Hoekenga Machado & Lyon, LLC - Danbury, Connecticut

Cheri C.

We hired Attorney Nicole Camporeale to create our Will and Trusts. Without hesitation, we would recommend Nicole to our family and friends. She is so knowledgeable in estate law and was thorough in the planning of our estate. Nicole is also very understanding and compassionate about the work she does. We are so happy she was referred to us by friends!

Theresa R.

If my husband and I could give more than 5 stars we would. Meg came through for us on short notice and in a real clutch situation. Her professionalism and determination yielded a fair result that everyone was satisfied with.

David L.

Our experience with Nicole was a very, very good one. Nicole was very patient with us and provided clear guidance and explanations to our many questions. We have shared her contact information with family and friends.

Jackie M.

I would not recommend. Unprofessional, unkind and passive aggressive, just with in the first very few interactions. Treated like a child and was addressed by a nickname through email. Even the way emails were exchanged were much more like text messages. No formal introduction just started requesting personal information. She was hired by the trustees of the estate so being that it was my first time ever hearing of her or the firm I was shocked to be treated in such a way.

Daniel O.

Our experience was exceptional. Nicole Camporeale was incredibly helpful and a true professional. She kept us informed and her confidence and knowledge were exactly what we had hoped for. It was a pleasure working with her and your firm.

Chelsea A.

Beneficiaries Treated Like Defendants

If I could give zero stars I would.

My husband was named a beneficiary in his late uncle’s will. Unfortunately, due to some tricky family dynamics, the executor named was someone who was not impartial by any stretch of the imagination. I assume the uncle had hoped that the named executor would have been able to set her own animosity in effort to attend his final wishes. The executor (an estranged aunt) hired this firm to represent the estate to ensure the assets were distributed in accordance with the law and navigate all interactions that may arise. We were quite thankful that she did this initially, because otherwise we assumed the dysfunctional family dynamics would bleed into the estate management. We received communication that we were named beneficiaries, and then received an initial accounting. That was over a year ago.

At first, the attorney overseeing the case seemed quite friendly and willing to help us understand the process. We had never been through formal probate before and some of the assets were unique. After a couple of phone calls in which my husband tried to discuss what the process would be moving forward, the attorney began accusing him of being hostile with her. And the accusations were not even discussed directly with him, instead talking about their conversations *with the executor.* He still has no idea what she could’ve been talking about, except for that he was becoming frustrated trying to hear her as our children (2, 4 and 6) were quite rambunctious in the background on that particular day. On the flip side, my husband once called her, and she answered the phone with “What?!” At one point, she even mockingly laughed at him for asking what to expect moving forward because “the house hasn’t even sold yet.” I was taken aback by how unprofessional this would be for anyone, especially an attorney dealing with delicate family matters. She has never given us the opportunity to ask questions in detail, as she is often redirecting the questions or avoiding them altogether. The attorney handling our case has repeatedly made my husband feel ashamed for asking questions about the process and what to expect. It was our understanding that beneficiaries have a right to certain information – such as when we can expect things to wrap up, when we can expect certain documentation, what to expect in the process, or understanding what is still remaining in effort to close the account. We don’t even know where the distribution of assets will be coming from at this point – is that the executor? Or the law firm? We are consistently denied any real, concrete answers or treated as suspects in criminal proceedings.

The last we spoke with the attorney, she was not pleasant at all to deal with. This was in February, at which point she shuffled my husband off the phone with assurances we would hear from her firm in “a couple months.” It is June 2024, and the proceedings were supposed to have been completed in April (per the order of the court). We have received no official communication whatsoever since September 2023. We have left three voicemails since May to understand what we can expect in terms of a timeline and further documentation, yet the attorney has not called us back. The executor has deferred all communication to the attorney. As you can imagine, it’s hard to get questions answered when the executor refuses to answer them and the attorney ("neutral party") does not return phone calls. It grinds my gears that part of the inheritance that will benefit my children will be spent on this abysmal service.

As anyone who has ever been divorced or dealt with a challenging family dynamic can attest: you really don’t want to have a financial attachment dragging on unnecessarily as it causes an immense amount of distress. If you are looking for a professional firm that will handle your estate and family with decency and respect, please look elsewhere.

Matthew G.

Hoekenga, Machado & Lyon are our go-to legal firm because of their exceptional professionalism, fair pricing, and customer service excellence. They helped us during the purchase of our home and most recently Attorney Camporeale designed our estate plan. Highly recommend exploring their legal service offerings, everyone we have met at the firm has been exceptional.

Mitzi M.

A great big thank you to Nicole for helping me get my will done! I have been putting it off for way to long! If I had known it was going to be so easy, and dare I say, enjoyable, I would have done it a long time ago.