STRATEGY
About Paul
Paul Cataudella, Principal Attorney
When Paul was a teenager, his parents divorced. But his story is not another account of the negative effects a divorce can have on an adolescent. Paul’s story is about what he witnessed during the course of legal proceedings stemming from his parent’s divorce and the impression it formed upon him that created the foundation of Cataudella Law.
During the course of this legal proceeding, Paul observed several disturbing business practices that he pledged never to allow occur at his firm.
Firstly, when his mom, Susan, met with her attorneys over the duration of the case, the meetings lacked a consultative approach. Susan was always told what to do.
She was never consulted on what her options were, never instructed as to what the pros and cons were of different possibilities, never advised on what the attorneys believed was the best course of action, and was never empowered to make an informed and educated decision about the fate of her own case.
Secondly, Susan was routinely forced to reach out to her attorneys in order to learn the latest status of her case and, worse off, when funds in her attorney-client trust account were low, her attorneys would demand the funds be replenished before they expended any more time on her matter, including providing simple case status updates.
Lastly, her attorneys failed at being genuine advocates. One day, Susan was having her deposition taken at the opposing counsel’s law office. Susan and her attorney sat across from opposing counsel in the clear glass conference room, while Paul sat outside in the hall able to witness his mother being questioned. At one point during her deposition, the opposing lawyer became visibly hostile toward her, raising his voice and pointing a finger in her face, while her attorney sat idly by. Meanwhile, Paul anxiously watched from outside the room, as he saw his mother become visibly upset. It wasn’t until the opposing lawyer rose from his chair leaning over the table while yelling at his mother that Paul ran into the room, and ultimately put an end to what was happening. While at the time, all he could do was defend his mother and stop this attorney from yelling at her, Paul knew he was meant to protect people, like his mother, in his career.
Following this experience, Paul set out to become an attorney and pledged to himself that he would never allow his clients to endure what his mom endured during an already difficult time in their life. Less than ten years later, Paul founded Cataudella Law, APC.
In addition to his responsibilities to his firm, Paul also founded the DMC Coalition. He participates in speaking engagements at domestic and international conferences, and acts as general counsel and a regional leader of a leading destination management company.
Professional Speaker
Topics: Law, Business, Crisis Management
Through his experience as an adjunct professor and regular speaking engagements at conferences with over thousands of people, Paul introduces the audience to the application of law and its processes as it pertains to their businesses. He empowers his audience to leave with confidence and knowledge to move forward successfully.