J. Paul Kolodziej

I am extremely disappointed with this law office and would not recommend them to anyone. When we first used them five years ago for a home closing, everything went smoothly, so we trusted them again with the sale of our most recent house. Unfortunately, this time was a nightmare. We discovered that they never filed the title correctly from the first transaction, which caused major problems when trying to sell. I was forced to do most of the legwork myself -- tracking down the previous owner, making multiple trips and calls to the DMV, and paying fees that should have been their responsibility. To make matters worse, I ended up being charged twice for the title because of their mistake. On top of that, Paul never even showed up at our closing. The office staff was rude and unprofessional, and at one point Paul actually hung up on my husband when he pointed out that this was their fault. The closing dragged on far longer than necessary, and we nearly lost our buyer because of the delays. Later, I discovered this wasn't an isolated issue -- there are other complaints against Paul for the same type of negligence, and even legal trouble for failing to file paperwork. Had I known this beforehand, I never would have trusted them again. In the end, I did more work than they did, and the sale only went through because of my persistence. This experience was stressful, frustrating, and costly. I strongly advise staying far away from this office.

Gloversville lawyer J. Paul Kolodziej, who'd been scheduled to appear today in City Court on his state tax fraud case, has been granted an adjournment until April 28. The delay comes soon after Kolodziej's financial difficulties were compounded with a $275,000 tax lien filed by the Internal Revenue Service and two property foreclosure suits filed by Deutsche Bank. Kolodziej, the lawyer for both the Fulton County Economic Development Corp. and the Fulton County Industrial Development Agency, was arrested in January on six felony charges. Fulton County District Attorney Louise K. Sira, whose office is assisting lawyers from the state Department of Taxation and Finance in the prosecution of the case, said Tuesday that Kolodziej's lawyer, James C. Hayes of Amsterdam, asked for the adjournment because Kolodziej was planning to be out of the country March 24. Sira said there have been no "meaningful negotiations between the defense and the tax department." An employee at his North Main Street law firm said Kolodziej was not in the office Tuesday. The state tax department contends that Kolodziej failed to file tax returns for the years 2002-08, a period when he had income of $1.48 million. Kolodziej, 56, has since paid $58,509 of a state tax bill totalling $84,752. A spokesman for Taxation and Finance said in January that Kolodziej did not file any returns for the years in question until after he was notified that he was under investigation. He is charged with two counts of criminal tax fraud in the third degree and four counts of failing to file timely returns for the years 2002-07. An employee at Hayes' law firm said he was in court Tuesday. He did not return a call for comment for this story. At an arraignment in January in City Court, both Kolodziej and Hayes declined comment. If convicted, officials said Kolodziej would face a maximum sentence of up to seven years in prison. The foreclosure actions, both filed this month against Kolodziej and his wife, Romy Kolodziej, seek the deeds to properties on Garlock Road in Caroga Lake and on Mountain Lake in the town of Johnstown. The suits contend that the couple owes about $139,000 on a $175,000 mortgage taken in 2005 on the Mountain Lake property and about $117,000 on a $148,000 mortgage on the Caroga Lake property, also taken in 2005. The IRS liens -- one filed in February and the other this month -- assert that the couple owes federal income taxes for the years 2006-08, including $30,431 for 2006, $64,977 for 2007 and $42,145 for 2008. The balance of the federal lien consists of unpaid employee withholding for 2007 and 2008.

Best Attorney in town !! Paul and his staff are awesome ! Paul has always been available to answer questions and gets you to closing quickly !! This is the second closing we have had with him are very pleased and is highly recommended . A+

To whom it may concern, Mr. J Paul Kolodjiez professional services and his professional staff are world class! Mr. J Paul Kolodziej and his entire professional, friendly, service oriented staff has had a special positive and trusted impact on my family and I. Gratefully and respectfully, Tom

Paul has done several real estate closings for me over the last decade. Him and his staff are always quick and efficient.