Archives: Reviews

I was first introduced to the Fenelli Law Firm in 1994 by my financial adviser and it was to get a Will as I was on my own at that time.  Mr.  Fenelli  looked after me and I was very impressed with the finished product.  As I was reading it over, he thought about everything that I would ever have to do.

I moved out of California and returned recently.  I received a phone call from the firm and they suggested I should update my Will as it had been a long time.  I was very fortunate to work with his daughter this time, Karianne Fenelli Welch who was like her father, thinking about all the content of the Will.  As I walked to Kari’s office, Margie, his wife came out of her office and gave me a big hug as she recognized me from the first visit.  The second visit Rick saw me sitting in the waiting room and came out and I received a big hug as well.

I don’t know any other firm that knows and pays attention to a customer like the Fenelli’s and I highly recommend them to anyone, they are REAL people that help real people.

About ten years ago, I first met the Fenelli family as a result of attending a financial seminar and realizing I needed to update my Trust.  Since then, I’ve had to experience the death of my husband and all that such a sad event entails.  I’m so glad I did the necessary estate planning work beforehand, as the process which involved children from other marriages as well as insurance issues turned into a pretty complicated scenario.  But the Fenellis helped me through.  We met and spoke many times and ironed out the details that ultimately gave me the peace of mind and financial clarity that enabled me to make the necessary decisions.  Now that medical issues take up so much of my time, I can do what I need to, secure in the knowledge that all my affairs are in order in the way that makes the most sense for me and for my family.

My family has worked with the Law Offices of Rick Fenelli for over fifteen years. Rick and his staff have written approximately ten Trusts for all the members of my family. Each Trust is tailored to fit the needs and desires of each of the parties involved. This was not an easy task and required extensive knowledge of the laws, specialized skills, patience, imagination and the expertise to accomplish what each party wanted. No two Trusts are alike.

Before Rick, several of us had Trusts that were prepared by others. However, once we started working with Rick and his Staff we quickly realized that there were major differences between his office and others.

He and his staff patiently led us through each phase and each section of the Trust. They listened to us, advised us, and modified each Trust as necessary to satisfy our special needs while at the same time doing what was legally required to protect us and our families.

In today’s world, unless an Estate is very simple, a Trust composed of standard boiler plate paragraphs and details is not satisfactory. Anyone using the Law Offices of Rick Fenelli and their expertise will soon discover how important a tailor made Trust is. Periodic updating and modifications, when recommended by Rick’s staff, are important to keep the Trust current with changes in the laws and family situations and are highly recommended.

I remember when I first suggested to my husband Russ to make an appointment at the Fenelli Law Offices – he resisted, something I think is a common reaction for relatively young people (he was 48 years old at the time) – but I insisted. Being a blended family – me with my son, he with his – I sensed that way down the road when we were both ‘gone’ it would be much easier for the boys to have things all laid out… what I didn’t realize at that moment was that in the space of a year and a half, that time would come for our family. Shortly after celebrating his 50th birthday, Russ was killed unexpectedly in a motorcycle accident – he left one Sunday morning, told me he loved me, kissed me good-bye… and that was it. The next time I saw my husband, Russ was lying in the ICU where he spent the final three weeks of our life together. Having Rick and the entire Fenelli family to support me during that period of my life – before, during, and after the death of my husband – was so significant, so meaningful, and so… compassionate; not simply from a business perspective but from a humanity perspective. I cannot accurately describe what it meant to myself and my loved ones to have the Fenelli family’s continuing care, guidance, and support.

My wife and I had been putting off creating a trust for years. What could be more tedious, right? When we finally decided that LegalZoom might not cover everything we need, I asked my financial planner for a recommendation for a lawyer. He recommended the Fenelli Law Firm, and I am glad he did.

Kari and Tom Welch met with us at our get together meeting. We were instantly put at ease and found them both to be personable, open, straight-talking, and actually fun. It didn’t seem like a business meeting at all, even though they were very professional. In two more short meetings with Kari (with a few emails along the way), our trust, two new wills, two medical directives and two financial directives were complete. She thought of many things that we had never considered, told us all of our options in language that we could understand and gave good advice without pressuring us. It was clear to us that she wanted to meet our needs, not tell us what we should do. All of this in about two weeks, and for what I thought was a very reasonable price.

I was quite surprised that this turned out to be such a pleasant experience for my wife and I. I am very pleased with the end result. Not only did Kari make the process very easy, we learned a lot along the way. Both my wife and I ended up feeling proud of the life and estate we have created. That was an unexpected plus. Also, I now have a lawyer that I will continue to trust to help us out in the future.