James R. Stevens Attorney At Law

I echo Robert's claims that this law firm did not do a great job with individual cases. I gave two stars for two reasons: 1) Two because he did the job I initially requested = a demand letter. There were grammatical mistakes that I did not feel comfortable asking him to update as he was very curt but he was okay with my updates that I sent over. I just saw the grammatical mistakes after and felt rushed and did not want to ask for a second revision as he did not seem too concerned about things. This I take the onus for as I should have let him know about the obvious grammatical mistakes but I already felt as if I was burdening him and did not want to ask for a third revision. 2) Removed 3 stars as my husband and many friends are big law attorneys (deal with larger cases = not small claims prep) and they thought his response to me wanting to further my case in small claims was very rude. Here it is verbatim after I let him know I would like to continue: "Honestly, I do not have the time but good luck!" He also did not remember details of the case when the person who the demand letter was addressed to responded which I felt was poor representation. If you're hiring him for one thing and definitely comfortable pushing back/not feeling as if someone you hired is on "your side" then I would say he did an above average job. if you're looking for someone who cares about the results/outcomes rather than his own personal time I would say look for another attorney. I've worked with property, family law, and traffic attorneys and they've been much more professional and made me feel less rushed. I am hiring another attorney to assist but want to warn folks who may be dealing with larger matters or matters that may be of more significance not to "put all your eggs in one basket" with this firm.

Hired to defend a speeding ticket. It’s not just that we lost the case that disappoints me. It’s that the attorney did not challenge the two main points that the prosecutor was building (the speed and lack of obstruction) and instead rested the defense on case law that turned out to have been misinterpreted and irrelevant. Didn’t event challenge the reported speed! The whole thing struck of a serious lack of preparation, even after I’d done considerable research to lay the groundwork of reasonable doubt and handed it over, only to have it ignored. Not that the maps, photos, radar manual and other evidence I brought would have done any good, because the attorney started off the trial by making a big fuss about getting an irrelevant equipment log thrown out of evidence for not having been turned over in discovery. So then the judge wouldn’t admit any of our new evidence for reciprocity’s sake. One day I’ll write a very humorous short story about that day. I guess some lawyers think “you seen one of these, you’ve seen em all” and don’t take the time out for individual consideration. Well when I hire an attorney, I want individual consideration.

I've (unfortunately) needed Ken Gallo's expertise on a few moving violations with my teenagers. In each situation, he made near-miracles happen. His connections in northern Bergen County and knowledge of the inner-workings of the legal system here have not only saved us, they've alleviated the anxiety of the potential long-term impact these violations could have had on my family. Can't recommend him enough.

Not a good lawyer, he is rude and arrogant, and wants clients to do the work for him...

A law firm that treats you like family.