Dawn Cutaia, Esquire
Dawn M. Cutaia, born Queens, New York; admitted to the Pennsylvania bar, 1996. Education: Westchester Community College (A.A. 1991); Barry University (summa Sum laude, B.S. 1993); Dickinson School of Law (J.D. 1996).
Member: York County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations
Areas of Concentration:
• Criminal Defense: felony, misdemeanor and summary offenses. On August 13, 2008, Ms. Cutaia obtained a not guilty verdict on a first degree murder charge for her client, Denzel Swan.
• Bankruptcy and Non-Bankruptcy Options: Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 and Offers in Compromise/Creditor Negotiation. Visit Ms. Cutaia’s companion bankruptcy web site, York Bankruptcy Law
• Real Estate: settlement and litigation
• Civil Litigation
• Family Law: divorce, custody, adoption, support, foster care, dependency, delinquency, protection from abuse, co-habitation agreements,
prenuptial agreements
Ms. Cutaia has trial, jury trial, and appellate experience.
Ms. Cutaia was one of the founding partners of McElwee & Cutaia and later moved to Florida to be closer to her family and open and manage a title company. Ms. Cutaia returned to York to continue her legal career.
Community Involvement: Member, York County Bar Association’s Women in the Law Committee, Family Law Section, and Criminal Law Committee and Law Day Committee. Former Co-Chair, York County Bar Association’s Law Day Committee, Women in the Law Committee and Juvenile Dependency Committee. Cast Member, York County Bar Stools. Former member Young Women’s Club.
Ms. Cutaia presented a continuing legal education course on Adoption Law in Pennsylvania, including international adoption. In 2001, Ms. Cutaia was awarded a Special Pro Bono Award for her role in the Custody Workshop project. The York County Bar Foundation Pro Bono Award was awarded to Ms. Cutaia in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005.
Ms. Cutaia’s hobbies include web design, computer networking/programming, cycling, photography and quilting. She designed the web site for the York Law Day Committee and is one of the administrators of the York County Bar Association’s web site. Ms. Cutaia lives in Conewago Township, York County, with her husband Joseph Watchilla, Jr.