President and founder Melissa A. Scartelli has represented seriously injured plaintiffs in the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania for nearly 30 years. She is one of the leading trial lawyers in Northeast Pennsylvania and won a 10 million dollar jury verdict for a young man injured by medical malpractice at Geisinger Clinic, one of the highest jury verdicts in a medical malpractice case in Luzerne County history. Melissa is one of few attorneys in Northeastern PA to win a punitive damage verdict against a doctor in a medical malpractice case.
She is a member of the prestigious Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which requires members to secure at least one multi-million dollar verdict, award or settlement. She is also a member of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, which requires members to have tried at least 10 civil jury trials to conclusion. Melissa is one of few women attorneys in Northeast Pennsylvania to be a Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate which requires completion of numerous jury trials and passing a written test. For years, she has been named among Pennsylvania’s Super Lawyers, a recognition earned by fewer than 5 percent of the state’s attorneys.
A native of Scranton, Pa., Melissa has remained dedicated to representing innocent victims of accidents and malpractice. In 2001, she founded the firm that would later become Scartelli Olszewski, P.C. Melissa takes pride in getting to know her clients personally. She takes seriously her slogan “Small enough to care, large enough to win.”
A 1987 graduate of The Dickinson School of Law, Melissa was captain of the trial moot court team and received the Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy by the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Melissa served in the past on the Leadership Council for the Penn State Dickinson Law. In 2008, she established a scholarship at the law school in memory of her late parents Marilyn B. and Edward R. Scartelli. The scholarship is given annually to a law school applicant from Northeastern Pennsylvania who has no other lawyers in the immediate family. Melissa is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Scranton Preparatory School, her alma mater.
Melissa is admitted to practice before all of Pennsylvania’s state courts, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and enjoys practicing law with her husband, attorney Peter Paul Olszewski, Jr., who also is a shareholder with the firm. In 2020, Melissa and Peter Paul Olszewski welcomed daughter Rachel Olszewski, Esq. as a member of the firm’s legal team. Melissa enjoys skiing, gifting, kayaking, and hiking with her dog, Miranda.
