Comments on: Defrauding our nation’s lawyers

By: gerryspence

gerryspence — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:55:27 +0000

This is a horror story. It tells the truth about that industry. When you buy a policy of insurance you do not buy protection. You buy the right to sue the company when it refuses to pay. This is its business — to collect premiums and to pay as few losses as the company can get away with. If you are poor, they will win. Lawyers cost money. If you are middle class, they will make you poor. The rich don’t need insurance.

Hate what you are experiencing.

Gerry

By: barbara gibbs

barbara gibbs — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:45:37 +0000

Dear Mr. Spence. We had a fire in our house, Allstate refused to settle our claim, they brought out a contractor who after one year walked off the job, not even half completed. We took Allstate to court and they told the jury that they paid us addtional living expenses, but we frauded them because we were not living in our house before the fire. They brought in Luis Vargas, who had worked for us in remodeling our house, my husband had later reported him to the state constractors lic board for his frudulent work. The lic board did nothing. I made a complaint against Allstate with the State Insurance Commissioner. They did nothing because I had a lawyer, but their statement says they would appreciate additional information after the trial. I made another complaint with the State showing how Allstate had told them we were holding up the work on our house, while thier own diary showed it was them not approving the work on the fireplace. The Insurance Commissioner did nothing, sent my package back saying I already made a complaint. They are all corrupt.
Allstate suborned the perjury of their witness and we lost our case. Allstate knew we were living in our house, we had photos, record of 500 boxes of items packed out of our house, including the bathroom that Allstate told the jury was gutted, etc., the judge had approved punitive damages but Allstate was able to convince the jury that we were the liars. The jury just wanted to get the hell out of there. They got a judgment against us for $69,000 for their costs, things like $8,000 for the psychiatrist they sent us to. I am appealing the case and trying to get the DA to press charges against Luis Vargas, but he said it is so hard to prove etc., We have witnesses who were in our house before the fire and photos and lots of evidence. I really need a lawyer, but Allstate bankrupted us and I am almost 70. We are close to losing everything.
B. Gibbs
Porterville, CA
(559)783-8513

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:37:16 +0000

Dear Gerry,

I was just wondering; if the law schools are turning out graduates who care more about legal principles than people, what is the alternative? There doesn’t seem to be any other option. These days, in order to become a lawyer, one MUST go to law school, correct? That has been the case for quite a few decades.

In either a civil or criminal case, a client could afford to have the “best” (by reputation only) lawyer in his/her state, but if that lawyer doesn’t care about the case, then it’s probably a foregone conclusion that the case will be lost. I often wish it were possible for any citizen who wants to learn how to become their own best legal advocate, although I am well aware of the caveat that “one who represents himself has a fool for a client.” I just feel that doesn’t always have to be the case. Just a view from an average non-lawyer.

Thanks so much for this blog, and for the opportunity to “talk” with you, even if it’s only through a box.

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:20:40 +0000

Is Rubenstein a full professor or one of those Adjuncts ? Maybe that Freeeman knows a lot more than some give him credit for(see above).

I went to some site, & Rubinstein was blabbering on, and it appears one of his pals, posted the following crock of BULL:
“Spence is a crook in my eyes and I hope in the eyes of his family and every other on looker. He needs to pay for what he’s done. Plain and simple.”

Posted by: Rueben J. | Feb 23, 2009 12:43:58
PM
This was on the “adjunct law blog”, preceded by Mitchell Rubinstein’s latest diatribe.

All the cases one reads in law school, are disputes in court between: 1) a plaintiff, and 2) a defendant.
Rubenstein goes on about politics, as if he is plugged into that aspect of matters.
Needless to say, I take exception to Rube’s pal Ruben, who is a cyber hit and run sort. I merely point out, when provocative views are set forth, there are those who will employ dirt tactics, to
muddy things.
Gerry, is winning the debate, and it worries, his critics, in assorted caves, halls, and temples. It appears Rube is with some NY Union, and is merely an “adjunct”.
Pension rip offs by unions is indeed a serious matter, but what side is Rube on ?

By: Grace

Grace — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:10:53 +0000

It is always hard to tell in cyber things(real/ unreal/ quasi in between).
However, Professor Rubinstein has his own web site, where he has his own views on matters, separate from here.
As to Freeman, well, that is a very common name, and one where attorneys are located around.
However, I have to tell you, so some attorney has an 1/2 hour open in his calender, and he says he can charge $ 1,200 per hour.
And, he did not bill any like it was free, Free-man, says, the posters.(free lunch, free time, free free at last.)
That is something that is most curious: many lawyers look at you like you have some super-imposed dollar sign, spread sheets, super-imposed over your very being, and they do not pay the expensive overhead, by large long wads of free time, as if they are the Salvation Army.(or see pay day at the end of the tunnel)
But, a law professor, who never had to meet an payroll for staff, or investigators, or costs, or running a law office to keep the lights on, they are rather clueless, and they simply were never in that nitty gritty real world experience.
Screening clients is a fact, and a reality, every attorney(pvt practice) does some screen, of some sort, before he/she agrees to take on the task of agreeing to represent one—as his/her attorney.(appearance for, of record)
It is called investigating the facts, before filing, and making an appearance, unless of course, they have GM on retainer at several million per year, for the last 10 years, or Exxon Oil Corporation.(outhouse corporate counsel–law firm at the high end Exb-Towers.).
I take no side in the Spence-Rubinstein debate, but simple observe, the practice of law is where the hard cruel world , and the rubber meets the road, and it is nothing like some cloistered class room, if any have gone through both experiences in any depth.

By: Nooman

Nooman — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:59:14 +0000

I took the time to read the over 5o posts noted above, many many words well over 1,000, and here is what strikes me:
1) Professor Rubinstein is a real professor, at a real law school, and he disputes the Spence attack on law degrees.
2) Scott Freeman can use cyber space to make Rubinstein look like he never graduated from grade school,(some process of negation), yet we have no clue if Freeman is even a lawyer, who was even admitted to any real,
worth-its-salt law school.
When he had no substance to post he resorts to nit picking on grammar, like he is the king of grammar, which is in itself quite laughable.
3) Then, there is the sad siutation of Bonnie Reiter, a lady who was attacking by a shark invested waters of what she described as unethical lawyers, and she was looking for help–here, SPENCE ESQ BLOG-KINGDOM
Ironic, did she find support here among, the wantabees, Susan, Vicki, the Paw Paw Inca tripper, Jess, the different, or was she left to stew in her story of grief, about the encounter with Esq sharks.
I take it Ms Bonnie R found no help, here, not even from Argus the great cyber Soul-brother of the Bar, and pretender on the road to pompacity.
The Dean of Pepperdine don’t have the balls to come on this board, most obviously, but the Professor, can be stripped of all he worked for over many years, by some cyber games, and especially so by Freeman, as he becomes the biggest Spence parrot.
I suppose the come-back is, don’t you have better things to do with your time, than spend it reading posts on some blog.
I had to ration my time in law school, now I have so much time, at a value per, & i can bill it at 1/4 per hour, but Spence is not getting a cent to do any blog(apparently), so do as you want wantabees according to some time value to cyber space. As a corporate–biz- attorney who can run the meters, i enjoyed every second of law school, and i did not have to be some dupe, like Argus, to make up some stooges artifice on sucking in the mentally disabled (here) who were labeled instantly as hopelessly deranged.
Professor Rubinstein was not my professor, I did not post here to defend him.
I came on here to point out this site was of no help at all to the poor Bonnie Reiter, who was desperate after shark attacks in real life from real sharky lawyers, or if not that, then some who were too stupid to be admitted to law school, so acquired a J D, presto via cyberspace, a la the likes of Freeman.
By, the way I did not charge some client $ 300/ for the time it took me to post this up, if it ever sees the light of day–here.

By: Kelly M

Kelly M — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:48:28 +0000

If the Dean, is robbing souls, he would be hard pressed to deny it.
Just look at Argus, the guy has been in a state of limbo, since he got his sheep skin, J D.
Now, he has gone into
whole-sale cyber saviory of
souls, just like when St Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland.

By: gerryspence

gerryspence — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:25:20 +0000

Kelly, I challenge the Dean of Pepperdine to deny it.

Gerry

By: Kelly

Kelly — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:47:07 +0000

Wait a second, how do we know for sure, that Gerry is not of the view that all those getting into snake oil, and snakes in the Bible, are even more deranged than Argus ? An intercircle of the screw loose Section of the ATLA, or what ever other faction of Clubs so grace the domain of Barristery. He leaves it for Argus to cavort with the suffering from a degree which is riddled with the taint of fraud, and a black hole that robbed people of their soul from the time they sat in torts, and tax law.
Just kidding, for all we know Argus is the Dean of
Pepperdine.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:07:35 +0000

I don’t think I was defrauded in any degree’s, but then I can see why some might feel that way, but I have to say I have taken a lot of classes, and the classes rarely reflects what happens later in life in people’s practice, and experiences.
I stopped paying the ABA.
Some guy called me up, and begged me to stay with my ABA membership.
He lowered the rate to some small amount.
So, to get him off the phone, I extended for another year.
As to law school, “murdering the soul”, how so, again, many tune out things if they find it boring, or can’t get into it. Face, it law school for many is just another delay from getting a real job, in the nitty gritty fights, and commerce of life, etc.
Now with a bad job market(deep recession–getting worst-09) with some B. A degree in some undergrad degree that means nothing, law school applications will zoom up(again).
What I find curious is the number of law firms that have gone bellyup in the bad times(those that did not have bankruptcy as a speciality).
I had this friend, who broke up his partnership with some other partners, and i asked him: why the split.
He said: he just got tired of fighting over money.
You would be shocked on the number of legal firm partnerhsips that breakup over money, how the pie is cut.
But, then maybe some of you are not shocked on that aspect of law/ money/ partnerships/ practice/ commerce etc.
A person, seriously looking for a job is not going to go to a prospective employer, and tell the firm, my law degree was a giant fraud, and etc.
Most likley, he(she) will say, I had Prof so and so, he is the world’s biggest expert on_____. It might all be a crock of……
But, people put it in the best light–isn’t that the lesson on law school, looking for a pay check. 101
“Murdering the soul”, I thought that usual happened to most lawyers, after they had been out in the hard cruel world for over 10 years.
What in the world happened to poor old Argus, it looks like some “soul” snatchers have been on his heels.
Did he go over the edge of
limbo ?