Cummings & Lockwood LLC caters to individual clients with one of the largest groups of Trusts and Estates professionals in the country, as well as business clients, serving as local, regional and national counsel in Litigation, Real Estate, Banking and Lending, and Commercial matters. Cummings & Lockwood is committed to providing its clients with superior legal and other professional services in all of its practice areas.
This award is granted to attorneys who have received at least 6 client reviews, and have an average review score of 4.2 or higher.
AV Preeminent Peer Rated
This elite award is granted to attorneys who have been recognized by their peers for their very high ethical standards, with an average peer review score of 4.5 or higher.
About Awards
Client Champion Awards
Client Champion awards recognize those attorneys who excel at service as affirmed by their clients. The awards, based on the quantity
and quality of an attorney’s Martindale-Hubbell client reviews, demonstrate an ongoing commitment to delivering excellent client service.
Award recipients stand out from their peers with a platinum, gold or silver icon.
At least three reviews and a score of 4.0 or higher.
At least six reviews and a score of 4.2 or higher.
Cummings & Lockwood LLC got this award in 2021
At least ten reviews and a score of 4.5 or higher.
Martindale Peer Awards
A lawyer who receives a minimum threshold of qualifying responses from fellow attorneys can qualify for one of three prestigious
Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings:
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Cummings & Lockwood LLC got this award in 2021
Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely
respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
Avvo Awards
Avvo Top Contributor: The Avvo Top Contributor Award is granted to attorneys who have earned significant contribution points in a given year on our sister site, Avvo.com. Contribution points are earned by answering questions in Q&A,
publishing Legal Guides, and other useful contributions to the Avvo community.
Avvo Client’s Choice: The Avvo Client's Choice Award Badge is granted to attorneys with a significant number of 4+ star reviews in a given year.
Showing 1-10 of 34 client reviews from Lawyers.com
Lawyers.com Rating Snapshot
5 stars
82%
4 stars
9%
3 stars
0%
2 stars
0%
1 star
9%
What do people say on Lawyers.com?
Communication
4.7
Quality of Service
4.6
Responsiveness
4.6
Value for Money
4.6
Real Estate
Posted by Rogelio
March 05, 2026
Hired Law Firm
Joseph Cessario was amazing to work with! He handled all of the details and stress that come with buying a home. Everything was always clear, and he answered every question I had with patience and accuracy. I never felt confused or overwhelmed during the process. I highly recommend working with Joseph Cessario if you’re looking for a great closing attorney.
Joseph Cessario came to us very highly recommended from another attorney and we know why: from the beginning stage to the closing on our new home he provided us with stellar representation. He was/is extremely responsive. He had a “steady hand on the tiller” throughout the process including during the one or two rocky moments with two other places on which we had previously bid. This spring/summer was a very competitive and challenging time to purchase real estate in Fairfield County and we were very fortunate, (and grateful to the person who recommended him), to have engaged Joe with Cummings and Lockwood. His expertise and experience were very reassuring; he explained everything clearly and patiently, several times more than once. Selling and buying a home is stressful enough as it is, working with Joe helped reduce level of our stress. He provides the highest quality of representation and we give him our highest recommendation.
Joseph was very helpful in explaining the complete process for selling my Mother's home. At every step he was easy to reach and very helpful. Exceptional service!! Communication was very clear and helpful, to understand all of the necessary steps to complete the real estate transaction.
Joseph helped us through out our whole home selling experience. He was accommodating, knowledgeable, and advised us every step of the way. At no point did we feel neglected or misguided during the whole process, he made sure to thoroughly explain what to expect and what options would be in our best interest. We will definitely be reaching out again when needing legal representation.
I had the pleasure of working with [Lawyer’s Name] as my real estate lawyer for my home closing, and I cannot recommend them highly enough. From the very first consultation, [he/she/they] demonstrated an exceptional understanding of the real estate process, guiding me through every step with clarity and professionalism. Thanks to his expertise and dedication, my closing went smoothly, and I felt confident throughout the entire process. If you’re looking for a knowledgeable and trustworthy real estate lawyer, look no further than Joseph.
Joseph Cessario is an outstand real estate attorney. Joseph recently represented us on the purchase of an historic property with unique considerations in a challenging market environment. We were enamored with the property but were keen to eliminate / minimize post-closing surprises and to sign before market conditions changed. We leaned heavily on Joseph to achieve both. Over the course of the many months we negotiated with the other side, Joseph maintained a deliberate, non-confrontational and constructive (and, when necessary, creative) approach to methodically working through each new issue that predictably surfaced following resolution of a different, unrelated prior issue. We ultimately settled on a thoroughly negotiated contract that enabled us to sign and close. We greatly appreciated Joseph’s professionalism, persistence and patience while advising us on this transaction. Thank you, Joe.
Joe was easy to work with, professional and responsive, an excellent communicator who took the time to explain the details of our transaction and executed without any surprises. From the outset, we established a relationship of trust and confidence.
Mr. Cessario was a pleasure to work with. He was patient, proactive, and responsive to all of our emails and calls. He also made the process incredibly simple/effortless for us. We will definitely use him for future transactions and would recommend. A+++
Real Estate
Posted by anonymous
May 27, 2024
Hired Law Firm
I worked with Joe Cessario of C&L on purchasing a house. Highly recommend! Was an excellent overall experience - no stress, great communication, attention to details of the property and the structure of the deal. Joe explained details as needed, provided in depth answers to questions. He was available by email and phone and was reachable when I needed to consult with him about details of the purchase, or other matters related to CT real property regulations and real estate law.
I would recommend Joe to those seeking an attorney. My experience with him as my attorney was positive. He was responsive, knowledgeable, friendly, and provided good advice. He also was helpful in making contact with building management.
Reviews
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• AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies that a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
• Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
• Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
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