Paul Stanko Criminal Defense

Im not quite sure how Mr Stanko is getting 5 star reviews. These people are either family friends political donars or business people because my case has been dragging on for almost a year now. Ive only seen him once he refuses to answer texts calls or emails. Ive had to contact the courthouse to get court dates and even they have told me that this is something that Mr Stanko should be informing me about. I live in Oregon so it isnt just like im able to be there on a minutes notice and he is aware of this but he just blows me off cuz apparently i dont have all the money that these 5 star reviewers have to give him
STRONGLY SUGGESTS ANYONE LOOKING FOR AN ATTORNEY GO ELSEWHERE UNLESS THEY REALLY WANT THERE CASE DRAGGING ON FOREVER

I can't believe how great a criminal lawyer Judge Paul Stanko is! He downplays his experience ("I have been practicing over 40 years, so sometimes I get it right!"--actual quote) but there really is no substitute for experience! One thing I noticed every time we went to court was how much respect everyone in the courts showed him. It was obvious that everybody in the system appreciates his knowledge and experience. I can't imagine that a less accomplished or respected lawyer would have gotten me the amazing deal he got. When he told me what he had accomplished, I thought he was joking at first.
I hope I never need him again, but will tell anyone I know that Judge Paul Stanko is the one to see for criminal cases in Plymouth. He is brilliant, confident, professional, and an all around great human being.

When I first received notice of my charges I was scared out of my mind. I called around to different attorneys and Paul Stanko was the first one who actually made time out of his busy day to meet with me that same day and give me the peace of mind that it was going to be okay. He did an outstanding job with my case and explained everything to be me as I had a lot of questions throughout the process. He was able to get me the best deal/outcome on my case. I can't thank him enough and if anyone needs a great attorney he is the man to talk to because he will make sure to get you through it.

Paul has now represented me for several years in three different counties (St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall), and every time he has kept me out of jail.

Highest recommendation from a long time client!

Level 6 felony drug case in South Bend. Judge Stanko got me a suspended sentence and misdemeanor treatment. My family and I are so happy with the outcome.

When Paul Stanko took my case I was so excited, even though it's such a bad time in my life. I have hope! His statewide reputation is highly rated one of the finest DUI lawyers in Indiana I personally know people who have used his expertise in the past with the best results possible. He took my case on short notice and has the ball rolling. I'm so appreciative how prompt, courteous, and effective he's been. I know he'll give it his all for me as my case continues. I have faith in him. Do your magic Paul!

Jennifer Mason

Paul did exactly what he said he would do. My son was arrested in Indiana and charged with 2 misdemeanors and a felony. He was ill at the time and Paul worked hard to make sure he was able to return home and get treatment. He was very professional and prepared for trial, presenting my sons case to the Judge and Prosecutor in a manner in which they felt treatment would be the best solution for him. With Paul's help he has been able to receive treatment at home. Paul will not let you down.

I
Recently hired Paul Stanko to represent me on my 4th felony
Conviction in 4 years i was going in front of judge
Miller
And had been turned down for the drug court program. If you
Dont know much about the legal system a 4th conviction in 4
Years is almost gauranteed DOC time. In this day in age
Criminal Law is all about Plea agreements, cases just never
Go to trial i mean they do but hardly ever. When it comes
To
Plea agreements the deal your going to get is all about your
Attorney 90% of the time and its about who your attorney
Knows and how much they are respected. In the case of Paul
Stanko he is a former Judge and Prosecuting Attorney so he
Is viewed with the utmost respect by the judge who is
Overseeing your case and the prosecutor who is working
Against you. They all know he has done their job and done it
Well so the battle is won already in my case i had an
Unwinnable situation but on sentencing day Mr. Stanko made
An absolutely incredible argument on my behalf so much so
That the judge was moved and gave me 18 months of probation.
I owe Mr. Stanko alot, and if you are in a situation where
You see no way out trust me, just call Paul. He will help
You.

I've noticed that Paul responds to negative reviews by denying that the reviewer was his client. So, I wouldn't be surprised if he did the same to me. Surely, we are all just lying. If you read the negative reviews, you'll see that a common theme is LACK OF COMMUNICATION. This is absolutely true! I hired Paul for a case in December 2017. He kept postponing my court dates despite me asking him that I would like to get the case over with ASAP (I have screenshots of me texting him this with no responses from him btw). Well, after postponing my court dates for OVER A YEAR, I was finally able to START my pretrial diversion program in April 2019. The program lasts a year so my case could have been dismissed by now if he had not postponed my case for over a year. It's 2020 and I still have a few more months of pretrial diversion for a case from 2017! I recently consulted with 3 other lawyers about this and they were all appalled at how long my case took and said that if they had been my lawyer, the goal would have been to get me on pretrial diversion ASAP. I cannot stress enough how poorly he communicates. He does not have a receptionist so you always get sent to voicemail, which for the past two years that I've been his client has ALWAYS been full so you can't even leave a message. I've also tried to reach him through email and text. Out of the dozens of texts I've sent, he's rarely replied. He's also given me erroneous information regarding the pretrial program, which leads me to believe he lacks the knowledge and competence to handle such cases. I wish I would have hired a good lawyer instead, but I unfortunately paid him in full at the very beginning and could not afford to switch to another lawyer. I hope he tries to deny that I'm his client, because I'd gladly take screenshots of the dozens of emails, phone calls, and texts I've sent him over the past 2 years so you can see for yourself to just how many he's replied (I'm pretty sure I can figure out how to upload photos of screenshots along with my review).