list of dates. They called me back a few hours later saying I would still need to appear even though my attorney was not available. I went to court and was silenced by the judge when I tried to speak about an upcoming visitation scheduled for the following week (I had counsel that needed to speak for me that wasn't present). I was told that since I had an immediate visitation issue (my ex didn't want to give me my son for a paid for trip and visitation) my lawyer would need to contact the court before the following court date so I could be heard on the matter. I contacted his office and stressed the urgency of having him contact me so I could explain the situation and get into court before my plane tickets were past the point of being refundable. I asked if there were other lawyers in his firm that could help, or step in, and they said there was not. Mr. Schmitt did not call me back until 3 days later in the afternoon and had very poor reception. He said he was "in the hospital" when I said I could barely hear him. I asked him to call the court so we could be heard on my issue and he said "thats what court appearances are for", and said he would "make some calls". I did a little Facebook research to be nosy and see what the "Family Emergency" was. It seems a family friend, had a son struck by a vehicle. It didn't stop Mr. Shmitt from throwing a grand birthday party for his own son with 12 kids at his house, in his newly remodeled basement, the day after court (He posted a public video on Facebook). Instead of calling the court he called my ex wifes lawyer and asked if my son wanted to visit me. A question he already knew the answer to. He sent me an email explaining and ignored the multiple requests to know if he was going to be in court before the next date. The judge even gave me the option for him to call into court and not personally appear. I explained to him in an email reply the need for a dependable lawyer and why I hired him in the first place. At this point I knew Michael Schmitt was not the lawyer for me. His lack of empathy for my situation and the amount of effort he didn't put in was enough for me. He offered to return my deposit to me and I gladly accepted. I asked when the deposit would be returned so I could hire someone else. He ignored me. The next day I asked again in an email and he said he "mailed me a check". He knew I needed the money to hire another lawyer but he very immaturely mailed me the funds so I wouldn't have them in time. Thanks for nothing Michael Schmitt. If you want a lawyer that puts in zero effort for you, this is your guy. FYI his wife is Judge Romeo and his other partner is retired. He is a one man firm with no resources to help you in court if he has an "emergency".

Seemed professional and courteous until I gave him a portion of a retainer. I told him everything that I was looking at and he told me $6000. Then after we agreed on a payment plan, I paid him a portion and then he called me back to say he raised it to $10,000 because he didn't know of a certain charge. But I told him EVERYTHING. As did my husband, who spoke to him first. So I asked for my money back immediately since I had not yet retained him. I had given him $1100 and he only gave me $500 back. On top of that, was very rude and nasty. Wish I would've known how greedy he was before I even thought about hiring him.

Mr. Riotto was not only extremely comforting during a very challenging period, but he was also incredibly helpful and knew the law inside and out with my case. I would highly recommend him to anyone seeking legal counsel. His staff was always very welcoming and positive and his efforts were above and beyond. If it weren't for him I would have been dealing with a lot more challenges. I am forever grateful I found him and could get both the emotional and legal support I needed to get though a tough situation. I cannot speak enough about his fluency in the courtroom and I would recommend him to anyone.

Very professional and knowledgeable. I was very happy and grateful for the service that was provided. They let me know what to expect, responded quickly to any questions and kept me updated.

I was very pleased with the handling of my case by the staff at The Law Office of James L. Riotto. I highly recommend their services to anyone seeking counsel for traffic related issues. Their timeliness and communication was great.