Regina M. Crawford
Cindy M. Near
Izabela Bartosik
Carolyn H Montalbo
Harry M. Scaramella
Harry Scaramella
Harry has a diversified life background. Born and raised in Kenya, East Africa, Harry was educated under the British system. His family immigrated to Canada in 1968 and at the age of 15 Harry graduated high school in Montreal, Quebec.
Harry has a conversational ability in Italian and French. The following year the family moved to British Columbia, where Harry attended college and explored the world of restaurants. In conjunction with his mother they ran a breakfast/lunch cafe in Vancouver, BC. During the "Cafe" years, Harry also started and ran a landscaping business in BC that focused on the construction of retaining walls in new sub-divisions working under government contracts. He sold the business and invested in the purchase of a meat processing business in Utica, New York with an Italian cousin. The business was sold. He met his life partner, Patty, in Utica and they were married.
Harry returned to BC with his wife, and attended Control Data Institute to become familiar with computers and programming. Harry was hired by CDI to run their job search program, and achieved recognition in the company's "100% Club" for achieving goals for two years running.
Harry, Patty and their two daughters returned to the US, where Harry pursued an education and received a Bachelor of Science (BSc) from SUNYIT followed by a Juris Doctorate (JD) from Syracuse College of Law in 1996.
After admittance to the New York State Bar, Harry worked for the Longeretta Law firm in general practice, formed a partnership with attorney Michael Cancilla, and then worked as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Utica for a number of years. These endeavors allowed Harry to explore the relationships within the different disciplines of the law and gave him invaluable insight into litigation practices and processes. In 2004, Harry became an associate at a local estate planning law firm and focused exclusively on estate planning law. After receiving training and setting up plans for numerous clients with this firm, in 2010, Harry saw a need for an under-served niche of clients. That niche will be served by LifeLaw, LLC.
Regina Crawford
Regina is a proud Central New Yorker. She was raised in Sauquoit, NY and is a graduate of Chadwicks Union Free School which is now merged with Sauquoit Valley Central Schools. Being close to family and friends has always been important to her, so she chose to attend Mohawk Valley Community College. She studied and excelled in computer science which has kept electronics and cutting edge technology as one of her passions. She met her husband, Keith, on a snowmobile trip and they have been inseparable since 1978. They married in 1982 and have two children Justin and Lori.
Regina worked in the banking industry for over sixteen years, which is where she credits learning most of her managerial style. The educational opportunities presented allowed her to attend and complete in-house training programs. Among the many seminars offered, she has completed "Total Quality Management (TQM)" and was a "STAR" program award winner while at Norstar/Fleet Bank. She has been a TQM team member, trainer, and is a certified facilitator for the quality program. Also, she is certified in "The Practice Builder Key Assistant" program which helped her manage many different duties in a local estate planning law firm. She worked locally for many years in the estate planning field with attorneys and paralegals. Under her management, she was able to attain and maintain top revenue goals and be part of creating a national training company for other estate planning attorneys across the country.
Regina brings a diversified management style to LifeLaw, LLC. She is passionate about the estate planning field and works diligently to keep the law firm growing and maintaining a constant company focus on each client.
Cindy Near
Cindy is a Central New York native and a graduate of Dolgeville Central School. She has two children, Garrett and Deanna, and a granddaughter, Quinn, all residents of North Carolina. She is passionate about her family and travels to visit them frequently.
Cindy has several years of relationship management experience beginning at an insurance company in Syracuse as a claims clerk/clerical supervisor, then as a personal lines customer service representative for an independent insurance agency. She and her family returned to the Mohawk Valley to raise their children and she was hired as the School Tax Collector/Business Office Administrative Assistant, where she continued cultivating her customer relations and financial skills for 15 years. Cindy then decided to pursue her interest in the legal field, and obtained a legal secretarial position for an estate planning attorney/partner at a Law Firm in Syracuse. She continued her career in the estate planning field as the Client and Advisor Relationship Manager at an Estate Planning Firm in New Hartford, NY for many years.
Cindy provides outstanding quality service while always maintaining integrity. Her unique communication skills assist LifeLaw, LLC in best serving the estate planning community with a more "personal touch".
Izabela Bartosik
Izabela Bartosik was born and raised in Rozan, Poland. In 1993 she came to the USA on a student visa. In 1995 she graduated Highland High School in Gilbert, Arizona. She met her friend and life partner, Piotr, the first day in the USA. They married and have two children, Kamila and Dylan. After 7 years living in Arizona, they returned to Utica to be closer to Izabela's family.
Izabela, for many years, worked at the Savings Bank of Utica (which then became SBU Bank and Partners Trust Bank) in many different departments and roles. In 2007, Partners Trust Bank was acquired by M&T Bank where over 300 people lost their jobs. Izabela was one of them. She then decided to pursue her interests in the medical field. In less than 18 months, she acquired her Associate Degree in Occupational Studies and also a Certificate as a Medical Office Assistant from the Utica School of Commerce.
In order to expand her horizons, Izabela accepted a position in the legal field as the Drafting Assistant at a local estate planning law firm. While there, she spent her time learning about estate planning and perfecting the processes in the drafting department.
Izabela will put her expertise to use with LifeLaw, LLC as the Quality Assurance Director. Her experience, combined with the talents of the team she joins, will provide exemplary customer service and legal documents to the clients that entrust their estate planning to LifeLaw, LLC.
Carolyn H. Montalbo
Carolyn was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and moved to the Central New York area when she was five years old. She is a graduate of Proctor High School where she was actively involved in the music and athletic programs.
Carolyn decided to pursue her love of music and cello performance by joining SUNY Geneseo's music performance program. While she excelled in the program, Carolyn realized that her true career passion is working directly with people. It was also during her time at Geneseo that she met her future husband. She ultimately decided to complete her Bachelor's degree in Music Performance and Music History and Literature with a minor in Sociology, but determined to further her education in the counseling field.
After graduating, Carolyn married her husband, Matt, moved to Buffalo, and began her Master's program in Education and School Counseling. She earned her degree in just over one year and took a position as a Preschool teacher. In 2009, she was offered a counselor position at St. Mary's High School and quickly ascended to Department Chair.
Carolyn also continues her cello performance professionally. She has performed at a wide range of venues and has taught cello lessons for several years.
After welcoming her daughter, Sofia, into the world, Carolyn decided to leave her position at St. Mary's to stay home with her. While family has always been extremely important to her, Carolyn also realized that finding a career that supports both her personal and professional passions was a priority. She was thrilled when the opportunity to work for LifeLaw, LLC presented itself. Carolyn once again will put her communication and interpersonal skills to work.