Who you will work with
Our attorneys
Two partners who between them have practiced in the same two Central New York communities since 2000. When you call this firm, you speak to one of them, not to somebody whose job is to book you an appointment.
Free first conversation. Walk-ins welcome at both offices.
What the firm handles
Six practice areas, and each one has its own page rather than a line in a list, because a speeding ticket and a serious injury are not the same problem and do not deserve the same paragraph.
Personal Injury
Car crashes, slip and fall, dog bites, construction and boating injuries. No fee unless we recover for you.
Explore →Criminal Defense
Felonies, misdemeanors and DWI in Onondaga and Cortland county courts.
Explore →Traffic Tickets
Speeding, suspended license, CDL and out-of-state drivers. Send a photo of the ticket before you pay it.
Explore →Uncontested Divorce
When both people agree. A fixed process with a predictable cost and timeline.
Explore →Real Estate
Residential closings, buying and selling, across Central New York.
Explore →Bankruptcy
Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, start to finish.
Explore →If what you are facing is not on that list, say so on the first call and we will tell you then, rather than after you have waited for an appointment. Being told quickly that a firm is not right for you is worth more than being told slowly.
Not sure which of them to call?
It does not matter, and that is not a deflection. Call whichever office is the shorter drive. The two partners work together, cases move between them when that is the sensible thing, and nothing about how your matter is handled turns on which number you dialed.
If you would rather know anyway: Michael takes personal injury, criminal defense, traffic ticket, uncontested divorce and bankruptcy matters. John takes personal injury, criminal defense and real estate matters. Both of them handle injury and criminal work, so on those it genuinely is whoever you reach.
What is worth mentioning on that first call is the deadline. A response date on a ticket, a court date, a notice from an insurer with a date on it. Those set the pace of everything else, and they are the reason to call today rather than at the end of the week.
Two offices, one practice
Cicero sits on 8432 Brewerton Road, Suite 100, Route 11, about ten miles north of downtown Syracuse, and covers Syracuse and the Onondaga County courts. Cortland is on 4030 West Road (Route 281)and covers Cortland County and the towns south of the city.
Both are open Monday to Friday, keep Saturdays by appointment, take walk-ins during business hours, and have free parking. Full addresses, maps and directions are on the Cicero and Cortland office pages.
What clients say about working with them
The firm has 361 Google reviews across the two offices. The word that turns up most often in them is not a legal one. It is “responsive”, which for most people is the thing that was actually missing everywhere else they called.
Questions people ask about working with us
Which attorney will handle my case?
One of the two partners, and you will know which before anything is signed. Call either office and describe the matter. Whoever is the right fit takes it, and the two of them work together on cases that need both, so you are not choosing between them on the first call.
Will I actually speak to an attorney, or an intake person?
An attorney. This is a two-partner firm rather than a volume practice, so the person who tells you what you are facing on the first call is the person who would actually handle the matter. There is no call center, no intake script, and nobody whose job is to book you an appointment with somebody else.
Does it matter which office I call?
No. The two offices work together and it makes no difference to how your matter is handled, so call whichever is the shorter drive for you. Cicero is on Route 11 about ten miles north of downtown Syracuse; Cortland is on West Road, Route 281.
How long has the firm been practicing here?
Michael Cardinale opened the practice in September 2000 and John DelVecchio joined him as a partner in 2009. Both have spent their careers in these local courts rather than moving between markets, which is most of what the firm has to offer that a larger practice does not.
Do I pay to find out whether I even need a lawyer?
No. That question is the first conversation and it is free. Plenty of matters do not need representation, and being told that in ten minutes by somebody who has seen the charge before is worth more to you than a paid appointment that reaches the same answer.
What should I have in front of me when I call?
Whatever piece of paper started this. The ticket, the accident report, the notice from the insurer, the charging document. The dates printed on it are what set the pace of everything that follows, and they are usually the first thing an attorney will ask you to read out.
Speak to one of the partners.
Call either office, or send the form and tell us what happened. The first conversation is free and nothing is signed on it.
More about the firm: how it started and how it works ·all practice areas ·both offices ·contact
The whole team at our Cicero office.