Podlaski LLP

helped me get my money back from a lying contractor

I can not say enough of the job Nick Podlaski and his entire team did for me! From top to bottom, professional and courteous. Everyone at Polaski let me know they were on my side and that I was important to them. That gave me peace of mind! I made the very right choice of selecting the Podlaski Attorneys to represent me! Truly worthy of 5 stars!

Great firm and legal team to work with!

I hired this firm to pursue a claim against a handyman who failed to complete approximately $13,000 in home improvement work at my residence. My understanding at the time of retention was that the matter would be actively pursued and, if necessary, litigated. I paid a $3,000 retainer on February 7, 2025. After that, I did not receive substantive updates about the status of my case, what work was being performed, or how much work remained. I was later billed $7,494.36 on April 10, 2025, which I reasonably believed was the final bill due to the lack of communication. I was then billed an additional $2,876.51 on June 6, 2025. In total, I was charged approximately $13,500 in legal fees. The only substantive legal work performed on my behalf, to my knowledge, was the drafting and sending of a single demand letter. No lawsuit was filed, no court appearance occurred, and the contractor did not pay or resolve the matter. I only received billing notices by email and was not provided clear updates explaining progress, remaining work, or anticipated total cost. As a result, I ended up paying more in legal fees than the amount I was originally trying to recover, without a resolution. This review reflects my personal experience and opinion. Others may have different experiences, but based on mine, I was disappointed with the communication, cost transparency, and outcome.

Merry Christmas to the Whole employed staff and its really awesome lawyers. They made my holiday spirit a little better. They listened to my plea for help when I felt cornered and bullied by Hubcap Express LLC. They were ready to hear me out and do a paid consultation which I originally was very willing to do. At the last minute the bully Hubcap Express LLC was to scared to beat me up when I had a mountain of evidence showing that they scammed me out of some money. I mean they beat me up metaphorically not literally. So by default the case/file was closed by the Mediator of the Attorney General's office Tyra Lee from the Indiana Attorney General's Office of Todd Rokita. Mrs. Lee told me they couldn't do anything because Hubcap Express LLC didn't want to participate anymore so the Attorney General closed the file/case. It seemed very odd that they would just conveniently close my file like nothing ever happened and continued to say they neither side with Hubcap Express LLC or side with me. I do understand that the Mediator is impartial and doesn't pick sides but it seems awful susceptible to speculation. Here's what a Friend of mine thinks and I concluded: Ah, Jared, that’s a deliciously cryptic phrase — awful, susceptible to speculation. It sounds like something whispered by a philosopher who’s half-drunk on truth and half-drunk on wine. Here’s the straight-up meaning, wrapped in a little poetry and common sense: To be “awful, susceptible to speculation” means to be in a state where your actions, choices, or vibes look questionable enough that people start guessing — loudly — about what’s really going on. It’s like saying: You’re giving off an energy that something’s wrong, messy, or less-than-admirable. And because of that, people feel invited to fill in the blanks with their own theories. You’ve become a story others think they’re allowed to write. “Awful” here isn’t necessarily about being bad or evil — it’s about looking like you’re in a rough, misguided, or chaotic place. And when someone looks like that, speculation rushes in like cold air through an open door. It’s basically: “Your situation appears questionable enough that people can’t help but invent explanations.” Sometimes it’s unfair. Sometimes it’s earned. Always it’s noisy. I also want to highly recommend this lawfirm even if they charge you I was told they are a great lawfirm by the Allen County BAR Association. They were awarded Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2019 and Super Lawyer in 2020 highlighting Nick Podlaski's achievements in the leagal filed. Also the award for Fort Wayne Business Weekly's 40 under 40 in 2022, celebrating young professionals in the area. Thank you for the refund for the consultation I never went through with do to the other party Hubcap Express LLC not responding anymore. So their was no need to go through with the consult because the file was closed and it would of felt like I lost some more money paying you. Your an honest and respectable professional who didn't scam me as it already happened with the supposed consumer goods Hubcap Express LLC was trying to lure unsuspecting consumers like myself who will most definitely scam you so beware of these wolves in Shepards clothing and hire an honest, trustworthy, and respectable lawyer such as Nick Podlaski. Thank you so much for trying it was what you did for me by kindly giving me a refund.

BEWARE: I am writing to detail my experience with Podlaski Attorneys at Law, covering the period from September 6, 2024 through August 8, 2025. What should have been straightforward legal representation instead turned into a deeply disappointing, unprofessional, and costly ordeal. I feel it is my responsibility to warn others before they consider engaging this firm. Despite paying $15,000 in legal fees, contacting the Bar Association, and repeatedly requesting updates, we received almost no meaningful communication or legal progress. Our only direct interaction with the firm consisted of a single phone call—for which we were billed—and no in-person meeting whatsoever with Kevin Podlaski, the attorney we hired and trusted with our case. Warning: stay far away from Podlaski Attorneys at Law. Unprofessional behavior. No updates. Misrepresentation. Invoice recycling. No results. Complete Failure in Handling Our Case We retained this firm for a roofing warranty dispute. Prior to hiring him, Kevin Podlaski assured us we had a very strong case, specifically because the roofing materials were under warranty. After paying the retainer, he inexplicably reversed his stance—claiming the opposite—even though third-party experts confirmed that we indeed had a valid warranty claim. From September 2024 to December 2024, our case was handed off to an associate, Brayton Conley, who later left the firm in early 2025 without any notice or communication to us. His lack of legal knowledge and procedural understanding forced us—the clients—to give him guidance, provide legal strategy, and even advise him on negotiation tactics. Meanwhile, the firm continued charging us for every call, email, and document shuffle. It became obvious that invoices were being recycled and tasks were being billed without actual progress. There were no confirmed results, no presented strategy, and no measurable movement on the case. Improper Handoffs, Misrepresentation, and More Billing After Conley’s departure, the case was transferred to Jennifer E. McKibben, who promptly informed us that we “never had a strong case to begin with”—contradicting both their initial position and external expert evaluations. We never agreed to have McKibben represent us. The handoff was done without our consent and in a manner that was both improper and unprofessional. We attempted to reconnect with Kevin Podlaski, but he refused to meet in person or take responsibility for the confusion, mismanagement, and lack of progress. Instead, the firm focused on pressuring us for additional legal fees—$3,500 more—just to address the third-party materials company, which was the central path to resolving the warranty issue. When we refused to continue throwing money into a black hole, we submitted separation paperwork. In return, the firm attempted to threaten litigation against us for refusing to pay for results that were never delivered. After direct negotiation, we were able to reduce their claim by approximately 60%, and Kevin Podlaski accepted the separation terms. Attempts to Silence Us Following the separation, Podlaski attempted to coerce us into signing a non-disclosure agreement to prevent us from writing an honest review about their conduct. When we declined, his paralegals began sending repeated, aggressive follow-ups with the NDA attached. Suggestion: block their emails. Their behavior after termination was as unprofessional as their representation. Final Assessment Podlaski Attorneys at Law exhibited: Misrepresentation of the case’s strength Lack of communication Failure to provide updates or results Improper attorney handoffs Excessive and unjustified billing Pressure tactics to extract additional fees Attempts to silence negative feedback via NDA If you are considering legal representation, I strongly advise you to avoid this firm entirely. The experience was costly—in time, money, and trust—and delivered absolutely no benefit.

From the initial consultation with Nick he is very personable and professional.

Podlaski is the absolute best firm I have worked with, and I have worked with a lot. Specifically, Alison Wright, who got me in within 48 hours to review the new case and then throughout the entire process was expedient and persistent. Law firms sometimes you have to keep calling and wait days for a callback through the process. Not here, THEY call YOU to get things done. Very Happy, they are the best.

We had an excellent experience with Alison, Krista, and their team! From the beginning they were professional and incredibly helpful with our issues and questions, and made sure to keep us informed of the process and status of our case and the pros and cons of our different options. Despite being a small claims suit (and I imagine a fairly minor case), we never felt unimportant or ignored, which was a very reassuring experience to have during our first (and hopefully last) lawsuit.

The consultation was 45 minutes and the lawyer was very knowledgeable to the point that I was very surprised. He made me aware of many issues that involved my case.