James D. Murtha

James D. Murtha

4.0
Rating: 6.9

Licensed for 18 years

Landlord or tenant Lawyer at Massapequa Park, NY
Practice Areas: Landlord & Tenant, Debt Settlement

4940 Merrick Road, No. 102, Massapequa Park, NY

About James

Biography

Practice Areas

2

Practice Areas

Landlord or Tenant 75%

I represent landlords and tenants in eviction proceedings in Nassau County and Suffolk County.

18 years

75%
Debt Settlement 25%

I represent consumers in defense of debt-collection lawsuits brought by creditors seeking to collect debts.

18 years

25%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer


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Licenses

Licensed in New York for 18 years

State: New York

Acquired: 2008

Currently Registered

No misconduct found

Location

Murtha Law Firm, LLC

4940 Merrick Road, No. 102, Massapequa Park, NY, 11762-3803

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James D. Murtha's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.0 /5.0

29 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (29) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 5 reviews | Trustworthiness

Posted by Corey | August 29, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Landlord & Tenant

Did not pay attention to my requests. When he knew he was wrong he just blamed me.

James was retained over the phone. My wife and I thought he sounded legit. Off the bat he did everything he was supposed to do. After 2 months a court date should have been given (even sooner really). James assured me everything was going as it was supposed to. Meanwhile my real estate agent was tell...ing me you should have a court date if he filed. James assured me he filed. I asked over and over why do we not have a court date. Everything is fine he would assure us. I sent the paperwork in he said over and over. If you did, why do we not have a court date. James said it takes time. Well after numerous texts and phone calls I decided to go to the courthouse myself. Thank goodness I did that because they did not get the paperwork which he assured me they did. I was livid called him and left nasty messages because he had wasted 2 months of time that could have pushed out a tenant that was squatting. He finally calls me back and says he will personally go to the courthouse and make sure everything is as it should be. Finally, he did something he did go to the court the next day. He then sent an email letting me know there will be a court day soon and he will let me know as soon as that date is in the books. That was a blatant lie, the court date was immediate as soon as he filed the court date was there. I know this because we checked the website of the court. He took 2 weeks to let us know when the court date was even though the date was already given from the moment he went to the court and filed. He threatened me about going to the courthouse myself that he would no longer be my lawyer if I went back or even called them. He claimed that I misbehaved at the courthouse, which was an absurd lie . The ladies all said he was wrong and if he had filed the court date would have been given immediately. I am sure James has done some cases correctly, but I would never trust this man again. He should have offered us money back but instead insisted he was in the right the whole way. It was disgusting. I was selling the house too much trouble renting towards the end. We waited 3 months before we started actively trying to sell the house because he has on his website takes 3 months to get them out. Fortunately, we got a buyer immediately. When explaining this to James he said, "it was a bad idea to schedule the sale of the house until the eviction is completed and the tenants are removed." If he had done his job, we would have had the tenant out with plenty of time before closing. He knew that if the papers were filed at the court, you immediately get a date. He just kept telling me everything is as it should be, and I bought that for 2 months. To this day I do not understand why he was blatantly lying to me about a court date. If he did not know that when you file you immediately get a court date, he is one lawsy lawyer. If you could see the emails and how he tried to turn this on me and that I was an impatient person, oh he was so unprofessional. The last thing that he did that was incredibly unprofessional was he said to go to court early to find him on the court date. He did not show up. He sent another lawyer in his stead. She was nice and professional, but we had no idea he was not going so we spent the morning looking for him . He did not call to tell us he was not going he did not pick up his phone when we called him! She said we did not even have to be there in complete contradiction of what James told us. I would say use this untrustworthy lawyer James Murphy at your peril.

Posted by RHONDA | February 07, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Landlord & Tenant

fraud

I am not convinced this is a legitimate business , I hired this firm for eviction purposes in July of 2023 , I was told the tenant need 90 days for for the eviction process to begin . According to the tenant they never received notice, until I contacted them after the 90 days. I have had ...little .to no contact with this lawyer., to know what is going on (ie he is not answering phone calls or , emails) After spending $1850, with no service. I would not want this to happen to anyone else.

Posted by anonymous | December 03, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Landlord & Tenant

He is a Fraud and a Liar

I am writing this review to caution individuals seeking legal assistance to avoid the services of Murtha Law Firm LLC. My experience with this lawyer was deeply disappointing and concerning. I engaged attorney Murtha for assistance with an eviction process, and our interactions were solely conduct...ed online through emails and phone calls. Initially, he claimed to have filed my case with the court, reassuring me that the legal proceedings were underway. However, despite repeated requests, he refused to provide any documentation or proof of the filed case. As the case progressed, I discovered through direct communication with the court that no such filing existed under my name. Eventually, due to the non-appearance of the opposing party, the case was initially granted in my favor. However, this victory was short-lived, as I received a summons to return to court. Despite my urgent attempts to contact Mr. Murtha for guidance and representation, he failed to respond to any of my calls or emails. When I finally received a response via email, he claimed to be severely ill and announced his retirement, stating he could no longer represent me. Moreover, when I requested my case file and asked for a referral to another attorney, he completely ignored my attempts to reach out. Adding to the dubious nature of his services, his purported office address turned out to be a UPS address, raising serious concerns about the legitimacy of his practice. Based on my experience, I strongly advise against engaging Murtha Law Firm LLC for any legal matters. His lack of professionalism, failure to provide adequate representation, and apparent deception with a fake office address reflect a highly untrustworthy and fraudulent practice. Prospective clients should be wary and avoid falling victim to this individual's deceptive tactics.

Posted by anonymous | November 21, 2018 | Hired Attorney

Frustrated Client

Do not be tempted to hire Mr. Murtha for your legal needs. I found him to be extremely careless, often taking shortcuts which were convenient for him to resolve my matter while disadvantageous for me, the client. Although I tolerated this treatment, often being dismissed by him, I was still not able ...to achieve my objective. As I started to express my disappointment, with how my case was being handled, he became increasingly angry with me, resulting in our eventual breakdown in communications. This left me feeling hopeless and wondering who my next lawyer needed to be. Save your time and money and look elsewhere for your legal needs.

James Murtha

Replied last November 21, 2018

This comment appears to have been posted to the wrong attorney profile. The person who posted it most likely intended it for another attorney -- perhaps one with a similar name. We have never represented the person who posted this review. Avvo has been asked to investigate the matter so that hopefully the review can be re-posted to the correct attorney profile. As our vast base of satisfied clients can attest, we treat all our clients with the utmost respect and professionalism and pride ourselves on obtaining for our clients the legal results they seek. On behalf of myself and the MURTHA LAW FIRM, LLC, we wish all of our clients a very Happy and Healthy Holiday Season.

Posted by Steve | January 13, 2016 | Hired Attorney

Gets the job done!

James was great with me. No frills and gets the job done. The process was exactly like he described and everything went fast and by the numbers. He we very professional and made me feel like I was in good hands from the start. Would definitely use him again.

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James D. Murtha's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse James
Michelle Murtha headshot
Michelle Murtha

Landlord or tenant lawyer | Mar 23

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse James D. Murtha. He is the most knowledgeable landlord-tenant and consumer rights attorney I have ever met or had the opportunity to work with. His skills and expertise in both the fields of landlord-tenant law, particularly as it applies to evictions, and debt-collection defense are unmatched in my opinion. James D. Murtha has my highest recommendation as an expert in landlord-tenant matters and in debt-collection defense."

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Michelle Murtha headshot
Michelle Murtha

Copyright infringement lawyer

Experience

Rating:  6.9 (Good)

Honors

2016

Clients' Choice Award, Avvo

2015

Clients' Choice Award, Avvo

Work Experience

2014 - Present

Managing Member, Murtha Law Firm, LLC

2008 - 2014

Member, Murtha & Murtha, PLLC

Associations

New York State Bar Association

Member

Nassau County Bar Association

Member

Thomas More Law Center

Member

Federalist Society

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Estate of James Bruncaj v Bruncaj, Suffolk Dist Ct, Feb. 29, 2012, Flanagan, J., index No. LT-000630-12/BR

My client, the respondent, prevailed. Petition dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.

Town of Babylon v Licata, Suffolk Dist Ct, Feb. 24, 2012, Morris, J., docket No. BATO-750/11

My client, the defendant, prevailed. After a trial, the case was dismissed.

Olcese v Bilotta, Suffolk Dist Ct, Sept. 21, 2011, Ukeiley, J., index No. LT-002771-11/BR

My client, the petitioner, prevailed. Money judgment, judgment of possession and warrant of eviction granted.

Matter of Colaiacovo v Dormer, Sup Ct, Suffolk County, Oct. 30, 2008, Weber, J., index No. 020230/2008

My client, the petitioner, prevailed. Matter was remanded to the respondent, who was ordered to take certain action.

See More Legal Cases

Education

2003

Hofstra University School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1998

State University of New York, Stony Brook

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2008

Debtor-Creditor Law and Consumers' Rights

Consumer Debt Issues in Suffolk County

Publications

2009

Pamphlet Understanding Special Proceedings Under Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules

Languages

English

Italian

Activity

Avvo Rating

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  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
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Avvo Rating Levels
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