Ms. Kuntuzos grew up in Montana and Colorado prior to relocating to California over twenty years ago. The topography and the warm nature of Simi Valley’s residents remind Ms. Kuntuzos of the towns where she grew up, making it easy for her and her family to call Simi Valley home, and further driving her desire to be known as your hometown attorney.
Shantel believes in reaching out to her community and getting to know its residents. One of the nicest compliments Shantel has received is from a community member who stated that if they ever do need a lawyer, they’ll call Shantel, because they would want to sit down with someone they know and trust, rather than lay out their life story to a stranger. Shantel couldn’t agree more. Hiring a lawyer is the start of a sometimes-long relationship, so she recommends making sure it’s someone you’re comfortable with.
Attorney Kuntuzos as a sponsor of the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Mega Mixer at the Grand Vista Hotel. Those who stopped by received a jar of strawberry or grape jelly, inviting folks to call her office if they ever find themselves “in a jam” legally.
Ms. Kuntuzos graduated magna cum laude from Mesa State College with her Bachelor of Arts degree. Shantel received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles, where she was a two-time recipient of the Florine Carmen Phelps Scholarship.
Prior to opening her own firm in 2010, Ms. Kuntuzos spent five years in human resources with the international forest products company, Weyerhaeuser, and two years in investment management with The Capital Group Companies. She then clerked for a prestigious Century City construction law firm, and was a high profile associate in a Chatsworth-based firm for over four years. Ms. Kuntuzos has also volunteered her time to the Ventura County Superior Court’s Self-Help Legal Access Clinic.
Shantel’s Midwestern upbringing is evident in her common sense approach to litigation. She strongly advises her clients in the strengths and weaknesses of their cases and the rigors of litigation. She encourages them to seriously evaluate their goals prior to initiating a lawsuit. For those already entrenched in litigation, she evaluates her clients’ cases and negotiates for as advantageous a settlement as the case permits, or, in the rare case where settlement proves impossible, she sees the case through trial and appeal.
Ms. Kuntuzos is a member of the Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley and Ventura County Bar Associations. She is a member of the Women Lawyer’s Section of the SFVBA and of the East County Bar Association of the VCBA. Shantel is also a member of P.E.O., a philanthropic educational organization whose charitable interests focus on providing educational opportunities for women, the Women’s Information Network of Simi Valley and the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce.
