Scott B. Zerner - Sayville, NY

Scott Zerner failed to represent me effectively. He repeatedly missed court dates, informing me at the last minute that he wouldn’t be there and leaving me to request adjournments on my own. At one point, he even texted the public defender who had represented me at arraignment—when Scott didn’t show up—to cover for him, as if that was acceptable or the least bit appropriate. Fortunately, the public defender was incredibly kind and stepped in for me. Later, in the hallway, he (the public defender) told me, “I’m not telling you how to spend your money… but I wouldn’t,” regarding Scott, and emphasizing how incredibly inappropriate Scott’s behavior was — assuring me that it was not appropriate at all. Perhaps it was Scott’s blame-shifting or maybe I the fact I was utterly exhausted mentally by the whole situation already, but for whatever reason, I decided to move forward with Scott as my attorney at that time in the case. As a client, I was ignored, left uninformed about my case, upon being told an offer was made and me requesting what that offer was - I was given silence, and I was ultimately berated by Scott in the courthouse hallway to the point that I was holding back tears. I switched attorneys immediately after. However, unfortunately, this was directly after I had sent Scott a replenishment, and more than a year later, he still refuses to return the money he owes me — seemingly still upset over the fact that I switched attorneys at all. I now have to take him to small claims court, which is beyond unprofessional, irresponsible, and disruptive. As for my case, my new attorney was incredible and had the entire thing dismissed based on arguments I had been making from day one—arguments Scott refused to listen to. Instead, he pushed me toward taking a deal with the prosecutor, with whom he seemed uncomfortably friendly. I strongly advise against hiring Scott Zerner as your attorney.

Scott got me the worst result possible as a first time offender with no evidence against me. All the while trying to convince me that I am a career criminal