Todd Adam Spivak

Todd Spivak helped me through an extremely complicated case involving two girls who both filed PFAs against me for petty revenge. On top of that, one filed harassment charges. The allegations against me were detailed and seemingly unbeatable, since the two seemed to cooperate in their mission to dest...roy my reputation. Not only did Todd pick up my initial phone call at 10:00 pm the night I found out about these ridiculous charges, he also gave me some counseling on the phone to calm me down. He met me two days later and we built a defense. What should have been a quick process was extended over six months by bungling police reports (made my police in a different county over the phone), untrue accusations of continued contact, and continued abuse of the system. Todd met with me on request every single time I needed to see him. His approach is cautious, professional, and unwavering. In the eventual two hour long CRIMINAL COURT case, Todd not only defended me, but completely discredited both the officer and plaintiff, resulting in a dismissal of all charges. All said and done, there were a total of three court appearances in three months; Todd won all three. An absolute Godsend in court. Todd’s understanding, calm, and tactful demeanor during counseling did a great job at hiding his complete and total ferocity in the courtroom. He called objections for me that surprised everyone- even the judge. The judge sustained every last objection. Conversely, ALL of the plaintiffs’ objections we're all overruled. For the entirety of all the trials I was in, I could count on one hand how many times I even needed to speak! If you're under attack and going to war, Todd isn't just a shield- he's a one man army, navy, and air force. Paying a lawyer hourly would have cost me a fortune, Todd charged one flat fee and was with me without fail 24/7 over the entire ordeal. When I say 24/7, I mean I have spoken to him past midnight, moments after I called him expecting to leave a voicemail and talk the next day. He (and not a secretary) returns calls and emails lightning fast, while explaining each step of the process while weighing the risks with each possible outcome. By the time I had to make a decision with how to continue any particular step, my answer was a no-brainer. Without hesitation I would recommend Todd Spivak over any other lawyer- period. After six months of having to prove my innocence, I walked out of court today (without even seeing the inside of the courtroom) without any further concerns. There is absolutely no way I could thank him enough for his advice, defense, and council. During a time in my life when I seemingly was losing everything, including my previously (and currently) untarnished reputation, Todd was not just a fantastic lawyer, but a great friend, and protector of my sanity. If you are looking for the best, you found him. That was the review I wrote on May 6, 2015, and I am providing an update. Todd Has helped me with the process of expungement over the phone multiple times, as I am doing it myself. (It's a ton of paperwork, however it's do-able and a good deal of it is waiting.) Every time I have called with a question, however small; he has provided an answer. He has also done this free of charge, and asks how other things are going in my life. I have recommended several friends to him, all of which ended up working with him to the best of my knowledge. My friend felt much better about her case for custody, and to my knowledge she won, since she still has her kids. If you're looking for the best, look no further.

I was in search of an attorney for a custody modification. I had previously done one pro se (So I was aware of the steps of filing a petition for modification) but this time, this was a much more in depth case so I needed the help of an experienced attorney. I reached out to Todd Spivak and he wa...s very forthcoming with information in my initial phone consultation. I met with him for a consultation and signed and deposited a lump sum for retainer to handle my case. That point there is where everything fell apart. A petition for custody modification is a very simple process and I completed it my first time myself. Mr. Spivak filed my modification. He had suggested that we could make a request in the modification to skip mediation which I agreed we should request. When I looked at the Allegheny County custody law the next day, I realized you cannot request that except for in domestic violence situations. Any custody lawyer should know this. The fact that he suggested we request it, now makes me wonder if he has done any custody cases at all. A week later I received a letter from the department of court records stating my mediation date was cancelled due to non payment of the filing fees and non filing of the scheduling order. Having contacted Mr. Spivak on Saturday regarding this letter he assured me he would get it straightened out and assured he filed and paid it. When asked he could not produce a receipt for the $250 filing fee for the initial filing and insisted it was a mess up by the department of court records. We agreed by phone on Monday he would refile for me on Tuesday. When I followed up on Tuesday, he confirmed he filed the petition but once again did not pay the $250 filing fee which is mandatory. He stated he wanted my authorization to pay it. Now in my mind, why would I tell you to re-file the modification to get the mediation date back on the schedule but not want you to pay the fee??? I'll let that slide though as maybe I should have been explicitly clear to file the petition, walk over to the cashier, pay the $250. When we talked at this point I asked if he paid the filing fee the first time, and this time he states no he didn't (which was contrary to what he stated in our prior call on Saturday, that he paid it). At this point everything clicked in my mind and I realized that the ball was dropped by him. This mistake pushed my mediation back 6.5 weeks, in a very "TIME SENSITIVE" case. There is one thing I expect from my attorney and that is complete honesty. We all make mistakes in our jobs and mess up. But when you do, you own up to it. Especially when I put down $3500 of my hard earned money initially for a retainer. At this point I obtain new legal council. I request an itemized bill from Mr. Spivak as well as a refund on what is left of my retainer. Once I receive that, I go over the itemized bill and the Initial retainer. What I find is what I am going to try to believe is only another "mistake" is that my retainer refund was shorted by $105. The itemized bill with receipts came up $105 short of what was refunded to me via check. I really want to make sure that anyone that is looking for a custody lawyer, please move along and don't waste your money here. I from this point forward, will never use any legal council that is independent and not part of a larger firm. The reason I wanted to put such a long detailed review, is I don't want anyone else that is in need of legal council to make a mistake and waste money on the wrong council. With all the details I have provided, I hope anyone reading this review realizes that I am not making this up and this is a detailed accurate report of the events that transpired.

Mr. Spivak was easily accessible by phone & always took the call to answer my immediate concerns. He was quick to give me good, solid advice & I found him to be extremely knowledgable of the law. He guided me expertly through my hurdles of understanding PFAs, child support & custody. In a time filled... many court dates & such turmoil, he was a light to guide my way, a true blessing. Can't thank him enough for how he's helped my family.

Hiring Todd Spivak has been the best move we’ve made in months, and the first time our very difficult custody case has started to move in the right direction. Mr. Spivak actually listened to what we were saying, heard our concerns for what they are, and is fighting hard for the best outcome. I’m trul...y grateful to have him in our corner. After months of frustration and numerous missteps on our part and the part of our former attorney I can’t even put into words what a relief it has been to receive knowledgeable, accurate and timely advice. The contrast between Mr. Spivak's practice and that of our former high priced downtown attorney is phenomenal. If you want to speak with your attorney rather be insulated from them and play the telephone game with underlings more than happy to mis-communicate your messages and ignore your questions, give Todd Spivak a call - he’ll actually answer.

Todd Spivak helped me through an extremely complicated case involving two girls who both filed PFAs against me for petty revenge. On top of that, one filed harassment charges. The allegations against me were detailed and seemingly unbeatable, since the two seemed to cooperate in their mission to dest...roy my reputation. Not only did Todd pick up my initial phone call at 10pm the night I found out about these ridiculous charges, he also gave me some counciling on the phone to calm me down. He met me two days later and we built a defense. What should have been a quick process was extended over six months by bungling police reports, untrue accusations of continued contact, and continued abuse of the system. Todd met with me on request every single time I needed to see him. His approach is cautious, professional, and unwavering. In the eventual two hour long criminal court case, Todd not only defended me, but completely discredited both the officer and plaintiff, resulting in a dismissal of all charges. All said and done, there were a total of three court appearances of three months; of which I won all three. Todd is an absolute Godsend in court, and his understanding, calm, tactful demeanor during counseling did a great job at hiding his complete and total ferocity in the courtroom. He called objections for me that I didn't even know I could call; all of which were sustained. The plaintiffs objections we're all overruled. For the entirety of all the trials I was in, I could count on one hand how many times I even needed to speak! If you're under attack and going to war, Todd isn't just a shield- he's a one man army. Paying a lawyer hourly would have cost me a fortune, Todd charged one fee and was with me without fail 24/7 over the entire ordeal. He returns calls and emails lightning fast, and explains each step of the process while weighing the risks with each possible outcome. By the time I had to make a decision with how to continue any particular step, my answer was a no-brainer. Without hesitation I would recommend Todd Spivak over any other lawyer- period. After six months of having to prove my innocence, I walked out of court today (without even seeing the inside of the courtroom) without any further concerns. There is absolutely no way I could thank him enough for his advice, defense, and council. During a time in my life when I seemingly was losing everything, including my previously untarnished reputation, Todd was not just a fantastic lawyer, but a great friend, and protector of my sanity. Trust me, this is the only guy you need in your corner; especially because he can keep you out of the ring altogether.