Choosing a lawyer is a deeply personal decision. Thankfully Petrelli Previtera matched us up with a lawyer that had great chemistry and was able to provide a strong defense of my case. The lawyers at Petrelli Previtera aren't cheap, but they are high quality. My recommendation is to reach out and see if you and your lawyer have good chemistry. My lawyer was responsive and well-prepared for court, but a lot of this depends on you as a person and your individual case. I wish you the best of luck. read more

This firm is very substandard communication is very poor. They violated the confidentiality between client an attorney by informing opposing counsel of my location. Charging for bull crap. They tell you someone is going to look into the issue. But, after three months all I get is invoices. 4000 for nothing but, disappointment and more bills. I hope you see the review before you make the mistake that I did. Good luck read more

Would give 0 stars if I could! If you want a lawyer that blows you off and then shows up to court completely unprepared, this is the law firm for you. As other reviews say, they start off strong, and make you think you are in great hands, but then completely let you down. It is to the point of malpractice. I replied to the bills they sent me for services which they did not provide, and they completely ignored me but yet charged my card. They are still trying to collect more money from me, and still completely ignore my emails. I wish I had read the other yelp reviews before letting them destroy things for me and then just run with my money. They left me in a horrible situation and I would hate to see anyone go through what I went through with them! read more

Worst legal experience. I gave them $4000 and got nothing from it. They are still trying to collect money from me. read more

PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU RETAIN THIS FIRM I retained this firm for my divorce and, based on my experience, I would not recommend them. I spent over $16,000 in the initial months, largely for sharing documents and having them "reviewed," but I did not feel I received advocacy or value that matched those fees. In mediation, my attorney was mostly silent and did not offer meaningful legal guidance or strategy. I repeatedly had to ask for information and next steps, and I often felt I was the one proposing strategy, following up, and even drafting subpoenas to move my case forward. This is not what I expected when hiring counsel to represent me. I also had serious concerns about the firm's billing practices. Short email responses (30 seconds or less) were billed at 0.17 hours, which is significantly higher than what I've seen at other firms charge at .5 hrs. I was charged for a supervising attorney's review that did not appear to benefit my case, and I was billed "technology fees" for phone or Zoom meetings, even when Zoom was not used. The firm also does not have a dedicated office in Maryland, instead using a rented office space. What I effectively got for $16,000 was a filed divorce complaint and attendance at mediation (which I paid for separately from my attorney's fees), but no hearing or trial and no meaningful progress toward a final resolution. In my view, what I paid is closer to what I would expect for an entire divorce matter, not just the early stages with minimal movement. In my opinion, this firm charges premium rates without providing premium‑level service. I wish I had trusted my instincts earlier and changed counsel sooner. If you are considering this firm, I strongly encourage you to carefully review the retainer, ask detailed questions about billing (including minimum billing increments, supervision charges, and technology fees), and pay close attention to how responsive and proactive they are in the early stages of your case. read more

Petrelli Previtera started off strong with smooth onboarding and quick responses... but that ended the moment they had my retainer. After that, the customer service and communication were awful. My attorney barely knew my case during the three calls we had, struggled to provide clear answers, and claimed he filed paperwork that never even showed up on the record--yet I was billed for it. I reached out five separate times to their accounting department asking for an audit. I also called several times. No responses. No follow-up. Nothing. And in five weeks, they never drafted a single legal document for me, despite burning through my entire retainer. After firing them, my new attorney did more legitimate work in a shorter time, with actual correspondence and progress. The contrast was unbelievable. This firm left me feeling ignored, overcharged, and taken advantage of during an already stressful divorce process. I genuinely urge anyone considering them to look elsewhere. read more

This was an extremely frustrating and disappointing experience from start to finish. Communication was terrible, and we constantly had to chase people down for basic updates. The attorney assigned to our case was clearly unprepared and often unfamiliar with key details, which forced us to do much of the work ourselves. What made the situation unacceptable was the billing. We were charged for mistakes the firm made on legal documents, and then charged again for fixing those same mistakes. When we tried to address these overcharges, the accounting department simply ignored us. No calls back. No emails returned. Instead, they charged our card without our permission and without any explanation. This level of service is unacceptable for any professional firm, especially one handling serious legal matters. If this sounds like the kind of treatment you're willing to accept, then this firm might be for you but based on our experience, I would never recommend them to anyone. read more

Unethecial billing practices. If you are late on paying an invoice, forget the process where you need to reload your retainer, they wlll just bill your credit card without permission. I would avoid this firm at all costs. Now I know why their google review pages are not active. Look at your contract, all the add on fee's , case clousure fees, you pay more on fees than anything. If they could they would suck nickles out of your ass. As other comments have stated, they start strong, then need viagra to continue. read more

I had a very disappointing and frustrating experience with this law firm due to a complete lack of communication. There was turnover with my assigned lawyer, but I was never informed, and no one reached out to explain next steps. Over a period of more than two months, I made at least 17 phone calls and sent multiple messages that were never returned. Communication is critical in legal matters, and unfortunately, this firm fell far short of that expectation. I would NOT recommend! read more

This law firm is the absolute WORST! They assigned inexperience lawyers, who charge your credit card without you even giving them consent. No other lawyer has ever charge my credit card without me giving consent. I lost every single case with Petrelli. They are incompetent, lack transparency, have no skill, are afraid to stand up for you in court, they are diplomats who are more interested in befriending the opposing lawyer and turn their backs against you. I agree with the other reviewer stating that they Petrelli lawyers are unprepared and intimidated by the opposing lawyer. I regret having wasted money with Petrelli. read more

They will keep your full retainer and refuse refund despite only having a few billable hours. Do Not Recommend

I wouldn't even give this company 1 star. My experience was brutal and drained my funds. Beware. I went through 3 attorneys; first one quit practice, second had many family issues, third one said I didn't have a case after 6 months. They make you keep replenishing attorney fund . I spent over $7500 in 6 months, with only a letter sent to my ex in regards to my matter. They kept charging me fees for a new attorney to be assigned to my case , even though the issue was on their end, not mine. Beware, get a private attorney . read more

I cannot recommend Stephanie Ojeda highly enough! She is everything you would want in an attorney--affordable, reliable, loyal, and incredibly personable. Whether you're going through a divorce or need support with any marriage-related legal matters, Stephanie is the one you want by your side. She made a difficult time so much more manageable with her clear communication, compassionate approach, and unwavering dedication to my case. Her professionalism and genuine care for her clients truly set her apart. If you're looking for a trustworthy attorney who will fight for you and treat you with respect, look no further than Stephanie Ojeda! read more

This law firm sucks for divorce. My lawyer picked his nose on most of the video calls I had. Not helpful at all.

Petrelli Previtera is a fantastic law firm. that truly stands out for its professionalism and dedication to its clients. The attorneys are knowledgeable and compassionate. Also Joann, the paralegal, is amazing. Her attention to detail, and expertise will make your experience positive. Overall, I highly recommend this firm to anyone seeking a supportive and competent legal team!!! read more

No!! The worst experience of my life, not only did they lie and cheat me out of $20,000+ but they didn't even show up to court to support me. one hearing is all they were involved in. I was out of state and going through a divorce of a 2 month marriage - and it was a 99.9% easy case and yet they didnt do anything until I terminated the contract. then they charges me after that when they stated they wouldn't in the termination agreement. Stay away! Don't do it. I'm forever teamatozed by the way I was treated and I pray you don't go through it ever. Stay away from this firm - not good for Client ethics and health. read more

I am hoping this review will assist others in knowing to NOT use this firm. We did not do a proper review before hiring them and if we had I would have never picked up the phone. All the reviews regarding their billing practices are correct. They primarily steal your money and provide not only subpar but poor legal assistance. They claim they are capable of representation, but they not only wrote their argument poorly abd had to rewrite it because the judge denied it, but they fail at defending or presenting in front of the Orphans Court. Since our experience with this firm we have made contact with 8 other firms that are lead firms and they have never heard of our attorney April Townsend or this firm.. If you are seeking representation make sure your attorney is known by the legal community. Our experience with this firm has warranted us to present the information to the Philidelphia Disciplinary board for them to investigate and the Montgomery County ethical board. They will inflate your bill and do a number of bogus charges. If you are looking for good representation call the Pennsylvania board. They have a division that will provide you with names of well respected attorneys but whatever you do stay away from this firm or you will walk with regret. Our representing attorney was April Townsend on a case regarding a trust and she will continually inflate your bill for more money. We fired them 2 months ago and they still haven't returned our remaining retainer balance of $2100. Head my warning please for I do not want anyone to experience what we have. read more

I've known Jesse for several years and he is a trustworthy and direct individual. He has always been respectful of my time and willing to explain things to me at my own pace. read more

I would never recommend this firm. Paid 15 grand to an attorney to push papers. All they do is create bills via unnecessary phone calls, emails including to opposing counsel without consulting with you. Stayed out of court and negotiated our own settlement and still out of pocket this much. So sorry I went with this firm!!!! This attorney did not advise, fight for or recommend anything to me! No guidance at all from beginning to end. Go to someone who will guide you in the right direction, not someone who says "don't go to your marital home as you don't want to make the girlfriend uncomfortable". This firm forgets who they are working for!!!! read more

Thomas Petrelli completely wasted my time. He would exchange in endless emails that end up costing ME money, without any informed consent. Eventually I just cut my losses and found someone else. I would not trust him to handle any matters of the law, he behaved in a completely untrustworthy and unscrupulous, to say nothing of unprofessional, manner. read more

After signing the retainer, they bait and switched my attorney for an intern, got billed for over 50k and lost everything anyway. Burning your money will at least give you the satisfaction of watching it last in a fire. Best way to get away with a crime is to commit it as a lawyer. read more

This firm (it's changed SO MANY TIMES) is a complete money grab scam. Hope TOM reads this review. This firm is unethical. The firm never contacted me, overcharged me, the staff is rude no calls were ever returned, attorneys were switched and clients were never told the attorney left the firm!!!!wrong dates on bills sent after they are due attached an invoice said work done charging me for attorney meetings at partners rate that I did not use.!! The most inept, lazy and unprofessional firm in Philadelphia. read more

Cannot recommend. 1. Counsel called me to discuss how child support calculation was not resolving to the expected amount. I told him how to CORRECTLY perform the calculation. And for me telling him how to do his job, I get charged $325 an hour. 2. Counsel told me I had a court date. I took three hours out of my work day to appear. Get to courthouse and get told I did not need to be there. I should have been informed. Cannot recommend. read more

This firm will does not care if they help tou with your divorce or custody matters. All they care about is billable hours and if you cam not pay them their outrageous retainer every month witch for me was constant 2k or more then they will harass you with emails and phone calls. This firm does not care about anything but taking your money. If you use this firm you will just be another number. NO COMPASSION AND EXTREMELY UNETHICAL! read more

I have worked with Jesse on a few personal matters and he has given me phenomenal advice that was helpful in getting my personal matters inline. He was punctual, direct, but above all else respectful of my time and needs when we met. read more

The staff here were very helpful, especially Jesse, he was very professional with me and showed much integrity

I was i had seen these review before I hired this firm. But I had just a few days to find an attorney after filing a Denovo appeal to a Master hearing and this firm was referred to me by the Lawyer Referral program (of which they should be ashamed for recommendinng). This firm is overpriced and shady, Read their contact carefully, they have ridiculous fees charged to your account monthly like administrative fees, tech fees and review fees. They will raise the quoted hourly rate for no reason other then they can with no explanation. I spent over $8000 ad had no result to my case them was asked for more. Beware don't hire this firm. read more

Kathrine Gomolson was in charge of filing papers for a modification of child support. Over the course of 6 months, nothing was filed with the court. I was charged thousands of dollars for documents that she 'prepared' but failed to ever send to me, even in my closing file. I had to involve the firm's equivalent of customer service since she accomplished nothing but I was charged over $10,000. Customer service bullied me and threatened me with court. The CFO David Peterson was helpful at first but refuses to return my calls now. Use Petrelli Previtera at your own risk, I have now had to spend money on another attorney while trying to get my money back from this firm. read more

I worked with Melinda and Caroline over the course of my divorce and can not say enough about how responsive, supportive and understanding they are. Any time I reached out Caroline was quick to respond and keep me updated. Thanks for helping keep my sanity during a crazy period of time! read more

Please stay away! I wish I would have read some reviews before using them.They are just about the money they can charge you. It was a brunch of repetitive emails and calls not much listen or taking notes. We were totally taken advantage of. read more

Terribly overpriced. I had an easy to win case, was assigned a Jr associate who was not very responsive, overcharged me & refused to provide an itemized bill within a month. She got argumentative & rude & would not even provide an "unofficial" bill so I could proceed with another case. Terribly unprofessional. Lackluster representation. Money hungry. DO NOT RECOMMEND! read more

Worst lawyers ever and I had two in the same case! In fact the original lawyer I had quit! Then he did not even update the new laywe on my case. She did not even read my file before interacting with the opposing counsel. If she had she would have known not to waste more of my time! Oh and she billed me for it I had to ask her to take it off! That's not the only part! Then at the very end my lawyer messes up filling so the judge denies my divorce for another 20 days! Then when she goes back she forgets to attach the correct paper work again! She does not tell me any of this either I get notified in the mail by the court system! Two separate notes for two separate mistakes! Do not hire this firm they will rob you blind and lie to you! That's what they did to me and 11k later and a month and a half late I am finally free! read more

This firm assisted me in responding to a divorce petition filed by my husband. Melinda is thoughtful and compassionate, and she went above and beyond for me. I would strongly advise you to use this company. Thank you for your special attention to my requirements. read more

Do not use this law firm. Only after your money. They make you communicate with them, instead of the other way around, so that they can charge you more !!!! Very disappointed !!! read more

I went to Petrelli law firm for my 18 year's old daughter (adult) adoption. I was told that the process it will be easy and then they request a $3000 retainer, when I ask how much would be they said that the retainer would cover and they will return to me the money that we don't use. Guess what? After 3 month they used all my retainer money and not case or documents submitted to court and then request for more money (I didn't put more money) and they kept sending me bills. After 7 months we finished the process and cost me $9000 dollars. The attorney April Towsend went to court and sit there for 3 billed hours while they keep skipping my turn (I saw the list, my case was #3 and was called #8) I talked to the person in charge and they call my case. That day only I was charge for $1,890. At the end they handled me the court resolution document (I paid $38 not included in my bill) so I can finish all the process with the state birth certificate department to change the name and obtain a new certificate (they don't even did that for me after I was billed for $9000) They charge me for every email, phone call. Do not go there. read more

Holy cow, never, ever use this firm! They are extremely overpriced and they nickel and dime you for everything - monthly 'upkeep', keep-you-on file charges, recurring staff meetings, etc. Once they have your credit card on file, be very careful - I'd deactivate your card and get a new one. I left as a client 3 months ago but I just got a credit card notification that they charged me for without my authorization! This place is criminal - worse than my ex-wife. And oh yeah, my lawyer sucked. read more

this law firm has incredibly shady and unethical billing practice. they bill for EVERYTHING. every time i emailed or sent a text to my lawyer i was billed for 10 minutes. i would have to send four emails to get a response and would get billed for each one. I cut my losses and found a new lawyer (SO much better) and realized that they do not care about results. They want your case to linger on so they can keep billing you. They asked my permission to bill my card on file. I said no and they went ahead and did it anyway. Even their paralegals bill out at $195 an hour. And if i asked the paralegal a question i was billed at that rate and then also at the lawyers rate because they would relay my question to the attorney and then get back to me. Do not use them under any circumstance for a family law case. read more

My wife was terrible to me. She was stubborn and irrational. My lawyer was great. He stayed level headed when opposing lawyer and wife did not and when I did not and because of his demeanor and experience, we came out on top. Great communication throughout. I am recommending him and his team to everyone that has some money, some kids and needs a good litigation team. read more

This firm was on point from my initial contact. I have a busy, stressful job and the idea of dealing with not only my divorce, but choosing a lawyer was stressful. I was able to book my appointment online and even pick the attorney I wanted to meet with. I chose to meet with Melinda and I am so glad I did. From the initial consultation, she listened, was empathetic, and laid out an action plan. The minute I retained she jumped into action. I felt confident with her by my side and she really got me results. Even when Melinda wasn't available, her paralegal Donna was so helpful. This firm really knows how to help clients through a difficult divorce. I highly recommend this firm! read more

I very strongly recommend choosing another attorney for your case and NOT using Tom Petrelli as a divorce attorney. My case was "low" on his priority list, he was not responsive to matters regarding my case and he did not provide the legal counsel that I was hoping for. I spend a lot of money for his services (more than average attorney prices) and was extremely dissatisfied with the results. Not only was Tom slow to provide responses to my spouce's attorney, he was arrogant and always had other priorities that did not relate to my case. Do yourself the favor and go to an attorney who is not out to get your money and provides honest services. read more