Ruel Ruel Burns Feldman & Britt, LLC - Hartford, Connecticut

ashley perley

Going through a divorce is never easy, but having Meaghan Burns by my side made all the difference. From day one, she was compassionate, knowledgeable, and incredibly strategic. She truly listened to my concerns and guided me through every step with clarity and confidence.

Meaghan struck the perfect balance—fiercely advocating for me while keeping things as smooth and fair as possible. She was always responsive, patient, and one step ahead. I never felt alone in the process, and that meant everything.

If you need a family law attorney who genuinely cares and knows how to get results, Meaghan is the one you want in your corner. I can’t recommend her enough!

Geralyn Milazzo

James Ruel is an outstanding attorney. He is intelligent, thourough and always well prepared.

Sandy Wolf

I'm a psychotherapist on the shoreline, and one of my clients used this firm in an unfortunate divorce. He seemed to have an excellent experience with his team, as they made him feel heard, hopeful and respected. Their approach was family centered, advocating firmly for him without creating war with the mother of his kids. They were supportive and realistic, and guided him through the grueling process feeling whole.
Given how rare this is, this firm is top of my mind for referring people going through a divorce. They take a bad situation and make it better.

Matthew Richards

I first started speaking with Deb Ruel about my case. The perspective she gave on my case was thinking about the long term for my children. Josh Feldman and Katie DiVico are the attorneys who worked on my case. Their communication, advice, and negotiating prowess were well beyond my expectations. Overall my experience couldn't have been better working with them.

Robert Brandner

Evaluation of Attorney James Ruel - A Disastrous Experience

In summary, engaging Attorney James Ruel proved financially and legally damaging. Ruel initiated a series of actions that violated his fiduciary and professional duties as a lawyer and permanently destroyed my financial health in ways that are still being felt today. Here are the specific complaints and their impacts. Caution is advised before considering his services

**Mediation Proceedings
4/21/15 Engaged Atty James Ruel to review mediated Lump-Sum (LS) settlement.
Ruel advised client that paying 11 years of alimony via 132 monthly checks was better option than LS without supporting evidence.
Client directed Ruel to pursue LS agreement only
9/28/15 Parties approved mediated LS settlement pending closure of minor issues
Mediated LS (near final) settlement total cost = $15K

**Ruel Abandonment of Mediation
The mediated LS agreement was on the 1-yard line when Ruel falsely justified abandoning it and pursuing costly lawyer-led negotiations.
Ruel’s numerous failures of his fiduciary duty to act in my best interest & professional duty to provide competent representation
Ruel turned a near final LS settlement that cost $15K into a traditional alimony agreement with 132 monthly payments for 11 years. The cost for this agreement increased to $350K.
Actual post-divorce cash flow was significantly lower v. amount predicted in financial modeling SW
Consequently, I had insufficient funds to pay modelled expenses much less the new amounts
$350K of new costs & retirement asset reductions relegated client’s standard of living to subsistence level

**Ruel Competency Issues
Post-divorce financial models were run by colleagues with no accounting certifications or expertise, resulting in inaccurate cash flow models
The accuracy of these models was critical to ensure my modelled expenses were affordable
Financial model errors and new expenses forced me to cash out a 401K fund to avoid bankruptcy & $1000/Mo/36 months to pay tax penalty
Overlooked pre-marital funds, resulting in a $30K loss.

**Ruel Advocacy Shortcoming
Failed to protect me from frequent antagonization by OC. Ignored my pleas for intervention
Refused to support my request to verify OC’s billing against retainer funded by plaintiff is in legal compliance
Violated fiduciary duty by joining with OC to belittle me regarding above request
Allowed OC to cover constant missed deadlines with last-minute actions including prior approval withdrawals & cancellations of scheduled meetings and court appearances.
Above caused > time and expense for interstate travel, wasted PTO & months of > time to finalize divorce.
Ruel failed to inform me If your spouse is trying to waste your time and money, you can petition to have them pay for a portion or all your divorce attorney fees and that the fees must be consistent with normal industry parameters
When my financial nightmare from Ruel’s negotiated settlement became clear, I called Ruel several times to discuss options appeal the settlement
Ruel said, live with it, there’s nothing you can do about it.
Fortunately, I was able to hire a new, competent, caring lawyer who saw numerous avenues of going back to court.
James Ruel is his own biggest fan, just ask him

max reddy

Robert Britt is a great lawyer, he’s highly respected in the field and a candid person in general. I’ve unfortunately had a few serious troubles with motor vehicle cases and Mr. Britt was very helpful in resolving them! I fully recommend him for any criminal/motor vehicle cases in Connecticut!

Michael Geer

Rob Britt is the master.

Linda Gilbert