After several years of thriving in the working world, Amanda Iannuzzelli decided to go back to school. She was passionate about speaking out against injustices and knew she wanted to make a difference. Today, as an attorney with her own Delaware County-based firm, The Law Offices of Amanda J. Iannuzzelli, she is doing just that.
As a general practitioner she practices in various areas, and has chosen to focus primarily on cases pertaining to family law. Iannuzzelli serves clients in Delaware County and the surrounding suburbs of Philadelphia, both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Although she has been in private practice for only a few years, she has quickly made a name for herself amongst both her clients and peers. “Client and attorney relationships are extremely important to me because a large percentage of my business comes from referrals, both from current clients and from other attorneys in the area,” Iannuzzelli says. “I believe the greatest measure of success and highest compliment is receiving referrals.” As one of the younger lawyers who are redefining the way law is practiced, Iannuzzelli personally performs the tasks needed to pursue her client’s cases.
“I don’t farm my work out,” Iannuzzelli says. “If you hire me, you get me. I will be working on your case from start to finish.” That’s something that’s changing about the way law is practiced. It has been commonly accepted for lawyers to have paralegals and lower-level associates handle much of the work, especially the drafting of documents and pleadings. But today, with the ability to quickly generate documents, tech-savvy attorneys are able to lower their overhead by performing tasks themselves. In a field that historically utilizes a large support staff, this saves the client both time and money. The concept of an attorney drafting his or her own legal documents used to be practically unheard of in the field, but that is not the case anymore.
More so than ever, Iannuzzelli knows that money is a factor for many these days. Considering the most recent downturn in the economy, she recognizes that she needs to be able to work with clients on even the tightest of budgets. “I always try to work within my clients’ financial means,” Iannuzzelli says. “I’m mindful of the fact that we live in a day and age where people are struggling. The truth is that everyone deserves competent legal representation regardless of income.”
Besides keeping her caseload entirely in house, Iannuzzelli also saves her clients money by conserving resources. She is conscientious about filing unnecessary petitions or going to court when it’s not productive or if the same result can be accomplished via less expensive means. Although some lawyers in the past have gotten a bad reputation for billing clients excessively, Iannuzzelli says that is not her mode of operation. “I work hard to stay within my clients’ budget,” Iannuzzelli says, “this means working both efficiently and effectively.”
With the advent of smartphones, today’s lawyers are also increasingly tech-savvy. Iannuzzelli is no exception. She makes herself fully available to her clients, meaning they can reach her anytime—if not on her office phone then certainly by e-mail or her mobile phone. “I want clients to know that they can reach me on the go,” she says. “They don’t have to wait to hear from me when I get back to the office. I can get back to them almost immediately.”
Such accessibility is one of the things that clients most appreciate about Iannuzzelli’s practice. A good lawyer returns calls quickly and works around the client’s schedule. Iannuzzelli does both.
She also makes sure her clients are well informed. There is a tremendous amount of detail involved in the legal process, and it can easily become overwhelming. But Iannuzzelli walks her clients through it all, making sure they understand exactly what’s happening. She describes her approach as “aggressive but realistic,” which clients appreciate, because no one wants a lawyer who claims he or she can accomplish goals that are unrealistic.
“I’m not going to tell you that we can do something we can’t,” Iannuzzelli says. “I want to make sure that the goals my clients are setting are realistic. Once they are, I will go after them with passion. When we set realistic goals that I know we can achieve, I go after those goals with aggressive representation. That doesn’t mean torturing the other side. It just means doing everything you know is right to help your client see justice.”
And that’s what it all comes back to: Iannuzzelli’s passion for justice. Growing up with a mother who was a psychologist, Iannuzzelli was exposed at a young age to the world of child-custody cases and family law. But she says she has always had an instinct to fight for what is right. Even in former jobs and in everyday life, when she saw an injustice she wasn’t one to stand by and let it happen. She spoke up. Now, as an attorney, she’s able to do that work on a larger scale—and in the area where she grew up. She has been part of this community since birth and is proud to be practicing here.
“I wanted a career where I could make a difference,” Iannuzzelli says. “It means even more to be doing it in the area where my father and his siblings grew up and where I was born and raised. One of the reasons I’ve been able to be successful on my own as a younger lawyer is that I make it a priority to be part of the legal community of Delaware County. I maintain relationships and spend a lot of time networking. If I need advice or assistance I can pick up the phone and call a colleague.”
Well connected within the established legal community but also bringing a fresh perspective to family law, Iannuzzelli truly is a rising star in her field. In a short amount of time she has achieved notable success and earned a strong reputation. She attributes her accomplishments to her networking abilities, as well as the way she practices law—with efficiency and passion.
Even in a time when the legal profession is changing quickly, Iannuzzelli prides herself on staying on the cutting edge. “I know that things have changed,” she adds. “Clients have tighter budgets but still need a lawyer that is tech-savvy and well skilled. I’m able to work with those changes and also bring a fresh perspective to the table.”
The Law Offices of Amanda J. Iannuzzelli
331 West State Street
Media, PA 19063
610-551-1361 | www.ajilawyers.com
Photograph by Jody Robinson
