Abom & Kutulakis Attorneys At Law

Reviews

• LO

  Luis Ortiz

  2 days ago
  5.0
  Don't let Shannon's demure appearance fool you. She is a straight up pitbull when it comes to fighting for her clients. I told her about my situation and asked if she could help. I paid her retainer and she took me on as a client right away. She immediately got to work, and we were able to get exactly what we wanted through conciliation before it ever had to go in front of a judge. They say you get what you pay for, and let me tell you Shannon at Abom & Kutulakis is worth every penny. I now have a lawyer I trust and would recommend to any family or friend dealing with family law.
• EE

  EmJ

  May 26, 2026
  5.0
  My family has used Abom & Kutulakis for a juvenile case (Atty Stephanie Cesare), criminal defense and traffic citations (Atty Jay Abom) and Will preparation (Atty TR Williams). All matters were handled with care and professionalism. The staff and attorneys are all amazing at this firm. We felt very well informed throughout the juvenile / criminal / traffic cases and had good resolutions in each case. Atty Williams prepared our Wills quickly - we had them executed and finalized 3 days after our initial meeting.
• AS

  Andrew Stitt

  Mar 27, 2026
  1.0
  I am very dissatisfied with my experience with Abom & Kutulakis. This is the second time I have hired this firm for a traffic-related matter, paid over $1,000 in retainer fees, and still ended up with points on my license. From the beginning, I made it clear that my main concern was avoiding points, and yet that was still the outcome. My biggest issue is that I do not feel I received the level of clarity, guidance, or representation I paid for. Throughout this process, it felt like I was charged for every possible thing, including calls I had to make just to get clarification because things were not clearly explained to me in the first place. My retainer was exhausted quickly, and for the amount of money I spent, I do not feel like I got meaningful results. What really pushed this over the edge for me was receiving letters in the mail after court that left me confused and frustrated about the exact outcome. I should not have had to piece this together on my own. My attorney should have known exactly how many points I received, exactly what my fines and costs were, and clearly explained what I needed to do next, including paying those fines or setting up a payment plan. Instead, I was left in the dark and had to chase down answers myself. The entire time, the main strategy being explained to me was that these two tickets should not combine in a way that would lead to the points issue I was trying to avoid. That was presented to me as the key argument and defense. But when I called after receiving the letters, I was told that was just “the way I interpret it,” and that is extremely frustrating to hear after the fact. If that was the whole strategy, I should not be finding out afterward that it was apparently just one interpretation instead of something certain and clearly understood. That is exactly why people hire attorneys in the first place — to know the law, explain it clearly, and guide their clients through the process with confidence. To make matters worse, I was then told that more may need to be done now to contact someone regarding the DMV or send a letter to clarify the points situation, which likely means even more money out of my pocket after my retainer was already exhausted. After already paying over $1,000, still getting points, and not getting clear answers, that is very hard to accept. At the end of the day, I feel overcharged, underinformed, and dissatisfied with the outcome and the communication. This is now the second time I have used this firm for a traffic matter and still ended up with points. Based on my experience, I do not feel I received the value or representation I paid for. I will not be coming back to this firm if anything ever were to happen again, based on how my conversations went and how court went when I was not there.
• BB

  B's Beautique

  Mar 6, 2026
  5.0
  (Accompanied someone here) Very professional, clean and calm atmosphere, Staff was friendly and greeted us when coming in, my friend says the Attorney(s) are very nice.
• CS

  Charles R. Sammon

  Jan 26, 2026
  1.0
  1/30/26 UPDATE BELOW I am writing this review to warn others. If you are considering hiring this firm, especially Jay Abom or Erin Kraska, pause and get an independent second legal opinion first. In September of 2025 I retained Jay Abom and Erin Kraska to defend me in a felony Interference with Custody case in Luzerne County. They charged me a refundable $75,000 legal fee. What I later discovered, after a paid consultation with another attorney, was that they were providing me with false legal advise. Despite the high stakes - my freedom and my children - Jay and Erin repeatedly relied on incorrect and non-controlling case law, improperly pressured me toward a guilty plea based on that same erroneous advice, and were unable to substantiate their legal positions when I later requested written confirmation. After obtaining a second legal opinion, I learned that the advice they had provided was wrong and, in many instances, directly contradicted controlling Pennsylvania law. On December 15, 2025, I terminated the representation by email after consulting with an attorney in Philadelphia who was unable to confirm any of the legal advice Jay and Erin had given me. Despite the seriousness of my allegation, they never denied it or addressed it. At that point, they should have promptly returned my unearned $75,000 retainer. Instead, they offered shifting and unsupported explanations for retaining the funds. And now, crickets. Under the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct, unearned client funds must be safeguarded and promptly returned upon termination of representation. Fees obtained or retained through false legal advice, ethical violations, or fundamentally deficient representation are not earned fees. An attorney is not entitled to retain a client’s funds merely by billing time when the representation itself is improper. To date, not a single dollar of my $75,000 retainer has been returned. As a direct result, I have been unable to retain new counsel and am now forced to represent myself at a critical motions hearing scheduled for January 29, 2026. UPDATE: 1/30/26 An example of how dishonest this law firm is that they chose to post this response while knowing I was in a motions hearing - the same hearing where I was forced to represent myself because Jay Abom and Erin Kraska had been giving me false legal advice, which was later confirmed by a paid second legal opinion. Their explanation here is misleading and factually incorrect. I will not litigate those issues in a Google review; they will be addressed in my ethics complaints and civil suit. Notably, neither Jay Abom nor Erin Kraska has ever denied that they provided me with false legal advice. If they choose to do so, I will publicly post the details of that advice in an online accessible document. In September of 2025, Jay and Erin aggressively pressured me to plead guilty and prepare for at least two years in prison, claiming the District Attorney’s Office was “pushing hard” for my case. That was not true. At that point, they had not even spoken with the DA’s Office. Yesterday, at my motions hearing, where I represented myself pro se, the judge dismissed the case based on my habeas corpus motion, an argument Jay and Erin refused to even acknowledge during their representation, finding that the DA failed to establish a prima facie case - the lowest standard a DA needs to bring a case forward. The judge said they didn’t even meet that lowest standard and yet Jay and Erin told me that I had zero chance of winning at trial. Had I followed their advice, I would be sitting in a jail cell today for a crime I did not commit. I am free today because of my own work and the support of my family - not because of Jay Abom or Erin Kraska. Finally: Jay and Erin, where is my $75,000? Seems like you spent it. Don’t forget to send me an accounting of the funds from your escrow account. You are safer representing yourself than trusting this firm with your liberty. We are real people with real children. I don't know how you sleep at night.

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