Reviews

Bernard Rizza is a very knowledgeable lawyer and extremely responsive. I took my car to a shop for a state inspection and that shop did not put the lug nuts back on my wheel when they took it off to look around. The wheel flew off and my car crashed in the middle of 18th street going downhill to Southside. It was my first legal case, I did not have a lawyer or law firm in mind so I asked around for a recommendation and was sent to a firm other than Frischman & Rizza. For the better part of a year I was jerked around to the point that I began looking into the case myself and found that very little of the paperwork was filed, my medical records had not been accessed, and even the shops insurance agency was not sure what was happening. That is when I met Mr. Rizza (and his wonderful partner Craig Frischman) and they actually paid the old law firm to hand over my case and in less than 2 months I had a settlement offer. Taking the advice of Craig and Bernie we were able double that offer to an amount that even I thought was beyond what was to be expected. The money came in a few weeks later. I am writing this review because I know what it is like to have a bad lawyer and the night and day difference a good lawyer can make. Bernard Rizza is a good lawyer and should be the person you call.

After a medical incident in which I was assured by Mr. Rizza that he felt he had a strong case of malpractice, I was strung along for a little over a year, all the while assuring me (via email) he had a case, while at one point, he told me that he had more important cases and would have to put mine on a back-burner, until recently, he finally gave up. Of course he told me that he would give me plenty of time to give another lawyer an attempt to win my case, but waited until I only had four months - before I can no longer file - with an explanation that was medically nonsensical (in my opinion). He insists on meeting all of his "vetted" medical (professional) witnesses in person, and this last winter was harsh - so when he was supposed to meet with one in NYC, it was put off month after month after month. I would wait each month for the date he said he had set up with a particular specialist and a few days to a week later, he would say he hadn't met with that particular specialist yet. In the end, after having my case for over a year and meeting with me once, he ended up with only two opinions from two different doctors that didn't even agree with what the other said and came up with even more issues in my malpractice suit. Unfortunately, the first time I met him, he mentioned my doctor's (the one that messed up in my surgery) personal nick-name and went so far as to mention how much this doctor liked to participate in his particular hobby - yes, Mr. Rizza knew the surgeon that messed up my life, personally. I should have withdrawn from this particular lawyer and his firm at that point, but I have never dealt with any sort of lawsuit before, so I didn't know what else I could do, and I also assumed that many people were aware of my particular surgeon. That's my bad, and now it's even harder to find a lawyer because most won't even consider me since I've already had one that had my case for so long - without even looking at my case itself. I hope this warning helps other people out there looking for justice. I kept every single email and communication with Mr. Rizza and his associate. Reading over them again, I'm amazed at the lack of empathy or kindness Mr. Rizza and his associate treated me with. Frankly, I don't even know why they took my case in the first place - they never showed any interest after the very first meeting in person.